Your Trends & Neighbors 5/7: Conclave, Dora The Explorer, Sigma, Burger King

Hello the Internet, and welcome to this episode of your Trends and Neighbors. Because that's a show that's happy. It is a show.

My name is Jack.

That over there is Andrew.

Do what what's it going?

What's going on?

I'm not as much watching Trends or Friends and Neighbors as much as I'm just non stop watching Sinners every second of Yeah, you're coming up on your fourth viewing, it's going to be it's a it's a wee bit too much, but it is.

It's very good. Every time I'm enjoying, it.

Gets better and better. I think it gets about the same.

But I've not hit diminishing returns for me personally yet.

So we'll see.

Are you going with different people like spread like Johnny Appleseed style?

Oh, yes, I've gone. I've gone. Yeah, different people every time.

Saw once in the Imax, seventy millimeters at City Walk and then once at you know, no specific shade to the projectionist at album draft House, but a not as good looking print at Alamo. But the thing to be said about Alamo draft House and the movie Sinners more movie Sinners. It's a kind of a good movie to see when everyone's like a wee bit drunk in the theater. Yeah, it's a it's a good rowdy movie. So I've heard it's rowdy and fun like that.

People being like I hear this is like cinema and like sit down and like like get ready for uh, but that's the thing a hard time at the movies. They're like, oh, this is fun as hell.

Yeah, I think it's attracting the cinema folks, but it's it is actually just like a really fun.

Yeah.

I don't want to spoil the thing that is not really in the trailer, but it's not really a huge spoiler, but I will just say it's a yeah, it's a it's like a rowdy experience. I'll do those spoiler very very mild spoiler alert is that the the music is like.

A huge great part of it.

Yeah, okay, nice, that's that's a good the best kind of spoiler.

I don't want to over I don't want to say anymore to when I first thought, I.

Was like, what the fuck?

Yeah, it's fuck crazy okay cool. And then Friends and Neighbors is a show that I'm aware of. It's John Ham. It's looks like some manner of suburban on Wei. Yeah, and I've heard it's giving Draper, it's it's taking John Hamm back right to his comfort zone. Yeah, in a way that people seem to be enjoying.

What I will say, is it the show. I've only seen a couple episodes. I went to a screening thing, so that was a little like colored the take on it. But I think I think my take on this show is that if you really wanted mad Men's season fucking like forty five, just imagine.

Like, what would Don Draper be doing in the MONERYR two. Yeah, that guy up to.

It's it's pretty it's pretty much that. Again, you know, depending on it's exactly that if you if you like that, if that sounds appealing, you will like it, and if it doesn't sound appealing, you won't like it.

Nice that sounds appealing to me. The other thing that I've heard from people is like, again, it's kind of like the Center, like don't go in expected expecting actually more more than the Sinners thing. People have been like, this is very disposable. It's not a thing you're gonna be like. It's not mad Men in the sense that it's going to be like repeat viewing Prestige TV. It's just like kind of a good time.

I maybe just have a different take on mad Men.

So you think you think mad Men is more disposable, Yeah, then I think we all found I just I'm very very very much pitching this. I would say as if you liked, if you wanted forty more seasons of mad Men.

You will really like this. Nice Yeah, and that just is what it is.

John Hamm is dishonest? Is that is that what I'm to understand.

It's honest, a wee bit tired to spite all his riches, just spiritually exhausted. And I will say it is it is also as someone who is a steered off a little bit but had it was definitely I know more about watches than I should. There's it's a real it's not it's a watch guy show. But also yeah, again the sort of like, yeah, it really tells you what kind of watch guy you are, because it's it's just like tacky rich guy watches in a way that I'm like, Okay.

It's like the premise is he's just like a rich guy in a rich suburban neighborhood and then starts like robbing his neighbors. Yeah, essentially, Yeah.

Yeah, I think there's it does seem like there's more to it. But that's fun.

I like, that's that's plenty intriguing for me. I'm in.

Yeah, a little bit of larceny, a little lot of drinking, a lot of staring off into the middle drinking.

