This week on The Deep Dive: The Guinness Book of Corporate Shills, today’s rom-coms are missing that Nora Ephron touch, what COVID-19 and “relatable” influencers taught us about hygiene culture, a reminder that Ozempic is just medicine so we can all relax now (and remember who actually needs it), and how conservative comedy hides its nonsense political statements behind bad jokes.

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BUSINESS

How Guinness RUINED World Records by Pinely (30:09)

Literally, what is going on here? I knew The Guinness Book of World Records was tainted by corporate interests, but I didn’t realize that corporate interests became the only reason it even exists anymore?! In this video, Pinely takes a closer look at the world record organization than any of us have since the last time we checked out one of its shiny books at the library 20 years ago. The Guinness Book of World Records started as a laminated pamphlet for bar patrons to settle arguments over random facts, which is so adorable I could cry. But it turns out the internet kind of threw a wrench in all of that, so Guinness (yes, the same brand as the beer) had to pivot to PR campaigns. All I can say is as a former publicist, I really should have known better because who needs to hold the world record for “most trusted celebrity”?

FILM

Anatomy of a Rom Com by Broey Deschanel (42:17)

How many Broey Deschanel videos am I going to recommend? Yes. Hopefully, you won’t hate me too much for it, but I promise this video really is that good. After a wave of awkward and hard-to-watch marketing featuring two people who had a will-they-won’t-they romance of their own, Anyone But You was the rom-com revival we needed, but not the one we deserved. In this video, Broey Deschanel breaks down what makes a good rom-com using Nora Ephron’s slightly outdated yet iconic masterpieces of the 80s, 90s, and 00s – a time before early 2010s irony cannibalized the genre. What does Anyone But You get wrong about world-building? Why is it easier to root for Harry and Sally, Jane from 27 Dresses, and Bridget Jones than it is for us to buy into Bea and Ben’s love story? And for the love of god, can we please do something about all that commercial gloss?

If you’re also dreaming of better cities, let’s meet up at the Strong Towns National Gathering!

You already know The Deep Dive loves imagining a future with better, walkable, and more livable cities, which is why I truly cannot wait to go to the Strong Towns National Gathering (May 14-15 in Cincinnati). The only thing that could make it even better is seeing you there! Register for the event here and use code HAYAK2024 to get 10% off General Admission tickets. If you buy tickets, hit reply and let me know so I can connect you with other rabbits who will be attending!

CULTURE

The Downfall of "Anti-hygiene" Influencers by Shanspeare (53:47)

Ok, I promise this isn’t just a Shanspeare/Broey Deschanel fan page/newsletter, but what do you want me to do? Make these videos not bop? In just a couple of years, we went from barely batting an eye at the detailed descriptions of bodily functions from influencers like Emma Chamberlain to buying into a “clean girl” aesthetic and millions of us being collectively horrified over Alix Earle’s “puke dress.” Completely unrelated, but there was also a major health crisis that came up in that time between, one that had to teach us how long to wash our hands. But the politics of cleanliness and hygiene goes much deeper than our preference for “relatable” influencers. From Europeans’ refusal to bathe for health reasons (yes, I’m being serious) to Americans being more interested in seeming clean than actually being clean to pandemics that forced us to be clean, how did we get here?

POP CULTURE

The Ozempic Olympics: Hollywood is Ruining Our Health by D’Angelo Wallace (1:12:08)

Just as our societal train began to inch closer to the Body Diversity and Acceptance station, a delay was announced: Hollywood had gotten its hands on a “miracle” weight-loss drug and many of its already thin stars were turning up thinner than ever – greaaaat. Weight loss aside, Ozempic’s results (for the patients who actually need it) are quite impressive and in a lot of ways, this new treatment can bring real benefits (again, for the people who actually need it). But in a country like the US, fatphobia, a flawed healthcare system, wealth inequality, and a cultural obsession with weight loss created the perfect storm. In this video, D’Angelo Wallace offers a nuanced perspective about Ozempic that we need in a time of simultaneous fanfare and panic about the pharmaceutical drug. Now that Ozempic is a thing, how should we be talking and thinking about our bodies?

POLITICS

Conservative Comedy Destroyed My Life by Big Joel (1:47:00)

What makes conservative comedy bad? I don’t mean offensive or edgy or “anti-woke” – I mean actually just unfunny, or at the very least uninteresting and even confusing. In this video, Big Joel analyzes different forms of conservative attempts at comedy and now I think it might have destroyed my life too. How did Ricky Gervais morph into an unironic Michael Scott? Instead of being a satire on US foreign policy, was Team America: World Police actually pro-Iraq War? And why did Ben Shapiro make a transphobic comedy movie about, what else, women’s sports? This isn’t to say all conservative comedy is doomed, some of it can be…intriguing. But the lesson here is clear – if you want to make a harmful political statement that doesn’t make that much sense, just act like it’s a joke! What? Do you not have a sense of humor or something?

The Deep Dive’s Bonus Video of the Week

Shout out to Price from Oklahoma for the recommendation!

If you love a good speedrunning video, this one’s for you! This video almost immediately opens with the assumption that the viewer has heard of The Password Game, which I hadn’t – and boy, am I happy I went into this none the wiser. I guess I’ll head over to neal.fun right now and spend the rest of my week and weekend playing Neal’s games, Tetris was getting old anyway.

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Thanks for reading and happy watching! See you next week 💭