MSNBC Pilled: A Guide

Also, am I the No Bones queen (please say yes)

Greetings sweet subs! Apologies for the delay in newsletters, I’ve been spiraling and contemplating (driving unfathomable distances with my dog beside me, actually)—just back and forth, in that order.

Some awardsforgoodboys universe updates before my urgent message this week:

1. Did I start the no bones trend? Will you indulge in fantasy with me and let me believe this is true? I was delighted to find the #nobones hashtag on TikTok, mostly filled with videos of Noodle, an aged and wise pug who daily is tested for his bone level—essentially does he flop, does he stand bravely on his own four legs—based on which a horoscope is given unto viewers. I love this very much, perhaps obviously. I am content with Noodle as oracle. It seems fitting. I too have been very stricken with the concept of No Bones for a while: it has defined my magnum opus, see below, and also lured me siren-like to the Bones song from I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, which got me my first Stereogum mention for simply whispering in the background of much more talented singers. Please Clap!!! Thank you!!!

ID: a drawing of a very mashed potato shaped good girl. above the text says “she’s not like other girls!” and underneath it says “she has no bones. please notice.”

2. For those of you interested in the sheep shearing saga and why it’s of great import, there’s a very important conclusion to this case, coming up next week. Let’s just say…I talked to an expert. (No gas in the tank for mystery…this is simply what happened. I’m thrilled.)

3. I now follow one person on the AFGB account, this being Olivia Rodrigo. The icon in question followed me, it only seemed appropriate to follow back. Sorry to everyone else (please email me still)— there can only be one I follow back, and it’s Olivia. I’ve been thinking about reaching out— maybe something like “hello Olivia.” "

4. Maybe: Hi Olivia I see that you follow me could I interest you in a Smile for Me sticker, on the house? Olivia would you like to know what I’ve been up to since social media destroyed my already fragile brain—I’m still posting on Instagram, just into a smaller void, mostly shouting about how it is Cum Week for the third week in a row?

   

   ID: a really cool meme I made, using the party template “they don’t know I know” format, which includes some cartoon people dancing and one person in the corner. I have added hair to the corner dweller to make it me. She says “they have no idea it’s cum week.”

5. Do you think it’s illegal to tell Olivia this? I think she’s very young. It feels very “claw of shame” to tell her this. I think I will just tell you all instead.

What else, what else. Upcoming newsletters include: Fuck Facebook (not in the sexy way) and some more book and podcast / music recommendations for subscribers. As always I’m available via email, so feel free to send me anything you want to see more of, or anything you are very repulsed by. If you haven’t subscribed yet, here you go:

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On to the tentative theme of today: what are some good medium points, jumping off points, for people who in many ways agree with you, but do so though a lens of “throw the dart at public pundit and obey my new leader”—whether that be Jon Stewart or Chris Hayes? What are some options to send them instead, or in addition to, ones that offer a bridge to different ways of thinking about similar problems?

I write about this in my book a bit, and it’s an undercurrent through most all of my cartoons even if not obvious (and it certainly wasn’t obvious to me for a while, lol): how do we communicate to people who are so convinced that they’re on the right side of things, they shut down suggestion, close off curiosity? How do we continue to apply this to ourselves? How can we push those in our orbit to think about things in new ways without pushing them away?

ID: a much newslettered-because-its-on-her-desktop image from awards for goodboys the book. the gist is what is being talked about around this screenshot.

Of course there are some people that should be pushed away. Granted. But this is a question I ask myself on a very small scale. For the people that get it. (If you are an awardsforgoodboys scholar this would be the chapter on us all asking tits out). The people like me. Probably like you.

I’ve called this phenomenon as I’ve observed it in my extended family as “being MSBNC pilled.” It’s very literal: there’s a lot of MSNBC. They know what’s going on in many ways, sure, but from a very specific, highly pointed perspective, one they are so immersed in that trying to poke holes in the MSNBC net can seem catastrophic. To tell someone they are MSNBC pilled is to infer, to them, that you are suggesting a switch to Tucker Carlson. Is it not sound to suggest deep dissatisfaction with most mainstream options, on the basis that most things that make it to mainstream news have been tailored to someones—not ours—bottom line?

I’ve long been recommending sources, and trying haphazardly to create them, as a means to offer…something. Other pathways. I don’t have all or even some of the answers, but I am endlessly curious. An unexpected blessing of my “public self” is growing a space in which I can share these unfolding processes with others. Surreal as it may be to offer yourself to the unrelenting maw of the internet, half-baked and knowingly so, I continue to share because I am drawn to it. Because I feel I am good at it.

I don’t think any piece of media, however beautifully affective, can deprogram the propaganda or reverse the MSNBC-pill, nor should we demand that of what we consume. But things change us! Even if they don’t mean to! And given that many people are still isolated because of Covid, a list of things to read, listen to, watch, etc., seems like a good starting point. I’m rambling here is a very short list, compiled with help! If these suggestions feel brand new, how exciting! If they feel old-hat, tell me what you’ve moved on to. What was your version of that? What will be your next version of that?

MSNBC Pill Deprograming Phase 1 Initiate

Why seek alternatives to mainstream news? Is a good question to ask. Here are some places to help with that quest:

• On the Media

• Citations Needed

Dads love Democracy Now. It’s a fact! I don’t know if this is a fact, but their daily show is a great option.

5-4 Pod is a podcast about why the Supreme Court sucks, their recent episode Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson is an extremely thorough legal explanation about SB8, the abortion law in Texas.

Here are some books / authors I really like:

• Border and Rule by Harsha Walia

• Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber

• The Politics of Everybody by Holly Lewis

• Always very amazing: Eve Ewing, Astra Taylor, Naomi Klein

Dads also love David Graeber. Or they should! I am going over newsletter length so here is a condensed list:

To listen to:

• In Plain Sight

• Blowback

• Empire Files

• Trueanon (I do not know if this is for dads but)

• The Dig

• Trillbillies

• Reveal

Watch:

• Means TV

• Majority Report

I’ve linked a bunch more throughout past newsletters, if you want to do a dive, or stay tuned for the inevitable continuation. Here’s my dog:

ID: a photo of my dog Clementine sitting like a little frog. A proper frog. She’s really sitting upright and is confusingly sized, tawny colored with white paws and belly and snout.

ID: a photo of Clementine with her eyes closed, ears shining in the sun, as she dives mouth-open into some weeds.

Until next time,
Shelby + Clem