Media Diet 006
The price of community is discomfort, the Wales Bonner x Bose x Wimbledon collab has me drooling and I'm a Jared McCain stan.
Hello all, and all hello. A hodgepodge of different topics this week because my mind is as scattered as my parents’ new place (they just moved, and there are boxes everywhere). Let’s dive in, shall we?
Jared McCain Breaks Funny Marco
I know nothing about basketball. I am a proud bandwagoner after my “team,” the Knicks, won the Eastern Conference final only to then lose in the semifinals against the Pacers. And to that I say, respectfully, I will probably be a forever Haliburton hater after that choke move he pulled in Game 1.
From my brief time watching basketball, I’ve realized it really is just Real Housewives for men. The drama and press-room shade are equivalent to a vacation episode with the girls from Potomac. And just like any new season of Real Housewives, I love the introduction of a new character.
Enter Jared McCain. He plays for Philadelphia — and that is the extent of my knowledge about him. I know none of his stats, but what I do know is that the man is made for the camera. He’s funny, charming, loves Drake, and his “live, laugh, love” personality in contrast with Funny Marco’s deadpan delivery produces my favorite kind of buddy-comedy dynamic. It was unsurprising to learn he’s also, lowkey, a TikTok influencer — which, honestly, one in every ten Gen Z-ers is these days (completely made-up stat by yours truly, but you get the idea).
I enjoy these interviews because they show which sports professionals have more to them than just high-performance stats. The Shaq interview in the same series reminded me that, beyond being really fucking tall — which I should have known from the life-size cardboard cutout that greeted me at my local Staples a few years ago — he’s also genuinely funny and surprisingly quick-witted.
With the most recent NBA draft, I’m excited to see what new players enter the villa that is the NBA universe. Because if it isn’t obvious already, I don’t care much about sports, but I live for mess and drama, and I’m far more interested in watching the character arcs of players play out season after season. Maybe next season, or whenever he recovers from his most recent injury, Tyrese Haliburton will be a little less arrogant…
Perfectionist Get Nothing Done
First of all, having the thumbnail be an iconic selfie is, in itself, iconic. Beyond that, though, the video articulates a truth I’ve long believed: perfectionists aren’t perfect — in fact, their perfectionism is just another form of procrastination.
I pride myself on being a doer, and truly, the only reason I’m able to execute quickly is because I’ve learned how to shorten the time between idea and execution. I can only do this because I refuse to strive for perfection, I refuse to overthink, and I refuse to give in to anything that might reduce the likelihood of getting an idea out of my head and into reality.
Too many times, I’ve seen other people execute ideas I’d had but was too nervous to follow through on. When that happens over and over again, it fuels a different type of envious fire that pushes you to act first and think later. I’m very grateful for that fire.
Now, this fire — and my dismissal of perfectionism and hyper-attention to detail — doesn’t mean I do sloppy or incomplete work. Instead, I choose to focus on the MVP: the minimum viable product. With every project, I aim to create a finished product with the fewest steps possible that still communicates the core idea. Only after that MVP is out in the world do I go back, iterate, and focus on refining, adding in the details and polish that turn a good idea into a great one.
It’s like carving a statue: you have to establish the form before you start chipping away at the fine details. If you focus on the details first, you’ll get too overwhelmed and might never start building in the first place.
Wales Bonner x Bose x Wimbledon
The fact that these are a Wimbledon exclusive and not available for retail is a crime. These headphones are so sexy, it’s infuriating. The craftsmanship is impeccable — but I would expect nothing less from Wales Bonner.
This collab has me thinking about headphones beyond their practicality and more as a fashion accessory. Until seeing this pair, I didn’t have a reference for headphones that were equally utilitarian and fashionable without feeling overly animated or Gen-Z coded. Coincidentally, Bose has another pair of headphones I find very sleek and stylish, almost reminiscent of a pair of earrings.
I’m genuinely curious what the Bose design team has cooking and whether they’re intentionally trying to pivot themselves to sit at the intersection of fashion and tech. My gut is telling me that they have some more heat in the vault.
Mamdani, Trump and the End of the Old Politics
I will admit that when Zohran Mamdani started his campaign for mayor, I doubted his ability to win. He had announced just a few months after Trump’s re-election, and at the time I was filled with pessimism. However, once I saw his canvassers knocking on doors in the dead of winter, and Mamdani posters in Ridgewood bodega storefronts, I had a feeling he might actually take it. And it wasn’t really because of the message and his campaign promises — though that didn’t hurt — it was because he was meeting people where they were, while the other guys were nowhere to be found.
I’m not surprised that the supposed frontrunner, Andrew Cuomo, was MIA for most of this campaign. He suffers from the same entitlement and arrogance that has come to define the current Democratic establishment. From the day Cuomo entered the race, it was assumed he would win — so much so that he didn’t actually start “campaigning” until May. And even then, the extent of his effort was a handful of public appearances and a shit ton of ad placements. While that method may have been the playbook in the past, in the age of social media — where no one watches TV or listens to the radio — this is a losing strategy, one that Democratic elites have yet to learn.
There’s an irony in them still running with this tired playbook, especially in a city like New York. Those most familiar with it, and most likely to fall for it, no longer live here; they’ve been priced out by the very people who are now asking for their votes.
Do I believe Mamdani will be able to execute on everything he promised? No. I’m too jaded to fully believe in any politician, no matter how charming. But I do believe he’ll have more commitment to his constituents than to donors and businessmen, simply because he actually cared to meet with people, interact with them, and hear their grievances with the current state of things. Truly, the bare minimum for a public servant but, unfortunately, so rare.