Pretty pretty solid.

Chin.

Yeah's a TV show. Yeah, what is your like? Number one show? You're Andrew. For listeners who are new to the show, Andrew is an accomplished TV writer.

Accomplished is strong but thank you. The number one show I have going on right now now that I'm saying this, I think I've said this on Daily's like Cheist, But I still am. I loved and I'm a little upset that this is so far my show of the year is Common side Effects. Not that it's not that it shouldn't be, but it you know, I was a little surprised, and I was resistant to watching it in the first place.

Yeah, it's a cartoon and those are your children exactly.

Yeah, but it's also like the specific kind of like because Common Side Effects is about this like kind of like hippie white guy who finds like a mushroom in the Peru.

I believe that, like.

It's it's a little bit like like the kind of psychedelic enthusiastic white guy who I personally don't don't that much time is the protagonist. So that was made me a bit resistant. But the show was wonderful. The show is super good.

It almost feels like it's thought up by that, like, you know, it sounds like it's not. The execution is much better than of one of those guys.

Person agains correct. Yeah, and it's and also that's a.

Me problem that I am just annoyed by that type of dude. But I you know, I've just done too many psychedelics in my life and I'm at I'm a bit weary of some of those guys. Weary and weary.

Yeah, but the show is really good and.

Those are fine. Yes, all right, let's get down to brass tacks here, because there's important things happening right now. The future of the Catholic Church is at stake. We have an update, uh you know here where we're recording this. We have just learned black smoke has come forth from booth. We have no pope. No, it's a it's an official no pope on the docket for today, so I will

Can I just say the did you did you guys note already that the pope died and within like twenty four hours Conclave moved to Amazon Prime.

I didn't we didn't know that. We did notice, we did note that it was like skyrocketing up the streaming.

Yeah. Yeah, I'm just saying it's, of course, the evidence is circumstantial, but you know that does mean Beats killed pope profited massively from the death of the pope, And.

It's whatever you want, whatever conclusion you want to drop.

Yeah, and we do know Bezos is tied to this way. Some Jdvan's was one of the last people to see the pope alive. I'm just saying, it's it's a theory. We're not Uh.

Yeah, you can't say that's impossible to say when it would be irresponsible for us to discount this wonderful theory.

It's just called journalism. Folks do your own research. But one of the fun details that has come out is that heading into the conclave, the cardinals the people, you know, the voting body, and like one of them will become the Pope. So it's like, you know, kind of fun that that's intuingly weird. It's like, I don't know, you guys for me, Oh no, god, guy crazy you guys.

All guys, we're all guys here right right, yeah.

Guys, And I do mean guys. The they a lot of them, you know, have not this is gonna be their first conclave, didn't know what to expect, and so they're watching the move the Conclave awesome, which is it's I don't know, it's funny to me to imagine you know, the future pope being like, what should I expect from this? How do I play this? I know, I'll watch the movie Conclave.

Yeah, I mean, it's also just kind of nice because like it's like, I mean, in you can't really call it a civic duty, but that's probably the closest equivalent. But Conclave is like their version of like like school House Rock about how you cast a vote?

Right, just how else you gonna even look like, yeah, I don't know. It's there's just an anecdote on the movie podcast blank Check that when Pope John Paul the Second my pope when I was grown up, you know, just an old sleepy mummy when he came to the US in the eighties, he had his people reach out to Michael Keaton's people and was like, a, you want to like meet up Doug because the Pope loves Johnny dangerously. The Michael Keaton movie that's like an Airplane style spoof

I yes, I think that's probably maybe I don't know, but uh.

And Michael Keaton was like, I mean, can my mom Like I don't really, I'm not Catholic, but like my mom is, and so he just like met with the Pope with and like brought his mom. But like the Pope was just like, oh my god, it's Michael Keaton.

It's so funny that they're willing to I mean, because like these people's powers rest on the like premise that they're magic, and I am I am a little surprised every time I guess that there's the B side is like part of that magic is like being human or whatever. But like I it is weird to me that like like an organization like the Catholic Church allow the veneer to crumble in this type of regard, like, oh, the Pope wants to made showny dangerously.

