Inside the CEO shooter standom
+ Trisha Paytas on SNL, IShowSpeed supremacy, Gen Z's Martha Stewart, Vision Pro date nights, and Silicon Valley’s 'prophet of urban doom'
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Less than a week after an unidentified gunman killed health insurance executive Brian Thompson in Manhattan, the shooter has become a national hero. I wrote a bit about the anger and resentment people feel towards insurance executives and our barbaric healthcare system. Since then, the shooter has become a star.
The phrase deny, delay, depose, which has been widely interpreted as a pointed critique of insurance industry tactics, has been embraced by millions as a rallying cry. Online, conversations have shifted away from the killing itself to lionizing the assailant.
People are comparing the grainy shot of the shooter to modern-day revolutionary iconography. A look-alike contest for the gunman was held in Washington Square Park on Saturday. Others are getting tattoos of the man’s face, making fancams, and the memes are flowing.
When Ben Shapiro tried to make a video criticizing the gunman, he was immediately crucified in the comment section:
Meanwhile, the corporate media is scrambling to make sense of it all and does not know what to do. As Imani Barbarian posted on Instagram, not only do we have a media literacy crisis among citizens of this country, but we also have a people literacy crisis in the news media.
“Anybody with a pulse, quite literally, with a pulse, knows why people are reacting this way,” she said. “But somehow, news media seems to be so confused…. it is billionaire CEOs across the board that have price gouged the American public into into crisis levels.”
She argues that the TV news hosts making millions of dollars and journalists raking in six figures at legacy outlets will never fundamentally understand why people are so gleeful about this CEO’s death, nor will they grasp why young people are stanning the shooter so hard, because these elite media figures are so deeply insulated from actual American struggles.
“I really wish news media would spare us the hand wringing over the moral compass of Americans,” she said. “The majority of our news media is bought by billionaires. Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post. Elon Musk owns Twitter and has scuttled the viewership on links to news articles. Private media corporations are protecting the wealthy.”
She notes that the media is covering this shooting as if it was a school shooting or regular American mass shooting, “but unlike the violence being directed at everyday citizens, this feels different for a lot of people.”
I spoke to several people posting memes about the shooter over the weekend and one who made a TikTok glorifying him. All of them were under the age of 40, with the majority being Gen Z. They all said they’ve been touched by the healthcare system in some way, whether watching their parents or grandparents struggle to get basic care or fighting for care for themselves.
Every person I spoke to said they’ve completely lost faith in the two party system and the media, which they feel is beholden to corporate interests. They’re rallying around the shooter because he seems like the only man right now willing to do something about all of it.
Meanwhile, the reward for information about the assailant is still significantly lower than what lady Gaga offered to find her missing French bull dog.
Stop listening to Elon Musk talking about the media
Elon Musk is declaring that X is “the new media,” and I loved this response from content creator Geoff Pilkington.
He wrote, “[Elon] keeps saying this dumb political slogan. But, relying solely on X as ‘the media’ shifts the problem from traditional media bias to centralized echo chambers. True media literacy comes from diversifying sources, critical analysis & questioning narratives, not substituting one monolith for another.
Elon claiming that X is now “the media” not only replaces one centralized authority with another but risks fostering echo chambers that limit critical discourse. Centralized platforms, even under the guise of democratization, can amplify bias rather than eliminate it.
The power of media lies not in any single platform but in how individuals critically evaluate information. Being “the media”means taking responsibility to verify facts, engage with opposing views, and avoid falling prey to algorithms that prioritize engagement over truth.
While platforms like X have democratized content creation, they are no substitute for journalistic rigor and accountability. True media literacy requires blending insights from multiple sources, including those with professional standards.
Rather than abandoning traditional [journalism and media] entirely, we should challenge it to do better while supplementing it with a variety of voices, platforms, and perspectives.”
IShowSpeed wins streamer of the year at the Streamer Awards
The Streamer Awards are an annual awards show founded in 2022 by QTCinderella, a livestreamer with over one million Twitch followers. She hosts the the Streamer Awards ceremony and broadcasts it live on her Twitch channel.
This year’s big winner was IShowSpeed (Darren Watkins Jr.) a 19 year old streamer from Cincinnati. Speed has redefined streaming, blending gaming, humor, and chaos into a content formula that has become widely copied.
He first blew up with high-energy streams of games like FIFA and Fortnite, but now he hosts IRL streams and a variety of content. Overall he’s known for his his over-the-top personality and comedic chops.
Here’s a helpful thread of all the best outfits from the night.
The Streamer Awards begin accepting votes each year in late October for categories based on various types of streaming content. Fans can nominate their favorite creators and the event hosts select the top four nominees in each category for the public to vote on.
