rant · moment 6 of 23
The Cult of Being Terminally Online and Knowing Everything
from America's Election Headquarters · #121
Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.
5 minTim riffs on people getting outraged when told to unplug or go swimming, laments a culture where everyone believes they already possess all truth via Twitter, and connects this to shallow outrage over Bush-era war crimes and NSA surveillance.
- 12:32Tim argues we're consuming too much stand-up comedy and it was never meant to be the cultural obsession it is now.
- 12:45Stand-up comedy used to be a lounge act for people drinking and smoking, not a major cultural event.
- 13:08Comedians have flipped from pushing back against society's moralism to becoming the moral majority themselves, telling people how to vote and think.
- 13:42Craven narcissists in comedy are co-opting social justice for career advancement without real stakes in the actual battles.
- 14:16When you question whether activism is the best tactic, people shut down because it's all about being in the moment online, not winning anything.
- 14:38Tim suggested someone go swimming and they reacted like he told them to kill themselves—people are too devoted to their online existence.
- 15:04If everyone claims to know everything, what's the point of comedy, art, or writing as actual forms of expression?
- 15:19People want to hear what a supporting actor from a 90s sitcom has figured out about trade and tariffs.
- 15:42In the last 18 months, nobody has paid attention to anything before then, but Twitter has made them instant experts on every issue.
- 16:39We're living in a country where nobody wants to learn because everyone possesses all knowledge one could ever want—so what are we all doing?
George W. BushcomediansJoe BidenStand-up comedyCivil Rights Movementsocial justiceTwittersocial mediaart and comedyBill CosbyThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carsontariffs