We all contribute to society and to what is unfolding in one way or another. One of the ways average citizens contribute is by reacting emotionally to an event and spreading falsehoods. As someone with a platform, I try very very hard to pause and let the news cycle play out. I try to do my due diligence on everything -- I will get things wrong -- but I will always correct myself if I've spread something false or under false pretenses. Making a satirical news show that skewers all of this presents and even greater challenge and when there are events that happen in rapid succession like there were the last 72 hours, I would be doing you and myself a disservice if I didn't allow some time to process what the fuck is happening.
One of the reasons I hesitated to shoot #DumspterFire yesterday is because in the wake of things like what happened Wednesday there is always the same pattern. The original videos come out. The narrative is shaped. Everyone lines up in their tribes or teams and starts battling. Then, three days later, the truth starts coming out. The videos start emerging that paint the bigger picture. No one needs to take stock of their original take or correct themselves because the news cycle has already moved on.
This is one of those videos. No, the cops weren't "inviting them in" as Kamala said. And no, the cops weren't "on your side" as some of the people at the riot said after the fact. It's neither of these things. Either way, this is horrific and it definitely appears that the first impression the media presented of the events that unfolded at the Capitol were not nearly as ridiculous and hilarious and innocent as it might have seemed by Viking horn guy and dude waving as he took the stand.
https://twitter.com/PaulLeeTeeks/status/1348353549487403009?s=20
I'm still not exactly sure how to cover what is unfolding. I don't feel smart enough, learned enough or funny enough to thread the needle. What I can offer is my truth and that truth is that I hate everyone. With a few exceptions, I don't think anyone on the streets or in government or in the media is accurately representing me or most of the people I know or most of the people in America for that matter.
So maybe I should start there.
The time has come, Pham!! It’s officially the end of our Locals era. This means that starting now, all of our content will be centralized over at Substack and not Locals.
As you can probably see, my life is getting increasingly more bonkers, in the best possible way--but that means dividing my time between two subscriber platforms is no longer sustainable. Consolidating all of the Pham in one place will make it possible to give you more of the focused attention you deserve.
Don’t panic.
Locals is where it all began so the move is bittersweet. I have made lifelong friends here. We’ve done writing prompts together. Worked ...
Hello new followers, I hope I don’t disappoint you. I want this place to feel like home, where we can escape the Thunderdome and process the world. Where we can post dog pics and recipes and book recommendations. Where we support each other as we get sober, lose weight, embark on new business opportunities, creative endeavors, relationships and travels. I want this to be your oasis of sanity and laughter in an increasingly mad world. A creative outlet where you can share your spirit with us.
We might not have any control over the news cycle—but we can control our habits and attitude. It all starts with us. And hopefully a little piece of that will start here.
Pham, I know it’s late for some of us, but I haven’t had a song in my brain in a bit. So, here’s one of my favorite poems instead.
Poem of the Evening💙
“Come live with me and be my love.”
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44675/the-passionate-shepherd-to-his-love
(Sorry for the delay on this prompt—life happened.)
The writing prompts are back! And since everyone is talking about "what is a woman?" I thought we should dig into our Factory Settings and find out what we learned about this stuff.