Happy Big Jet TV day!
Apparently it’s a British tradition to jump on YouTube and watch planes trying to land at Heathrow during times of high winds, with excited commentary from the UK's premier plane nerd channel. This is event has come to be known as Big Jet TV Day. You can join in and watch below.
Another day, another false story about me in the media (podcast edition!)
Yesterday, a lazy media reporter wrote a false story and started a rumor that my podcast, Power User, was “not being renewed” and that “Vox has parted ways with me.” Not only is this completely false, the Vox Media Podcast Network (VMPN) remains my amazing partner in getting my show off the ground, but if this media reporter had bothered to do any actual reporting instead of posting unsourced gossip, he would have learned that the Vox Media Podcast Network is not the same as Vox, and Vox doesn’t even own my show! I do!!
You see, Vox/VMPN cannot make “a decision not to renew the show” because I actually own 100% of my show and all of the IP. Vox also doesn’t distribute the show on YouTube either, I do. Also, the show isn’t in any sort of seasons, it’s an ongoing (mostly weekly, sometimes biweekly) interview show, so there’s nothing up for “renewal.” VMPN initially invested money in getting Power User off the ground and (while I can’t get into the specifics of their behind the scenes help), they’ve been absolutely wonderful to work with.
It’s extremely frustrating that a “media reporter” would take zero time to learn about the ownership structure of podcast before misleading people to think it’s been cancelled, and that he would make it seem like I have some sort of bad blood with the amazing group of people at VMPN who I remain very close with. I built my entire independent media business in a way so that no corporation ever has any control over any of my journalistic or creative work. I don’t compromise on this, even for companies I love.
But these male media reporters who have some sort of derangement syndrome over me will happily lie or mislead the public if it gets them clicks and furthers a personal agenda.
Then Anyway, VMPN continues to be great and you can listen to this week’s episode of Power User here!
What I’m reading
Who’s Behind One of the Major Accounts Promoting Climate Denialism on X?
Wide Awake Media has built a huge following assailing what it calls the “climate hoax.” - Mother Jones
The revenge of the company town: Elon Musk, the new Baron of Bastrop
The billionaire is using the sheer force of his will and wealth to reshape an area in the Lone Star State — whether the locals like it or not. - Sherwood
Which Hot Girl on TikTok Will Be Gen Z's Martha Stewart?
There's a whole new class of fashion-meets-food influencers poised to usher in a host of lifestyle brands. - The New Garde
The Guy Who Bought (and Ate) That Banana Art Is Actually a Dangerous Scammer
On the surface, it’s a funny curiosity of a story. But Justin Sun’s involvement takes this into something far more insidious. - Slate
The Quiet Political Rise of David Sacks, Silicon Valley’s Prophet of Urban Doom
Like his pals Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, Sacks is using his wealth and online clout to unite conservatives and former leftists in a reactionary movement against liberalism. - New Republic
All the Internet Words We Added to Our Dictionaries in 2024
The year English went full brain rot. - Vulture
More fun stuff
Spotify is planning to host an Inauguration Day pop-up podcast studio and brunch to celebrate the “power of podcasts” in this election.
Hawk Tuah girl Haliey Welch launched a memecoin called $HAWK which saw the evaporation of millions in value within minutes, and now investors are gearing up to take legal action.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo finally explain their side of the viral "holding space" interview— and give a shout out to Evan Ross Katz, a pop culture commentator who’d I’d argue is lowkey one of the most quietly influential people in pop culture.
For the love of god, stop watching stand up specials with the captions on!
Video from 2021 resurfaced of Trisha Paytas’ ‘Frenemies’ co-host Ethan Klein telling her he will cut his arm off if she’s ever on SNL. She made her debut on Saturday.
Timothee Chalamet guest hosted ESPN’s college game day and put every jock to shame with his knowledge of college football.
A Black woman influencer, Dominique Brown, went to an influencer event hosted by BoxLunch and died from a food allergy, even though she notified staff of her allergens. Horrific.
I love this tech couple with identical Vision Pros who hosted an entire movie night in their Vision Pros while sitting next to each other on the couch.
The Rizzler dropped a Christmas rap and it slaps.
Watch Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter’s full performance of ‘Last Christmas’. (The whole Netflix special is so great).
By incorporating drones, facial recognition and high-tech sensors, Silicon Valley billionaires are trying to make their homes as secure as a state-of-the-art military bases.
A new way to judge the best meme of 2024.
Two of my favorite genius inventions this week:
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Keep up the great work! ❤️
Sorry again for not upgrading to paid sooner, I love your work and think it's important!