The Pope is meant to be magic, you know else who else has a little bit of magic? Nineteen eighties Michael Keaton. Yeah, just like.

It's just weird to me that every time they act human.

But I guess that that I'm just not a believer, so I'm sure that's appealing to believers in its own way.

He's just the popes. They're just like us. My favorite magazine him Weekly, but the and the hymn is capitalized. And then like when the Pope took it, like this also stuck out to me when the Pope, woke Pope made his trip woke for a pope, woke Pope made his trip to America, and like came to Philadelphia was still so Catholic Philadelphia, Like churches there just jam packed every Sunday. But Mark Wahlberg was the MC for the for the event because and like he's not even associated

Cramming, cramming for the conclave, Like oh fuck, okay, okay, okay, be cool, be cool.

I can just watch. I can just watch Conclave.

I didn't read the thing because I assume they have like a dossier.

You'd think of words. But I feel like there's also some like just let the Holy Spirit guide you, my brother type. Yeah you know that they wouldn't. There's not going to be like a you know, step by step. Yeah, you know what.

Actually, that's I'm so naive for even saying that, because like they just need votes and the people in power, like the general elections are incentivized. The more ignorant the electorate is, the better off. Yeah, that's are so they don't want you don't know what to do.

By the way, there is a a bad guy emerging, an antagonist emerging from this conclave, at least for me, bad for a cardinal, that is, for a cardinal, bad for a pope. Maybe there's this conservative German cardinal who, in response to this news story was like, don't take any of that seriously. It's not like the conclave is not a power game played by stupid people looking to

The odds are not great, right that he doesn't get elected. We're in a uh, we're in a time, you know.

Like like highly conservative.

Germans never been more powerful.

Right as a political philosopher.

They're flying right now. They're doing not never, but it's been a minute. It's been a while since they were this popular. Yeah, he said. He hoped the other cardinals would ignore Francis's mass media appeal and avoid the intrigue depicted in the Oscar winning film Conclave, which is funny because it seems like he's making a mass media appeal. Yeah, and he's like grumpy because he doesn't. He's like, and don't watch the movie where the conservative guy doesn't win in the end.

That's so funny.

There's also a favorite details. Have you seen Conclave? Yeah? Conservative for a pope is that One of the great details of Conclave is that the shitty conservative cardinal who wants to be pope is vaping the whole time.

Yes, I have heard about So.

Makes me wonder, what's the black smoke? Is it just v. Do you think you've got to imagine.

The white smoke is just like the biggest.

They It's not that they haven't decided to do the pope is, but someone's got to get that pal really, really, you know, this pulling cotton.

That's right, all right, let's take a quick.

Break and we'll come back and talk about Dora the Explorer. And we're back, and Dora the Boy, who I get most of my information about gen Z from, is teaching adults about Sigma, which, you know, for people who aren't aren't familiar, Sigma is like you know, the manosphere was like, yeah, alpha's cool, but you know what's really cool Sigma a billions. Yeah, yeah, it's it's like the higher level galaxy brain version of an alpha male. Where. Yeah, but anyways, Dora took to

That's a great question. I don't, I can't.

I guess maybe are people who grew up on Dora having kids now, I feel like they're not quite there, is my guess. I'm just yeah, to me, my assumption was like, first of all, I'll you know, as someone who worked in social media for quite a long time for the Umbrella Corporation that produces Dora the Explorer, I just kind of feel like this is the type of thing that was sort of pitched and it sounded great to the like middle aged decision makers in this type

Brian is Brian the editor.

Super producer Victor.

Yes, they're they're they are confirming that this is for people who grew up with Dora, but grew up with Dora but also have kids now.

Could make sense. Yeah, Dora came out in two thousand, so this is.

This is just sort of like I mean, this is just like a version of like Urban Dictionary for people who don't have time on their hands.

