Now that's what I call a Tina Brown blog
Plus: Thoughts on Patrick Fealey's "The Invisible Man" essay
I had a string of early morning doctors’ appointments recently, which means I haven’t braved the New York AM rush hour like this since…2020? It’s kind of funny to be part of the herd. I forgot how quiet it is…all you can hear are the footsteps and the swish of everyone’s puffer coats as we trudge along together. Such an interesting sound.
“This is part of your rejection, this fear that it could be you. You deny that reality because it is too horrific to contemplate, therefore you must deny us.”
What struck me most about Patrick Fealey’s “The Invisible Man,” a striking firsthand account of homelessness published last month in Esquire, is the response he always gets when he has to explain to people/cops within the context of his former journalistic career—which included bylines at The Boston Globe, The Narragansett Times and Reuters. It’s revealing of all the typical biases against unhoused people, but it’s also perhaps the most literal example of how American sympathy optimizes toward those who can explain (+ characterize?) themselves best. (See: the inevitable GoFundMe raised for Fealey following the publication of his essay.)
Shot: The NY Mag Union put their own spin on the Media Power issue… “When people who love New York magazine ask me if they should apply for a job here, I tell them that the burnout is crazy.” !!! Chaser: Meanwhile, eic David Haskell told Interview: “Honestly though, my biggest feeling is one of optimism. It’s like the music business post-Napster collapse, recognizing that, wait, there can be another way to pay artists who make great work. New York magazine’s business is probably more durable than it’s been in its entire 56-year history.” Interesting!
Honestly, Tina Brown’s Substack wasn’t really hitting for me until she punched out this screed earlier this month on private jets. Now this is the ol’ TB razor cutting I’ve been missing:
“After flying private a few times with gilded friends, I am convinced it’s the single most seductive experience in the world. You realize there is no one you wouldn’t kill, betray, or sleep with to ensure a lifetime of luxe relief from the armpit of mass transit.”
The no.1 New Rule of Media, according to One Thing (AKA Kyle Chayka, Nick Quah, David Cho and me?)? Cultivate your cult. Also, learn how to throw an actually good party.
Plus: I started my shift as Dear Prudence over at Slate, giving advice about couples vacations, erratically behaving family members, and rather terrifying coincidences galore. Write me your questions!