Kanye West is reportedly now under police investigation for a recent incident in Venice in which the star music producer took a boat ride with his butt on open display with his supposed wife Bianca Censori. According to the Daily Mail, Venice police issued a statement saying that West and Censori may have breached “standards of public decorum” and that police plan to question the boat’s driver. They also ask photographers who grabbed shots of West’s southern exposure to turn those in.
A public security councilor, Elisabetta Pesce, told the Mail, “Without any shadow of doubt what we saw from the couple was a lack of respect for Venice, which is the most enchanting city in the world.” Meanwhile a police spokesperson said, “Without any shadow of doubt what we saw from the couple was a lack of respect for Venice, which is the most enchanting city in the world. The images show the couple clearly in a state of intimacy and if the local prosecutor decides to press charges then we will notify the couple, most probably through the relevant embassies. The offence being investigated is acts contrary to public decency which is punishable by an administrative sanction.”
Kanye’s antics have drawn a statement of concern from his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, while the water taxi service employed by West and Censori has banned them for life.
In case you didn’t know, First Take has a new host in Shannon Sharpe (heck, even Sharpe seemed to not remember just which show he was on in the first episode). He’s already displaying some great chemistry with original host Stephen A. Smith, aside from accidentally calling him “Skip.” Before Smith slapped on a name tag to help his new co-host remember his name, the two hosts teamed up to take on one of the summer’s most hilarious memes, which of course involved Drake.
Earlier this year when Drake teamed up with buzzing UK rapper Central Cee for “On The Radar Freestyle,” Drake’s goofy faux-British accent caught fans’ attention, and they couldn’t stop making fun of the way he pronounces the word “combination” on the track’s intro. Hopping aboard the bandwagon, Sharpe and Smith’s social media team inserted the two hosts into a screenshot of the video, captioning the post with, “The combo we all needed.”
The joke was a big hit in the comments, with one responder writing, “Whoever made this needs a raise!!!”
The new First Take crew is clearly leaning into their shared love of hip-hop for content; after comparing their respective physiques to The Rock and Snoop Dogg on a past podcast, they got a response from the Long Beach rapper himself showing off his gym progress. I’m getting my weight up so when I come on the show will talk about [weightlifting emoji],” he wrote. “Thanks 4 the motivation.” With these two jokesters, it appears First Take will be less about tearing down athletes for engagement and actually having some fun with the intersections between music and sports.
Somebody check on the city of Boston, Spiked Dunkin’ is out there on store shelves and is already one of the most addicting new malt-liquor canned beverages on the market. Surely, some hardcore Dunkin’ fans are out there right now buzzed off liquor-infused beer causing all sorts of trouble. Now let me be clear on something here, I said “most addicting” and having tried every flavor of the Dunkin’ spiked tea and coffee, I can confirm that these new drinks do indeed grab you and get you coming back for more. But addictive doesn’t always mean delicious. Also, it’s worth noting that alcohol, caffeine, and sugar — the three core components of these drinks — are literally addicting on the chemical level… so there’s that.
Am I saying Dunkin’s new spiked tea and coffee line is addicting in a bad way? Not exactly… as a whole, I have all sorts of conflicted and complicated feelings about this lineup of drinks, but I’ll save that for the full review and ranking below.
First, some background:
The new drinks are a collaboration between Boston’s Harpoon Brewery and Dunkin’ and utilize popular drink flavors from the Dunkin’ menu spiked with malt liquor. The idea is simple: you get to experience the flavors you love, but, you know, with some booze added! The cans are equal in strength to White Claws, Trulys, and other similar beverages — landing at a very un-Bostonian 6% ABV for the coffee and 5% ABV for the tea. But with the infusion of caffeine, these drinks venture into Four Loko territory. Caffeine and alcohol are a hell of a combination and I can certainly say that a single can is enough to get a significant buzz on.
We tasted and ranked every flavor, so if you’re looking to experience Dunkin’ Spiked, you’re going to want to pay close attention to the top of this ranking. But first, let’s start with the stinkers.
