LeBron James' Orchestrates "Mental Health Crisis" to Promote Documentary, How TikTok (and COVID) Brought Pop Punk Back, CNBC is PRO Inflation?! (The Five for 07/09/21)
LeBron James' Orchestrates "Mental Health Crisis" to Promote Documentary, How TikTok (and COVID) Brought Pop Punk Back, CNBC is PRO Inflation?! (The Five for 07/09/21)
Hey, welcome to The Five.
Let’s dive into Culture & Commentary.
[one]
I try my very hardest not to degrade The Five into a bi-weekly edition of “this week, the mainstream media was terrible again.”
However, today we have to go there, thanks to a story from CNBC.
This is the rare moment when I’m not going to link to a story I’m referencing, because I don’t want CNBC to receive even one penny of profit off of this garbage (at least, not from clicks generated from The Five).
Since CNBC is a left-of-center outlet, let’s take a loot at how a more, well, journalistic, left-of-center source is covering rising inflation.
If you haven’t noticed it in your day-to-day life, you’ve at least seen it in the headlines: From flights to lumber to chicken wings, prices are higher for many goods and services across the economy. Some people are pointing to these and other price increases as signs that worrisome inflation is on the horizon, arguing that the situation could soon rival what happened in the United States in the 1970s — a period of “stagflation” when the US saw high inflation coupled with slow economic growth and high unemployment.
But many economists and policymakers, including the chair of the Federal Reserve, think it’s likely transitory and that the economy might just be running a little hot right now. They say it will likely cool down as some of the post-pandemic bottlenecks and imbalances work themselves out. It looks like it’s already starting to happen in lumber. It’s also worth noting that last year we saw deflation in some areas of the economy, meaning prices went down, and so it makes sense that they would rebound.
That’s a MUCH better piece of reporting—which presents both sides of an argument without pushing the writer’s own views on the reader.
I’m not going to bother speculating as to why CNBC wants you to think inflation is good (it isn’t…if your wages rise and prices rise simultaneously, savings are worth less and the poor and retirees are hurt in the process), but this is disgusting.
If you’re wondering why this story isn’t in a Tuesday edition of The Five (hard news)…well, this isn’t news. CNBC is presenting biased commentary as news.
And that filters down into culture, because some consumers will blindly swallow these fallacies, resulting in poor personal finance decisions made by people who think the economy is fine because the cable network says it is.
It isn’t. And people will be hurt by this.
What CNBC did isn’t illegal, but it’s highly unethical and bad journalism.
[two]
Pop-punk, the three-chords-and-some-fun remix of 1970’s counter-culture punk, is finding it’s way back into the cultural lexicon after two decades of relative dormancy…thanks to algorithms and Gen Z, with new singles from Olivia Rodrigo (“Good 4 U”) and Willow Smith (“Transparent Soul” Feat. Travis Barker of Blink 182) leading the pack of new school pop-punk to chart-smashing success.
Playlists on streaming services have also helped keep one idea of pop-punk alive. But part of its nostalgic pull has also been fueled by TikTok, which prioritizes a great chorus over everything. The Maryland punkers All Time Low were Warped Tour staples in the '00s and '10s, and their breathless 2007 track "Dear Maria, Count Me In" went double platinum. They've steadily released albums and gone on tours since "Maria" was in heavy rotation on MTV, but in December, the TikTok user @yungricepatty posted a clip soundtracked by the song, prompting people to declare that their love for pop-punk wasn't just a phase. It revealed a groundswell of support for the music's sound and ethos, one that crossed lines of genre and personality type. one that crossed lines of genre and personality type. "I always knew Dear Maria would be a massive TikTok song when we wrote it in 2006," frontman Alex Gaskarth tweeted sardonically in January.
Perhaps the most important quality of pop-punk that tends to get overlooked in the chatter about its periodic resurgences: It's fun. Which is why it's the ideal genre to boil over in 2021. After a year-plus of lockdowns and bad news, music with big guitars that encourages people to not only scream along but also express their catharsis by writing their own songs is exactly the escape valve cooped-up listeners need.
Pop-punk died off the mid-aughts as the national mood soured over the prolonged wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the economy took a nose dive thanks to the mortgage crisis of 2008. After that, we spent nearly a decade with insufferably self-serious indie rock bands dominating the charts.
It’s nice to have fun again.
A handful of Gen Z pop-punk acts currently dominating this Elder Millennial’s workout playlist: KennyHoopla | Waterparks | JXDN | Stand Atlantic | Seaway | Point North | Meet Me @ The Alter
[three]
It’s easy to (metaphorically) dunk on LeBron James, who’s prone to emotional outbursts and easily mocked decisions. During this NBA playoffs, James has a ridiculous habit of walking off the court in playoff games his team is about to lose. On the other hand, James’ work in his hometown of Akron, OH is incredibly admirable, as the first participants in LeBron’s “I Promise” foundation to raise high school graduation rates have earned their high school diplomas, 10 years after the program’s inception.
But it’s tough to extend more than a basic level of respect to James in light of the accusations that the NBA star encouraged tennis pro Namoi Osaka to drop out of two major tournaments due to “mental health” reasons…which will be a part of a documentary releasing next week.
When last we heard from Naomi Osaka, she was asking for private time to take care of her mental health. People didn't know how shy and introverted she really is, said Osaka, the world's most marketed and endorsed and richest female athlete. She dropped out of two major tennis championships not only for herself, but also for the selfless act of raising awareness of others with mental health issues.