I don’t care if I’m labeled naive for thinking a politician can help usher in minimal change, because naive or not, it gives me hope. And as a victim of Eric Adams’s horrific tenure, I’d rather hope in something different than submit to the same bullshit as usual.
Love Island Season 7
Listen, if you follow me on Instagram, you know I discuss Love Island ad nauseam, so I’ll keep this cute and short. Season 6 and Season 7 of Love Island share the same common denominator for their respective success and failure: casting.
While Season 6 cast true lovers, Season 7 cast a gaggle of wannabe influencers who are hyper-aware they’re being watched and will do anything for the limelight. Somehow, we’re two weeks away from the finale, and there is not one strong couple ; it seems like everyone is as done with each other as I am with the season.
The only person deserving of the 100K is Amaya Papaya, the only girl truly there for love and the only person I haven’t cursed out in my group chat.
Sidenote: This season’s Love Island stans are something else. Between them, K-pop stans, and Barbz, that coalition would be more vicious and blood-hungry than the Navy SEALs.
First Artist, Then Wall Street, Then Nothing
If brain drain is defined by the emigration of highly skilled and educated individuals from one country or region to another — often for better opportunities or living conditions — what do you call it when artists leave the cities that have long been lauded as cultural hubs?
While this creator talks about the phenomenon in relation to nightlife culture, I think the argument applies just as well to New York, LA, and other cities where creatives once thrived.
As someone who describes themselves as a artist, my visual art practice is directly dependent on my ability to survive. If I’m struggling to survive, I struggle to create — not only because I’m too stressed to focus, but also because the more you work, the less time you have to make things.
There used to be a period when artists and creatives could scrape by, making just enough to pay their bills while still finding time to produce art; a solid bar, serving, or barista gig could keep you afloat until your next big break. But now, those days feel like fairytales. Unless you have rich parents, are a sugar baby, have sold your soul to a 9-to-5, or are a sex worker, existing as an artist in a major metropolitan city is nearly impossible.
And that’s unfortunate, because these artists are the ones who create the culture that those cities’ reputations are rooted in.
They’re the ones who decorate the walls for graffiti tours. They’re the ones who help produce your favorite party series. They’re the ones who made whatever nightclub you love cool and relevant, way before it ever got mentioned in Time Out. They’re the ones whose instruments make every subway ride feel like a movie scene. They’re the ones whose bold fashion choices might inspire a random fashion exec walking down the street, who then distills those looks into the next big trend.
The artists are the ones with taste. The artists are the ones who create culture.
When these creatives, artists, and misfits can exist with minimal stress about the cost of living, they thrive — creating magic and works that stand the test of time (see: New York in the 1980s). But if they can no longer afford to exist in a place, they will slowly leave, draining the city of the magic that made it shine in the first place (see: San Francisco today).
A lot of the creatives I looked up to, the ones who were popular when I first moved to New York, have either left or are now too preoccupied with trying to survive to actually create. And I notice this shift when I go out. The crowd feels different…it’s missing that spark, that charm.
When you look around, it’s increasingly just people who can afford to be there; those who pay to consume the culture. There’s less and less space for those who actually helped to create it. And maybe that’s just the way of the world — cities change, evolve, and every good thing must come to an end. But I do wonder: if artists aren’t in New York anymore, where will they migrate? Because I doubt New York can live up to its hype without them.
The Price of Community
I once had a friend who could only show up when it was convenient for them. Everything had to align perfectly — their mood, their schedule, their energy — for them to be present. Needless to say, we aren’t friends anymore.
Having friends doesn’t require perfection, but it does require you to show up, even when it’s inconvenient. That means answering a late-night call when you’re about to go to sleep because your friend had a rough day. It means helping them move when they can’t afford a moving crew. It means showing up to their event after a long workday because you know your presence matters, even if it’s just for an hour. It means picking them up from the airport because nothing feels better after traveling among strangers than being greeted by someone you know. Plus, it saves them a few bucks. It means keeping plans you made weeks ago, even if you’d rather bail, because honoring your word is more important than honoring you momentary desire to stay home.
It’s easy to show up for dinners, drinks, and nights out. But real friendships are forged in moments of tension, when showing up requires a bit of discomfort. I think our time alone during the pandemic made us forget that. Many of us have become so accustomed to our own peace that we’ve lost sight of the fact that community requires work — and sometimes at the expense of our personal ease. How will you build community if you can’t tolerate being inconvenienced? That’s the question our generation seems to struggle with as we yearn for closeness while being conditioned to avoid discomfort at all costs.
But discomfort isn’t a permanent state — it’s a roadblock on the way to comfort. The people I know who are thriving socially are those who embrace this, who deal with the inconveniences of stacked social calendars and multiple friend groups because they understand the love and support that comes from showing up for others. The people who struggle are often those who let their desire for peace and comfort dictate their actions, in spite of their goals of stronger friendships and community ties.
And this is no shade; I understand socializing is hard. It can feel awkward, embarrassing, and deeply vulnerable — especially if you’re out of practice. But all of those feelings are temporary, and worth pushing through. Because nothing worthwhile is ever easy, not even friendship.
Don’t Take Away Candy From that Baby!
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Yeah, no real notes or thought here. I just relate to this baby’s rage on such a personal level because why are you taking away his Jolly Ranchers, tf?
That’s all for this week. I need to get to bed. If I told y’all what time it was, you’d be embarrassed and disappointed. Wishing you all some good barbecue and a juicy burger this 4th of July weekend. Toodles! 🙂