8. Dunkin’ Spiked Vanilla Iced Coffee
Dane Rivera
Tasting Notes & Thoughts:
Way too sweet and creamy for something that has alcohol in it. Imagine a White Russian but with the sweetness turned up past 10, with a soft milky mouthfeel, a heavy dose of artificial vanilla, and no trace of coffee flavor whatsoever.
I’m sorry to fans of Dunkin’s vanilla-flavored iced coffee but I find this drink to be incredibly off-putting, even if you are a fan of the original.
Here were my original tasting notes for this drink when I was putting together my first impressions: “Ew, it tastes… grey.”
I’m not entirely sure what I meant by that, but strangely, I feel like it still tracks. There is a murky unfocused quality to this flavor that I just can’t get behind.
Tropical mango notes and tart pineapple clash with the flavor of malt liquor with bitter results. There is something about the combination of flavors here that comes across as slightly bitter.
Compared to Dunkin’s Mango Pineapple Iced Tea Refresher, this lacks the fruity heavily refreshing flavor of the original.
6. Dunkin’ Spiked Strawberry Dragon Fruit Iced Tea Refresher
Dane Rivera
Tasting Notes & Thoughts:
The worst is behind us, Dunkin’s Spiked Strawberry Dragon Fruit Iced Tea Refresher is bright, fruity, and true to its name, refreshing. There is a bitter malt liquor flavor on the backend but this one still manages to capture all of the magic of the original non-spiked flavor, which is a favorite amongst Dunkin’ fans.
While I think it tastes great in the can, I found this one way more enjoyable over a glass of crushed ice which helps to water down that bitter flavor a bit but not so much that it doesn’t taste spiked anymore.
The Bottom Line:
Very refreshing, the best fruit-flavored spiked drink in the Dunkin’ lineup.
5. Dunkin’ Spiked Slightly Sweet Iced Tea With A Twist Of Lemon
Dane Rivera
Tasting Notes & Thoughts:
A nutty toasted flavor with a sour lemon aftertaste and a bit of bitterness on the backend. It has a soft gentle mouthfeel. I like this flavor but it’s a bit too close to another flavor that Dunkin’ Spiked has, one which I like much better.
I would’ve liked to see this one swapped out for something a bit more distinct.
The Bottom Line:
Good, but Dunkin’ makes a better lemon-flavored tea drink — get that one instead.
This one is dangerous — it’s intensely sweet with a rich cocoa flavor and a hint of coffee bitterness. You can’t taste the malt liquor at all here, which is a good thing because malt liquor, in general, doesn’t taste that good, but is also a bad thing because you can easily drink way too many of these without realizing that you’re getting drunk.
This is the sort of result I expected out of Dunkin’ Spiked and makes me generally fear for the people who decide to consume this stuff on a regular basis.
The Bottom Line:
Dangerously delicious, the Mocha Iced Coffee is so sweet that it doesn’t taste like alcohol at all. Which is either a good or bad thing depending on who you are.
There is a noticeably soft mouthfeel here, it’s very pleasant to drink and goes down smoothly. Rich toffee and brown sugar flavors dominate and again, you can’t taste the malt liquor here.
It’s not quite as sweet as the non-spiked version that inspired it, but it’s sweet enough that it almost doesn’t taste like you’re drinking alcohol at all. Which again, is pretty dangerous. If you’re a fan of super sweet drinks, maybe steer clear of this one but if you have a sweet tooth this one really delivers.
The Bottom Line:
Sweet rich and sugary heavy, the Caramel Iced Coffee delivers.
I like this one a lot because you really get a sense of the coffee flavor. It’s toasty, rich, a bit earthy, and bitter, but in a pleasant way. That coffee bitterness helps to mask the malt liquor flavor but doesn’t come across as so intensely sweet that you can’t taste the liquor. It’s the best of all worlds.
I know I focused on the coffee aspects of this flavor but that isn’t to say it isn’t still sweet, there are some gentle vanilla notes here that come across much better than the actual vanilla-flavored can.
The Bottom Line:
A bit bitter, but in a good way. Dunkin’s Iced Coffee flavor is the only one that actually has perceptible coffee notes in the flavor profile.
