Sunday Smörgåsbord #064
Ebenezer Scrooge, Luigi Mangione, and a Hollywood smear campaign. And no that's not the set-up to some awful cracker joke.
NB: [PW] signifies a paywall, though some providers allow you to read a set number of articles for free.
Hi friends,
It’s almost 10pm, and I should be packing my suitcase for the final dash home for Christmas. But instead I’m sipping a martini and writing to you all, a veritable Dorothy Parker in spirit (literally), if not in wit.
It sure makes me wonder though: what would Dot have to say about it all? By ‘it all’ I refer to the ongoing what-the-fuckery of U.S pop culture documented in today’s Features (not that we can talk our side of the pond). Pass the vodka.
It may surprise you that I take some solace from one of the darkest stories of the year: that of Gisèle Pelicot. Her decision to waive anonymity is already inspiring others, and I was relieved to see all fifty-one men found guilty in a country where still only 1% of rape prosecutions end in conviction. May the shame change sides, and stick where it belongs. May we all have an ounce of her courage. May she find some semblance of peace this season, and beyond.
This will likely be my last post before Christmas, so let me take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful one. Thank you for your support this year— and especially these last couple of months where my writing course has sucked more Substack time and energy away from me. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know more of you this year - either through your own incredible writing or via the comments and community flourishing here on Substack.
I hope you get to spend some time doing exactly what you like this festive period.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays,
Emma x
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📰 Features & Podcasts
‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine’, The New York Times [PW]. What a wild story, more for lifting the lid on the machinations behind Hollywood than the ins-and-outs of Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s feud. Scrolling through this exposé I did feel some resignation at this quality of investigative journalism being spent on what is essentially a B-Movie, but it’s still a very good lesson in not believing everything we read.
‘The Banality of Online Recommendation Culture’, The New Yorker. OK, OK— you got me. I feel called out at the title alone, but also at the related Substack article I read around the same time: ‘Taste Is Eating Silicon Valley’ One takeaway is how taste is the new commodity, epitomised by the sheer number of recommendations blogs (gulp). The passage about how “repetition, or scalability, is the enemy of taste, because in time it reveals a latent sameness in what we all like to like” made me immediately think of how this weekly post could sometimes be called ‘What I read in the Times this week and you could do if you had a subscription’. In my defence… I love reading other people’s posts about what they read, ate, watched. One of my favourite pasttimes is nosing at people’s supermarket baskets (I once saw Mel B in Mayfair Sainsburys: bottles of olive oil). So I will keep on keeping shamelessly on, adding my grist to the AI recommendation mill. Sorry not sorry.
‘Rage, race and good looks: the forces behind the lionization of a murder suspect’, The Guardian. I’ve been fascinated by the feting of Luigi Mangione. It’s not just watching his real-time mythification as a modern folk hero, it’s just how mainstream that process has been. As per my last point, I read the Times, a right-of-centre paper owned by Rupert Murdoch (why I read it is possibly an essay for another day), and even their articles skirt the boundary of lionisation! Then again, populism loves them some symbols to cling to, whatever side of the fight.
‘Hips Might Lie’, Miss Me? [Podcast]. My sister has been suggesting this podcast for possibly about a year. Well, Lucy: here’s your early Christmas present. I finally listened to it. And really enjoyed it. It helps that Miquita Oliver and Lily Allen are around my age (so much so I hit some major life milestones watching Oliver present T4 every Sunday). The vibe is the relaxed, gossipy chat of two lifelong friends, who happen to be British celebs. On each listen it’s almost like it’s 1998 again and I’m back with the gang again.
🎨 Arts, Culture & Entertainment
A Christmas Carol-ish, Soho Place Theatre, London. Every year two good friends and I meet for a dinner and some Christmas culture. I must confess that most years I am so hopeless at helping organise that I only just manage to show up. This year was no different (sorry guys) - I had no idea what we were even going to see until about two hours before, nor that it was the brainchild of Taskmaster favourite, Nick Mohammed. That said, walking out I didn’t have much clue either! The show was a panto-esque mash-up of Mohammed playing his character Mr Swallow, who played Scrooge, who— for some slightly convuluted reason— was actually Santa. It was fun, and very funny in parts, but even with a decent cast, an epic set and live band, it still felt a little like loads of money got thrown at a fringe show and they weren’t sure what to do with it. Maybe we should have gone and seen Craig Revel-Horwood in panto?
A Christmas Carol, Great Audiobooks [Spotify]. Every December I try to read Dickens’ festive tale, and most years end up failing and resorting to the Muppets’ version (which as we all know is both an excellent and faithful adaptation). This year I found an audio version on Spotify, which was perfect for a listen as I did the Christmas shopping. OK, the performance isn’t going to win any awards, but it’s a cheap and cheerful way to mark the season. God bless us, every one!
📺 What have you seen lately that’s worth a read, watch or listen? Let me know in the comments.
🍹 Lifestyle
A Yuliya Martini, Recipe via Difford’s Guide. After three months my writing course has come to an end. It’s flown by, testament to how much fun we’ve had alongside some hardcore learning and workshopping as a group. Everyone is so interesting and clever, with each one of us working on something so different, and with lives, jobs and hobbies so distinct. One course colleague loves to mix cocktails in her spare time, so she surprised us at our final gathering with a whole bottle of premixed Yuliya martinis to share. It’s a twist on a classic martini, vodka and vermouth cut with a dash of sweet creme de peche. Let’s just say that after two, my elevator pitch went a lot better than I expected!
📝 Substacks
‘What would a woman to do an unconscious man if she thought no one would find out? ‘- White Ink with Anna Wharton.
When I saw that all fifty men had been found guilty in this case, I was moved to tears. It felt like a watershed moment: even if all of them had been recorded raping her, who was to say what a court would do - we’ve been here before. The sentences, in my opinion, have been largely laughable, but at least she has had some justice. I remain in awe of her dignity and courage.
This article by Anna Wharton touches on an element of the case that most women I know have been talking about: the ‘ordinariness’ of the accused men, and how even those who stopped, didn’t raise the alarm. I’ve written before about the myth of the ‘isolated incident’ in domestic violence and this myth of the ‘monster rapist’ is similarly unhelpful. These men are not monsters. They are nurses, firemen, office workers, husbands, sons, fathers, brothers, who have made a choice to prioritise their wants over anyone else’s. And that choice has its own consequences, rippling trauma through their own families too.
That’s it for this week. I hope you find something in this list that sparks joy or curiosity. Have a wonderful Christmas.
If you’ve got any recommendations on articles, podcasts, Substacks or shows for me to dive into, please drop them in the comments. Until next time!
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