Right? And it turns out that fortunately she was consulting with Dr. LeBron James and his friend and adviser, Dr. Maverick Carter, all along. They were there for her privacy with cameras rolling. James and Carter are the executive producers, we now find out thanks to a tweet from James, of a documentary about Osaka. It will be released July 16, the same day as "Space Jam: A New Legacy,'' where we'll see James play Robin to Bugs Bunny's Batman.
I'm not making any of this up. I'm trying to figure out the new narrative for Osaka, corporate social justice warrior. She could be, should be, and seems to want to be the most important female athlete in the world, maybe the most important athlete, period.
But she makes it so hard to believe in her. She tries to mix the look-at-me culture of social media with its I'm-here-for-you message. Throw in the heavy corporate packaging of her endorsers, and it takes away all sense of genuineness.
The same can be said for James. But this is about Osaka, and she is being handled so poorly, so recklessly, so hurtfully, so cynically that it's becoming increasingly difficult to take her seriously.
People are actually hurting. Mental health is an actual issue, not to be hijacked and trivialized by connecting it to a cartoon character or a desire to avoid talking to reporters.
Somewhere along the way, “mental health awareness” went from a public service movement to a marketing tactic, as The Five covered recently with the push for pop stars to gain more recognition by slapping “mental health” on their album releases to garner more press and social media chatter.
LeBron isn’t hiding the ball on his desire to transition from sports star to media mogul as his basketball career winds down.
It’s an admirable goal, but encouraging a fellow athlete to fake (or, just experience) a mental health crisis to create drama in a documentary is an inexcusable move.
[four]
Since it’s been a pretty heavy edition of Commentary & Culture, I thought I’d throw in a more lighthearted story on the soon-to-be largest monument in the U.S., depicting one of my very favorite historical figures.
The Crazy Horse monument, which was started in 1948, is finally coming together. Positioned near Mount Rushmore, the stone ode to the Oglala Sioux warrior will measure 641 feet long and 535 feet high, which will dwarf the size of Mount Rushmore, where the heads of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt are carved at 99 feet high each.
It’s been a slow process, as the world’s largest mountain monument is being privately funded, but this massive undertaking is moving forward.
Artist Korczak Ziolkowski began hand carving the monument in 1948. Work has continued on the memorial since that time. More than 60 years have gone by. The artist passed away in 1982 and his family buried him in a tomb at the base of the mountain he was carving. His wife, children, and grandchildren have continued to direct the sculpting, public relations, and museum at the site.
The dream of creating a 563-foot sculpture out of a natural mountain is an impressive one. Especially when workers have done so much of it by hand. Visiting this monument means becoming a part of its history. Years from now, the grown children of current tourists will recall how they visited the mountain before work on the stallion's head was complete. The grandparents of those children may remember a time before sculptors completed work on Crazy Horse's face in 1998.
A miniature of the design looks absolutely stunning.
I won’t even try to summarize the life of Crazy Horse here, but Stephen Ambrose (Band of Brothers) wrote a heck of a biography on the dual lives of Crazy Horse and his nemesis, General Custer the Indian killer, and Dee Brown’s bestseller Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is worth a read (and a Google search afterwards, as Brown played fast and loose with some facts…start with this NY Times article).
If you’ve got a couple of vacation days to burn some gas in the car, South Dakota may be an unlikely, but gratifying, road trip.
[five]
As always, let’s head into the weekend with a pop culture roundup:
Black Widow, the next entry into the ever-expanding Marvel movie and TV catalog, is out today in theaters and to view at home via Disney+ for $30. Currently Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, although it’s worth noting that some critics absolutely hated it. I’m pretty hit or miss on the MCU, but excited about this one. There’s a lot of buzz about Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Little Women) turning in a truly star-making performance.
Seems like there are less comedies being made these days (I think it has something to do with the fear that a comedy will be “canceled” on Twitter, as there’s almost no humor that’s universally inbounds these days), but Queenpins looks straight up amazing in the first trailer. Kristen Bell (The Good Place, Frozen) and Kirby Howell-Bapitste (Cruella, Killing Eve) star in the true story of two coupon scammers who amass riches through counterfeiting while being chased by the Postmaster General, played by Vince Vaugn (Wedding Crashers, The Break Up).
Fresh off the success of his re-release of Justice League and the Netflix smash Army of the Dead, writer/director (and slo-mo aficionado) Zack Snyder announced the development of Rebel Moon, a sci-fi project he once pitched as a Star Wars spinoff, which is heavily influenced by Seven Samurai, the 1954 classic credited with inventing the “man on a mission” action template. Like Army, Snyder hopes to develop Rebel Moon into a multi-film universe for Netflix.
And speaking of Army of the Dead, Netflix has already announced the prequel, Army of Thieves, which will release before the end of 2021.
The third entry in the British spy series Kingsmen drops this December. The King’s Man tells the origin tale of the “independent intelligence agency” being formed in the wake of WWI. If you’re not familiar with the series, think James Bond, only a little more zany and less self serious. This one is set in the same era as Downton Abbey and Peaky Blinders, which adds a layer of fun. Now out until December 22nd, but you can check out a trailer for The King’s Man now.
NEW MUSIC: The Wallflowers, Vince Staples, The Flatlanders (yes, it’s a VERY light week for music releases).
[epilogue]
NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with his college coach, UCLA skipper John Wooden.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the start of Wooden and Jabbar’s legendary run, a win streak that started in 1971 and didn’t end until 1973. During that time, the Bruins won 88 consecutive games and captured back-to-back, undefeated national championships.
The win streak was so long that Disney World opened, Qatar became an independent nation, the 26th Amendment was ratified (lowering the voting age to 18), and the Watergate scandal and Nixon’s resignation…all happened while UCLA was on an unbeaten run.
Until the next one,
-sth