175. A Decade of Insanity May Have Come to a Close. Plus, Using Every Part of the Panda Bear

From Sarah Hepola and me, a little Smoke ‘Em to get you through Christmas Eve xx

“The period of left-wing illiberalism that began about a decade ago seems to have drawn to a close. The final cause of death was the reelection of Donald Trump.” That’s the claim of a new article in The Atlantic by Jonathan Chait, which may or may not be true, but the article is a handy run-down of the past decade’s greatest (worst) hits. Meanwhile, David Samuels in Tablet dissects the past decade and points a finger at “Obama’s omnipotent thought machine.” Innnnteresting. Nancy and Sarah are still trying to understand the online appetite for the destruction of others.

Speaking of appetite: Sarah wants gingerbread. Nancy wants pecan pie. And nobody likes fruitcake.

Also discussed:

• Nancy’s first annual “holiday dessert quiz”

• Jamaican Black Cake? Two slices, please!

• Sarah speaks German (poorly)

• County Highway, America’s Only Newspaper

• “Rapid-onset political enlightenment” is a great phrase

• Did Elon Musk save Twitter, or break it?

• Where were you when Justine Sacco was canceled?

• A horrific death on the New York subway

• Nancy has problems with BlueSky

• Sarah tries to fill in the holes of her literary education

• The origins of “yacht rock”

Plus, the magic of a New York City Christmas, two thumbs up for delicious duck, Sarah gets a pearl necklace (no, not that kind) — and much more!

Episode Notes:

Sarah’s favorite true-crime story about fruitcake: “Just Desserts,” by Katy Vine (Texas Monthly)

“Rapid Onset Political Enlightenment,” by David Samuels (Tablet)

“How Liberal America Came to Its Senses,” by Jonathan Chait (The Atlantic)

“How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco’s Life,” by Jon Ronson (NYT)

So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, by Jon Ronson

“Suspect Held After Woman Set on Fire in Subway Car Dies, Police Say,” by Johnny Diaz and Sara Ruberg (New York Times)

“How the White House Functioned with a Diminished Biden in Charge,” by Annie Linsky, Rebecca Bauhaus, Emily Glazer and Siobhan Hughes (Wall Street Journal)

What’s in your hot box?

Sarah: The Group, by Mary McCarthy

Nancy:

Outro suggests itself

smoke ‘em