We haven't had a Hmm pop culture recap in ages (since February), and it was high time to rectify that omission.
The Earthquake
First of all, it would be remiss, wrong, and selfish of me to start with anything but the earthquake that shook New York, but more specifically me, on Friday morning. All of a sudden I felt a new appreciation for adrenaline junkies. I'll be honest with you: my first thought was construction, my second was an uncharacteristically vigorous conscious coupling from my neighbors, my third was oh, mental illness has revealed a new symptom, and my fourth was that somehow, an animal had crept under my bed (no, I don't have pets and yes, I do live in a high-rise building — logic is allowed to escape me, occasionally).
An earthquake was simply not in my mental rolodex of explanations, given that I am completely unaware of the tectonic plates that affect me, personally. The possibility of one in my vicinity seemed as likely as falling through quicksand while the Road Runner snickered in the background.
You couldn't tell me a single thing for the rest of the day. Once in the morning and again in the afternoon, I engaged in light, coy Conspiracy Theory Brain by tapping my temple and thinking earthquake ... eclipse ... hmmm ... there's something there. Every conversation I had was eventually re-routed to the earthquake (mainly the who what why how of it all and the Eric Adams-related tweets).
I love a natural disaster that doesn't kill anyone, just kinda becomes the main character of the day in a oh shucks me? fashion. Every single one of us should aspire to this Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940) energy. No one died and the Internet was having a mania-induced ball — that, to me, is the definition of a perfect event.
Forgive my ignorance as I am only just beginning my earthquake journey (have always been more of a hurricane girlie), but why don't we name them? Can we only name things if we know they're coming? Is the ex post granting of names frowned upon by the geological (?) community? I would like a souvenir to remember Friday's Event by, even if it's just a proper noun.
Shakira gave an interview
I have famously been obsessed (in a chill normal totally healthy way) with Shakira since I was approximately six years old, so trust me that it brings me no pleasure to tell you that she gave an interview to Allure in which, among some mostly banal things, she gave a few ... questionable quotes re Barbie and feminism (a topic with which I thought we were over, but the interviewer saw fit to ask about it so here we are), including:
“My sons absolutely hated it. They felt that it was emasculating. And I agree, to a certain extent. I'm raising two boys. I want 'em to feel powerful too [while] respecting women. I like pop culture when it attempts to empower women without robbing men of their possibility to be men, to also protect and provide. I believe in giving women all the tools and the trust that we can do it all without losing our essence, without losing our femininity. I think that men have a purpose in society and women have another purpose as well. We complement each other, and that complement should not be lost.”
I loooove a Go Girl Give Us Nothing moment. I wasn't even a big fan of Barbie, but this take is so emblematic of modern sexism it kills me lol. If your sons felt emasculated by a fictional Barbie doll, then — with a true plethora of apologies — that sounds like a skills issue. I'm paraphrasing, but "women can be strong as long as they let men be strong[er]" is sooo funny because girlie, who is not letting men be strong? If your children are threatened by women finding their power (I am sorry for the Marianne Williamson rhetoric, I'm finally reading all about love if that explains things), then all that female empowerment talk really is for naught.
As a reminder, this is painful for me. I wish for nothing more than to stan Shakira unequivocally, but alas. Don’t meet your idols or read their interviews, I guess.
Speaking of Eric Adams
For a variety of Objectively Correct Reasons, I can't stand the current mayor of New York City and believe he is actively harming our population, so you can imagine how thrilled I was when last week he appeared on The Breakfast Club radio show and was confronted with journalist and attorney Olayemi Olurin, who conducted one of the best interviews of a public official I've seen in recent years. I’ve posted a short clip below, but you can read the full transcript here (it's worth it), and watch Olurin's fact-checking video here.
It's the kind of solid, researched, and sturdy questioning all elected officials should be subjected to, and it is why I am so hesitant and concerned about the increasing use of content creators and influencers in the roles typically occupied by professional journalists. We're not equipped to carry out interviews like these, and interviews like these are what the public needs (indeed, what the public is owed) to keep politicians accountable to their constituents.
On music
I shared this on Notes yesterday, but I really appreciated
's non-review of Beyoncé's COWBOY CARTER, which I've been Listening To and Having Thoughts About over the last week.Separately, but very importantly, this week a friend and I went to Caetano Veloso's concert in Brooklyn. Do not quote me on this, but I'm pretty sure every Brazilian in New York was at the venue. It was a gorgeous show, and I've been listening to Caetano every day since — if you're unfamiliar with his music, you might start with his self-titled 1967 debut (and if there is a song in it called "Clara," what can I possibly do about it??), although this 2016 live album with Gilberto Gil is magical. I find it perfect morning music, particularly for mornings not interrupted by cheeky earthquakes.
Thank you for reading! As always, you can find me on twitter, instagram, and tiktok. This newsletter is my pride and joy, with issues on topics like the celebrity apology industrial complex, Barbie’s Oscar noms, debriefing the Bezos’ fake normalcy, the week when everyone was deranged, and Stanley cups and hyperconsumerism.
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I saw that Shakira quote and it was like hun this is not the take you think it is, you are not doing what you think you are !!
Omg THANK you for the gem of an interview with Olayemi Olurin and the most hate-able mayor! I always found the TBC morning show to be a bit vapid (back in the olden days when I still listened to the radio on my way into the city) but this interview, as you said, is real journalism!