It feels like, yeah, it sucks, It's it's just like the only issue here is that it is describing what Sigma is in a completely value like value free way, where it's just like, Sigma are like confident and cool and well, not not explaining the like manosphere, not.

Even value free.

I think it's it's fully taking on the pitch from from from Yeah, this is toxic.

We're just talking.

About being confident and doing your own thing.

Sigmas are cool, and then it like shows Nickelodeon characters being Sigma.

Yeah.

Yeah, I mean if nothing else, like calling the word Sigma cool is a value judgment that firmly places them on the side, right, Like, if you think Sigma is cool, then you are in company with Nazis right.

Yeah, it's big leap, but that is true. Unfortunately, Dora, You're enough your kids, Dora. But yeah, I don't know, it's just somebody. Yeah, it's it feels like it's just a thing where they're like, this is internet speak and we just yeah, we are translating internet speak and uh, you know, not taking aside as as mainstream medias want to do. You know, we're not right, not left. We're just teaching adults why their kids are calling things Sigma.

Yeah, I mean I think that's what it is. Is Like I think that, like, again, it's been a minute since I've worked in for these folks, but my memory and my assumption and I'm confidence saying this is that like a lot of the decision makers in this situation don't really different, like they still sort of just see internet talk as an undifferentiated thing as opposed to like, what part of the internet, what.

Does this mean?

Like it's just like like the phrase like oh this is from the internet still has like a lot of like internal power in traditional media, even though that it's just like much more nuanced than that, Right, So yeah, I think that's that to me is the things like how this could this could happen non maliciously with just like a hearty dose of of old media bubble combined with age induced ignorance.

Yeah, we'll see or maybe just or not. Yeah, maybe maybe this is just the direction they're going. I mean, like that it does make it sort of like the way that capitalism is just like we meet our audience where they are, and every mainstream media article about men under the age of like thirty is like they are all right Nazis and the judgment free zone. Yeah, and in fact we think they're great because we want their business.

They're cool.

Yeah. Finally, let's talk about a judge has allowed a lawsuit to go forward over Burger Kings Whopper ads. Basically, it's another one of these ads where it's like the Truth in Advertising where they were like these ads looked great and these sandwiches look like shit?

Yeah, I is it? Okay?

How is media literacy so low that this is even possible? Like what do you think an ad? Food in an ad looks like?

Yeah, definitely, Yeah, it's I have had experiences where it's like, wow, that actually like looks like the ad, and I knew to be like that is crazy how much that looks like the ad? You know that, I've never been surprised that something that I got at a fast food restaurant looks like shit compared to the picture. Yeah, maybe that's my low expectations.

If you know, it tastes great no matter what, guys, don't worry about it.

This episode is brought to you by the White Bird speaking.

No just the concept of fast food. We're just like whatever, like we have stock and just like the worst bleached flat white flower or something.

I don't even know what it is.

I mean, I am curious because, like the rest of the trends of the justice system are bending towards corporations can lie as much as they want. Yeah, so I am curious that it is a little bit. I guess good that any truth in advertising is moving forward. Yeah, I suspect this will there will be some way that this is killed or probably more like there will be sort of a false somewhat moral victory one on this behalf,

That's right. We won't have that monarchy here in the free monarchy that we're moving towards.

Uh.

And what a pleasure having you on Daily Zeit gees? Where can people uh find you? Follow you here? You all good stuff?

I don't know, Andrew T Yo? Is this racist? Are less depressing?

Premium show is called yok when We Live that's available at suboptimal pods dot com.

But whatever less depressing you say, should we try something like that? That's crazy? All right? That is going to do it for us this afternoon. We're back tomorrow with a whole ass episode of the show. Until then, be kind to each other, be kind to yourselves, get your vaccines while you still can get your flu shots. Don't do nothing about white supremacy, and we will talk to you all tomorrow by peace.

The Daily Zeit Guys is executive produced by Catherine Law, co produced by ba Way.

Co produced by Victor Wright, co written by J. M McNabb, edited and engineered by Justin Conner, and edited and engineered by Brian Jefferies