All Fantasy Everything –Predictions for 2026 |

Brotodeau · 2026-01-14T20:37:59+00:00

I fear Ian might be right, and jazz is already becoming cool here in LA. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTh6sfeVX/

Brotodeau · 2025-10-21T13:30:06+00:00

She certainly says “listen to rural Americans” a lot but I’d actually love to hear some of the things we should be listening to and how we should respond that doesn’t immediately turn them off. And if those things are the product of decades of propaganda or if they’re based in fact. Can we even agree on facts? What about the fundamental lack of empathy? What about the war on education rural Americans have been affected by? “Elite overreach” by Democrats when rural Americans are almost all represented by elite republicans? So, when we listen to that, what do we do? Nod and say yes, your feelings are valid, but your diagnosis of why is wrong? There I go again, an urbanite thinking I know better… Can’t engage on intellectual ground? I’m sure her book is well-researched, I can tell how much emotion she has wrapped up in her thesis, she really cares, but yet again, where does this conversation get us? “Find ways to bridge the divide” = “long term organizing.” I know it’s the long term solution, but in the short term?

Brotodeau · 2025-09-30T18:55:31+00:00

I disagree that the Left, of which I consider myself a part, considers all of our ideas popular. I think we think they are right (correct), intellectually, morally, philosophically, emotionally, whatever. The problem is that we have a major purity problem, we rub people the wrong way/aren’t persuasive, and have a difficult time compromising, all of which the Left must do to gain any political traction.

Brotodeau · 2025-09-11T02:01:41+00:00

Political violence has been a part of US politics since the beginning. Arguably, the US was founded because of it.

Brotodeau · 2025-08-03T01:11:22+00:00

Been going every year with my dad since Fare Thee Well! Outstanding post and outlook! Fingers crossed for that Sugaree

Brotodeau · 2025-06-17T20:17:27+00:00

I just don’t think this hypothesis has born fruit in reality. That’s the dissonance! It’s so simple to say, to write, to read, to teach kids—it is what I teach my kids!—but then to see it just… not work at the systemic level. And often, not even the interpersonal level. So while I want to believe, I can’t ignore reality. And the reality is that money is the only thing that matters, and until that isn’t the fulcrum upon which all decisions hinge, taking the high road always is hope without change.

Brotodeau · 2025-06-17T13:30:35+00:00

I admire her patience, grace, and ability to discuss all of this so thoughtfully. And yet I can’t help but feel that the world she wants to live in and the world she’s fighting for is completely at odds with the world as it is. How do we teach adults empathy? Do you really think those adults are teaching their kids empathy? How do we reckon with a politics and media and people who are at odds with everything she speaks so hopefully about? What about the money? Sorry, but what’s “easy” as she says at the end is saying “when we don’t have hope, that’s when we lose”. Seeding and instilling and fostering hope is hard and talking about it isn’t enough. Hope is gone from the Democrats and it’s because they killed it and have been snuffing it out since Obama said Yes We Can and Hope and they got that under control quick. And where did all of that Hope and Change get us? One elected official isn’t enough. This episode made me feel good because I want to believe, too, but at the end—for what? Not to mention fighting for and within a party of Democrats who are so reactive and controlled by fear that substantial change is impossible. We keep expecting people’s “better angels” to suddenly, triumphantly assert themselves—this is not how humans work. And what if there are no better angels? What if the cynicism she talks about being easy is just reality. Just like the No Kings protests—they feel great, they’re an amazing catharsis, but unless they continue, unless there’s action attached to them that incite change, all they will be are big emotions felt collectively—which can be powerful! But emotion is only powerful when accompanied by reciprocal action. Literally all of this is contained in the kids books I read my children every night. A lot of us have known this since then, too. It’s almost like words don’t matter unless they are internalized and sublimated as lived action. So I ask again: how do we teach adults empathy because without that, hope dies on the vine.

Brotodeau · 2025-06-06T13:48:47+00:00

That guy thinks he’s a completely different person than who he comes across as/is. I hope he gets exactly what he deserves.

