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The Present Age Weekly Recap: August 12, 2022
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TPA Weekly Recap

The Present Age Weekly Recap: August 12, 2022

Cracker Barrel, Lightyear, and other stories from this week.

Parker Molloy
Aug 12, 2022
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The Present Age Weekly Recap: August 12, 2022
www.readtpa.com

Welcome to the weekly recap. In this post, I’ll be linking to my work from the week, sharing some stories from others I thought were interesting, and providing a few casual thoughts on [gestures at everything]. If you’d like to receive this weekly email ONLY, please go to your account page and under “Email notifications” uncheck every box except “TPA Weekly Recap.” If you don’t want to receive the weekly recap, leave all boxes except “TPA Weekly Recap” checked.


The Present Age is a reader-supported publication. If you enjoy my work, please consider purchasing a paid subscription if you don’t already have one. Thanks!


From me this week (and last week):

I didn’t send out a weekly recap last Friday, so this week’s edition will feature the two stories I published this week and the two stories I published last week.

On Monday of last week, I published a piece about the argument style of William F. Buckley and how modern conservatives have used his techniques for years.

The Present Age
William F. Buckley, a little bit of lying, and a lot of propaganda
Last week, I saw a tweet from Matthew Sitman, co-host of the Know Your Enemy podcast and author of a very good recent Gawker piece about “anti-social conservatives.” The tweet was him jokingly contemplating entering the National Review Institute’s William F. Buckley Jr. Essay Contest…
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6 months ago · 33 likes · 9 comments · Parker Molloy

On Friday of last week, I published a piece about how right-wing commentators like Tomi Lahren and conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones leverage mainstream media outlets to boost their careers.

The Present Age
How right-wing commentators like Alex Jones ride mainstream media outlets to fame and fortune
I was on mushrooms the first time I heard Alex Jones’s voice. It was the Summer of 2005, and I was living in a house with some friends in Decatur, Ill. Sprawled out on a couch in my living room and worried about the possibility of a bad trip, I stared intently at the TV. Richard Linklater’s 2001 film…
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6 months ago · 53 likes · 2 comments · Parker Molloy

On Tuesday of this week, I wrote about people freaking out over Cracker Barrel offering a meat-free sausage option.

The Present Age
What Cracker Barrel can tell us about culture war
Earlier this month, Cracker Barrel announced on Facebook that it had added a new meatless option to its menu. “Discover new meat frontiers. Experience the out of this world flavor of Impossible™ Sausage Made From Plants next time you Build Your Own Breakfast,” read the caption of a photo of two sausage patties (complete with a little “Impossible™” flag…
Read more
6 months ago · 48 likes · 6 comments · Parker Molloy

And then yesterday, I wrote about how and why the right uses claims that something is “woke” to obscure their actual objections. I used Lightyear for this particular example.

The Present Age
'Lightyear' and the weaponization of "woke"
In 2018, Republicans raged at Samantha Bee for referring to Ivanka Trump, who was working as a senior adviser to the president/her dad, as a “feckless c*nt.” In 2017, the right threatened to boycott ABC after it canceled the Tim Allen sitcom Last Man Standing…
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6 months ago · 10 likes · 2 comments · Parker Molloy


Stories from others I liked:

The always-great Lyz Lenz wrote about playing Wordle to distract from *gestures at everything*

Men Yell at Me
Doing a Little Word Puzzle as the World Burns
This is the mid-week edition of Men Yell at Me, a newsletter about the places our politics and personhood collide. This week’s newsletter is about Wordle, and roses, and trying to live. If you love this newsletter, become a subscriber. Like millions of Americans, I start my day with Wordle. Then, I move on to the Spelling Bee. I love the rhythm and the p…
Read more
6 months ago · 208 likes · 64 comments · lyz

This week, Embedded had a “My Internet” profile of Annie Rauwerda, who runs Depths of Wikipedia and publishes the LOL (lots of links) newsletter. (Embedded ran a “My Internet” profile of me back in May.) Check it out!

Embedded
My Internet: Annie Rauwerda
Embedded is your essential guide to what’s good on the internet, from Kate Lindsay and Nick Catucci. Every week, we quiz a “very online” person for their essential guide to what’s good on the internet. Today we welcome Annie Rauwerda, a writer, Wikipedia editor, and the creator of Depths of Wikipedia, a delightful chronicle of…
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6 months ago · 15 likes · Nick Catucci

This one’s from a couple weeks back, but I really enjoyed it. Guy Parsons, who published the DALL-E Prompt Book, started a newsletter. If you’re into AI-generated content and the many questions that surround it, you’ll probably enjoy it. Here’s the first post:

prompt/response
prompt/response #001: the AI & creativity newsletter
Hello, world… Hello, welcome, and thank you to the 1000 of you who’ve signed up to this newsletter in the past three weeks. Now we’ve all gathered, I’ll invite you to take your seats (avocado-shaped, naturally…
Read more
6 months ago · 10 likes · Guy Parsons

And Jessica Valenti has been tracking all of the completely wild, unhinged, untrue things Republicans have been saying about abortion:

All in Her Head by Jessica Valenti
Shit Republicans Say
I’m tired of writing over and over again about Republicans who don’t know shit about women’s bodies legislating said bodies. So I’ve decided to keep a running list of the worst things they’ve said. Sadly, I expect it to be updated regularly…
Read more
6 months ago · 52 likes · 9 comments · Jessica Valenti

That’s it for this week. As always, thank you so much for reading, and if you enjoy my content, please consider subscribing.

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The Present Age Weekly Recap: August 12, 2022
www.readtpa.com
2 Comments
Ken Raining
Aug 12, 2022Liked by Parker Molloy

Parker, I was wondering if you had any thoughts about the Ana Mardoll controversy from a week or two ago. I completely understand if you don't, or if you'd rather not share them publicly. I just find you to be such an important voice on these issues and I was hoping to get your take. I hope you don't mind my asking! I know this is sensitive ground.

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