The Culture We Deserve

The Crisis of Darkness

Nov 19, 2025
The hosts dive deep into the absence of genuine darkness in contemporary pop culture. They explore the stark contrasts between Tom Cruise’s thrilling menace and Glen Powell’s overly polished persona. Discussions unfold around the pitfalls of modern filmmaking, the decline of mid-budget films, and the impact of streaming economics. They critique prestige horror for its lack of true fear and ponder where darkness can still be found today. Internet radicalization and sanitized true crime narratives also spark lively debate on the cultural landscape.
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ANECDOTE

Philadelphia Museum Leadership Lawsuit

  • Nico and Jessa discussed Sasha Suda's lawsuit against the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
  • They highlighted tensions between high executive pay and low staff compensation.
ANECDOTE

Epstein Emails Reveal Odd Outreach

  • They skimmed Epstein emails showing surprising correspondences with artists and intellectuals.
  • Jessa mocked Andre Serrano emailing Epstein to promote his artwork as a ludicrous self-promotional hustle.
ANECDOTE

Hasan Piker On A State‑Sponsored China Tour

  • Nico described Hasan Piker touring China on state media and promoting the country.
  • Jessa found it baffling and compared it to Cold War propaganda tours.
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