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January 1 - January 4, 2020
(and maybe the potential access to drugs), I switched over to culture journalism. I wanted to generate theories about why the guys in Anthrax wore shorts, and this was the only way.
What seems like “nostalgia” might be a form of low-grade expertise that amplifies the value of the listening event.
It’s uncomfortable to admit this, but technology has made the ability to remember things irrelevant. Intellectually, having a deep memory used to be a real competitive advantage. Now it’s like having the ability to multiply four-digit numbers in your head—impressive, but not essential.
It will be that kid remembering when he and 999 other people all played the same song once (and immediately discussed it on Twitter, or on whatever replaces Twitter). It will be a short, shared experience that seems vast enough to be justifiably memorable. And I don’t know what that will feel like, and I don’t know if it will be better or worse. But I’m sure it will make some people miss the way things used to be.
Some people exist only for the benefit of strangers.
Equally bizarre is the way both groups perceive themselves as the oppressed minority who are fighting against dominant public opinion, although I suppose that has become the way most Americans think about everything.
The rain falls on the just and the unjust. And as Charles M. Schulz once noted, that’s a good system, no matter how it makes us feel.
I will be not just old, but old for my age. I will be the pterodactyl, and I will be slain. It is only a matter of time.
My natural, nonthinking inclination is to side with Gregg Popovich. It seems like a head coach should have autonomy over how he runs his team. If Popovich believes the Spurs’ likelihood of winning an NBA title is better served by resting Duncan and Ginóbili in November, I believe he’s probably right. I am emotionally motivated to side with him, because his reasoning makes it seem like sports are more important than the people watching them on TV (which is what I want to feel). Yet—in my head—I know that David Stern is right.