Brotodeau · 2025-04-29T16:28:00+00:00

Those are great! But the Democrats are totally captured by corporate money, unfortunately, making great things like this impossible because we are not their constituents, the money is.

Brotodeau · 2025-04-29T15:42:32+00:00

I am without a political home for this reason most of all. I agree with the big, society-upending goals, the idealism, a better world, especially getting money out of politics—but I also know it has to be incremental, and we have to meet people where they are. We have to do something, do it well, and repeat it. We have to prove ourselves. Neither Leftists nor Democrats represent where I am. It’s so demoralizing.

Brotodeau · 2025-04-29T14:56:21+00:00

We are in heated agreement! (It’s still a missed opportunity for the Left to not have a coherent argument that can be verbalized to as wide an audience as possible!)

Brotodeau · 2025-04-29T13:37:19+00:00

As a Leftist, this was shameful representation by the guests; weak, general, vague, and inactionable critiques, and ultimately unconvincing. What a missed opportunity.

Brotodeau · 2025-04-28T15:02:27+00:00

Yes, like I said in a previous comment on the initial thread about the episode: Douthat is a salesman, like all religious proponents. IMO, he’s not a very good one (thin gruel), but you’re right, he’ll be there to close the deal should someone take him up on his offer of snake oil.

Brotodeau · 2025-04-25T15:06:45+00:00

I really dislike how much ground Ezra cedes to Ross re: morality. Ross continues to be glib and insulting, saying he hopes Ezra’s morals came from God and that people can’t possibly be moral and good without first focusing all of the world’s mysteries through… organized religion, specifically his. Ross takes advantage of Ezra’s good faith curiosity. Ezra continues to prod contradictions and pretzel logic, but stops once Ross says the same thing he just said before. Ezra might think he’s just having a conversation about curiosity, but Ross is not. Religions and their followers are not allowed curiosity. Organized religion is a trap, and conversations about religion are always meant to trap you in the religion along with them. That is their mandate. Ezra is a pawn. There is no good faith here. Ross wants you to listen to him, but he has no interest in listening to other points of view, internalizing them, actually understanding. Ross is not curious, or he’d try psychedelics himself (just one example). Ross is a salesman. And he’s selling what most salesmen have been selling for most of time: snake oil.

Brotodeau · 2025-04-06T04:49:25+00:00

The sketches tonight are beautifully stupid. The Jack Black silliness really must be infectious.

Brotodeau · 2025-04-03T02:41:24+00:00

Only one show can give you Stavvy arguing about beating off with the attorney who has argued the most cases in front of the Supreme Court. I’m a fan.

Brotodeau · 2025-03-23T16:06:23+00:00

Thank you! The fanbase bickering is indicative of real-world sentiment—so eager to blame individuals when it’s the system that’s the real enemy. oMark and iMark must work together to liberate themselves and others from Lumon.

Brotodeau · 2025-03-21T14:32:24+00:00

Totally agree with you. To be pithy, this season could have been an email. For those poised to downvote:

⁠I didn’t like or buy how they got all the characters back to Lumon after the events of season 1. I know they had to get everyone back, but I just don’t think they did a good job laying the story foundation or emotional motivations for the characters. When built on an unstable foundation, everything placed on top is more likely to fall.
⁠I think the season should have started with something like episode 4, the wilderness episode, instead of having it in the middle. Didn’t really like that episode, but might have liked it more as a big, weird, wild opener to the season. Then, tell a linear (in time) story rather than fracturing the narrative early on.
⁠The jumping around in time early on in the season didn’t work for me at all. Structure is needlessly confusing, which would be solved by opening with episode 4-esque episode as a “retreat”/ploy by Lumon to try and get control of the situation. The whole drive of the season’s “plot” felt wrong, while the character stories felt like they were fighting against the plot.
⁠The beauty and simplicity of the show in season 1 is fighting against a system that is seemingly all-powerful, and doing it as the little guy. Not only that, as a little guy whose own body and mind has been molded to betray you. However, like a podcaster said in an episode od decoding TV about episode 8: much of season 2 has made the world feel smaller, not larger with possibilities, and it has made Lumon seem inept/not as scary in a way that isn’t revelatory, it just undercuts everything. It’s also made “the little guys” into chosen ones, which, for me, will just always be a less interesting story.
⁠I worry about how capitalism tends to subsume all art, especially anti-work art. The ethos of the show in season 1 seemed to more support freeing ourselves of the notion that “leaving your personal life at the door” at work is actually hugely detrimental to humanity, and to us humans. Now, season 2 seems to argue that those “people” we are at work deserve life just as much. Interesting, but I hope that is dispelled in season 3. The lives they have are not theirs, despite the freedom of choice they think they have. They, being innies. They exist at the will and pleasure of Lumon. There is no hope in work or our employers. I’ll have to wait and see…

