Is this a line from The Great Gatsby or a New York Times profile of Lena Dunham?

Double Down, you're better than that post. Thoughtless regurgitation of the media narrative.

 

First, I really don't think it is the looks. Lena Dunham looks fine, and if anything is overrated in our society, it's that Americans at large are as caught up in that shit as people who are caught up in that shit seem to think everyone is. Especially men. Men are remorseless liars, we men know that. We think far more women are attractive than we'd ever cop to, precisely because some other guy won't cop to it. It's habitually absurd. Greta Gerwig is almost universally acknowledged as gorgeous, part of the Mumblecore thing and she gets backlash, too.

Insomuch as there is backlash against Dunham it's the show, which feels loose, is only intermittently inspired and represents the kind of irritating art that's more notable for how others analyze it than what's on the screen. Dunham and her show seems like she/it fields more questions than she/it asks, that she/it is infinitely more interesting than the world around her/it. While this may just be an ironic pose, that doesn't absolve her or the show. Those artists rarely hold my attention for long, but they have a certain grip-lock on our culture. Always will.

 

I think it's weird how many (ex-)journalists here take pride in not knowing things.

 

I think it's weird how many (ex-)journalists overinflate the societal importance of an obscure television entertainer.

 

This.

 

I haven't called her important ever.

 

You implied that there's some sort of flaw among those ignorant of her existence. She could die tomorrow and the world will be no better or worse off for it.

It's not like anyone was proudly bragging about not knowing anything about Ukraine as it was front and center in one of the biggest, most consequential news stories in the world.

 

I just don't get why anyone would be proud of not knowing anything. The Ukraine thing is another of many examples of people bragging about not knowing things.

 

I'm not "proud" of it, I just don't care. This bit of knowledge is so inconsequential to my life and the world in general that it's the equivalent of knowing nothing.

 

Most of the non-western world thinks knowing about sports is on the same level.
Any bit of expertise any of us might claim to have is worthless to someone else.

 

I'd like to know everything one day.

 

TIL: The totality of all human knowledge. AMA.