Almost every sit-down chain restaurant in my state closed down/failing because of quality issues or local competition. Chili's, Red Lobster, Long John Silvers, Applebee's...
It was HUGE local news during the pandemic with franchises begging people to "Support their local Chili's" and everyone laughed. Then one really loud owner bought lots of local ads that we don't deserve it and the locals dunk on them.
As of last month, another chain restaurant faded away, while more local restaurants popped up.
that then the person you're with suggests fucking Long John Silvers.
Shit. I am that guy.
I say the worst possible ideas out of my head for laughs.
One time, I said PF Chang's AS A JOKE. And everyone politely agreed and we went to PF Fucking Chang's and it was the grossest Chinese food I ever ate. I FAFO myself.
This happened yesterday! As a Christmas gift, I got a book of Sunday comics.
As a group, from boomers to my under-10yo kids, we skimmed through it. The kids laughed at the weird abstract ones. I loved the ones with wordplay. My neighbor in her 60s laughed at the husband/wife joke.
Found it really fascinating how no comic made everyone laugh at the same time.
The one everyone agreed was a good comic, I'm even though it wasn't funny, was the "peeing in the pool" comic. Relatable brings us all together.
I just watched a video compiling tiktoks of kids unaware they were following meme cooking tips. Some of it was really dangerous, like permanent toxicity dangerous.
The difference between Netflix and its predecessors is that the older studios had a business model that rewarded cinematic expertise and craft. Netflix, on the other hand, is staffed by unsophisticated executives who have no plan for their movies and view them with contempt. Cindy Holland, the first employee Sarandos hired, who eventually served as vice president of original content, once compared Netflix’s rapacious DVD acquisition strategy to “shoveling coal in the side door of the house.” This remained true as Netflix ramped up its original-film production. In researching this essay, I was told by sources about two high-level Netflix executives who have been known to green-light projects without reading the scripts at all.
Such slipshod filmmaking works for the streaming model, since audiences at home are often barely paying attention. Several screenwriters who’ve worked for the streamer told me a common note from company executives is “have this character announce what they’re doing so that viewers who have this program on in the background can follow along.” (“We spent a day together,” Lohan tells her lover, James, in Irish Wish. “I admit it was a beautiful day filled with dramatic vistas and romantic rain, but that doesn’t give you the right to question my life choices. Tomorrow I’m marrying Paul Kennedy.” “Fine,” he responds. “That will be the last you see of me because after this job is over I’m off to Bolivia to photograph an endangered tree lizard.”)
I'm so guilty of this. But it's usually bad anime.
Every corp you work at has a dark side. Maybe not Lockheed Martin level of destruction.
My current job, we build systems to get people to spend more for things they don't need.
My last job, we provided technology to "free speech" folks and looked the other way unless legally obligated to take it down
The nonprofit i worked for spent 80% of their time and energy just for funding. Like $2mil a year, and 1.6mil went to paying staff.
Sometimes jobs frame it to look like it's a positive.
I worked at one company that "gave opportunities" to offshore engineers because they were a fraction the cost of Americans.
Another company outsourced our graphic design to people on Fiverr to help fund "freelancers", and then repurpose the work for million dollar ad campaigns.
And for me, I just constantly think of what the line is and how much of it I can cross to feed my kids.
Loomer continues