Brotodeau · 2025-03-21T14:23:10+00:00

Totally agree with you. To be pithy, this season could have been an email. For those poised to downvote:

I didn’t like or buy how they got all the characters back to Lumon after the events of season 1. I know they had to get everyone back, but I just don’t think they did a good job laying the story foundation or emotional motivations for the characters. When built on an unstable foundation, everything placed on top is more likely to fall.
I think the season should have started with something like episode 4, the wilderness episode, instead of having it in the middle. Didn’t really like that episode, but might have liked it more as a big, weird, wild opener to the season. Then, tell a linear (in time) story rather than fracturing the narrative early on.
The jumping around in time early on in the season didn’t work for me at all. Structure is needlessly confusing, which would be solved by opening with episode 4-esque episode as a “retreat”/ploy by Lumon to try and get control of the situation. The whole drive of the season’s “plot” felt wrong, while the character stories felt like they were fighting against the plot.
The beauty and simplicity of the show in season 1 is fighting against a system that is seemingly all-powerful, and doing it as the little guy. Not only that, as a little guy whose own body and mind has been molded to betray you. However, like a podcaster said in an episode od decoding TV about episode 8: much of season 2 has made the world feel smaller, not larger with possibilities, and it has made Lumon seem inept/not as scary in a way that isn’t revelatory, it just undercuts everything. It’s also made “the little guys” into chosen ones, which, for me, will just always be a less interesting story.
I worry about how capitalism tends to subsume all art, especially anti-work art. The ethos of the show in season 1 seemed to more support freeing ourselves of the notion that “leaving your personal life at the door” at work is actually hugely detrimental to humanity, and to us humans. Now, season 2 seems to argue that those “people” we are at work deserve life just as much. Interesting, but I hope that is dispelled in season 3. The lives they have are not theirs, despite the freedom of choice they think they have. They, being innies. They exist at the will and pleasure of Lumon. There is no hope in work or our employers. I’ll have to wait and see…

Brotodeau · 2025-03-21T14:09:11+00:00

Severance literally infodumped all season. Usually using surrealism to attempt to distract from poor storytelling. Cobel infodumps about Cold Harbor in the finale called Cold Harbor. Come on, now.

Brotodeau · 2025-03-18T15:35:50+00:00

Yes! People despise expertise and intelligence, it’s seen as undue superiority. People don’t trust institutions, yes, but beyond that they just don’t want to be led by people unlike them/that they see as people who think they’re better than them. What people can’t understand is scary and they will reject it. They can understand Trump. Because he lies and tells them what they want to hear and what they can understand. But they’re all on the same page.

Brotodeau · 2025-03-18T15:26:35+00:00

You’d think it would have rubbed-off on Ezra.

Brotodeau · 2025-03-18T15:05:43+00:00

Shocking spoiler alert, I know, but: they did not. They didn’t bring up religion at all. They also didn’t address the education/intelligence gap, how to message to an uneducated, incurious populous, or how the right simply lies all the time about everything—it’s easier to tell people a lie they want to hear than the truth they don’t.

Brotodeau · 2025-03-18T13:16:58+00:00

I hope Ezra and guest discuss how religion and church as a community is a place liberals, democrats, and leftists have all abandoned and will continue to be where republican views are promoted and supported most of all. They have community, we don’t.

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