This is hands down the best flavor of Dunkin’ Spiked. It features a 50/50 split of lemonade and black tea, resulting in a toasty-malty flavor, some sweet citrus notes, and a tangy aftertaste that actually compliments the flavor of the malt liquor.
Because Dunkin’ is known for coffee, I really wanted to give the top spot to the Iced Coffee flavor, but the Half & Half is so enjoyable that I actually think it’s worth stocking in your fridge at all times.
The Bottom Line:
Easily the best flavor of the whole lineup, it’s sweet, citrusy, toasty, and has a nice kick to it that reminds you that you’re still drinking alcohol.
Dunkin’s Spiked line of beverages isn’t for everyone. If you’re not already a fan of Dunkin’s take on iced tea and coffee, no amount of alcohol is going to win you over. If you are a fan, however, this is a fun way to experience your favorite flavors in a boozy format.
Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service just kicked off their joint tour in Washington DC last night (September 5), and it’s a real 2003 indie rock dream trek. There’s star power even beyond those two Ben Gibbard bands, though, as there’s a pretty strong roster of openers joining them on tour. So, who’s tagging along?
Opening various dates on the Postal Service/DCFC tour are Chvrches singer Lauren Mayberry, Warpaint, The Beths, Pedro The Lion, Built To Spill, and Iron And Wine. Mayberry is currently opening the first few shows, then Warpaint and The Beths will have extended opening runs of their own before the latter three acts wrap up by opening for a night each.
Check out the upcoming tour dates below.
09/06/2023 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem *
09/08/2023 — Portland, ME @ Cross Insurance Arena *
09/09/2023 — South Kingstown, RI @ Ryan Center *
09/10/2023 — New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl *
09/12/2023 — Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway *
09/13/2023 — Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway *
09/14/2023 — Washington, DC @ Merriweather Post Pavilion *
09/16/2023 — Chicago, IL @ Riot Fest
09/17/2023 — Rochester Hills, MI @ Meadow Brook Amphitheater !
09/19/2023 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden !
09/20/2023 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden !
09/21/2023 — Philadelphia, PA @ Mann Center for the Performing Arts !
09/23/2023 — Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed !
09/24/2023 — Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory !
09/26/2023 — Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom !
09/27/2023 — Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom !
09/28/2023 — Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom !
09/30/2023 — Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater #
10/01/2023 — Grand Prairie, TX @ Texas Trust CU Theatre #
10/03/2023 — Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre #
10/04/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels #
10/06/2023 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena #
10/07/2023 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena #
10/09/2023 — Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre #
10/10/2023 — Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre #
10/11/2023 — Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre #
10/13/2023 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl #
10/14/2023 — Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl ^
10/15/2023 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl %
10/17/2023 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl ~
* with Lauren Mayberry
! with Warpaint
# with The Beths
^ with Pedro The Lion
% with Built To Spill
~ with Iron And Wine
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Nick Bosa’s status ahead of the San Francisco 49ers’ season opener was in question, as the former No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick held out during the preseason in search of a new deal from the team. While reports indicated that it did not seem like he’d join the team for their Week 1 contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, a resolution has been reached, and now, Bosa is in line to make a whole lot of money.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Niners and the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year came to terms on a brand new, 5-year contract extension. The deal will pay Bosa $170 million with $122.5 million of that guaranteed, and as a result, the former Ohio State standout is now the highest-paid defensive player in league history.
Source: Nick Bosa has agreed to a five-year, $170 million extension with the San Francisco 49ers, including $122.5 million guaranteed, by a wide margin. It will make him the highest-paid defensive player in history. pic.twitter.com/bRm6S9Eemf
Sources: The #49ers and All-Pro edge Nick Bosa have agreed to terms on a massive new contract extension, with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year becoming the highest paid pass-rusher in the NFL.
Bosa was a crucial piece along the Niners’ defensive line as the team made it to the NFC Championship Game last season. His 18.5 sacks led the NFL, and in addition to that, Bosa registered 51 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and a pair of forced fumbles.
As for his status on Sunday, Schefter brings word that Bosa will be likely to play when the team heads to Pittsburgh.
Ron DeSantis entered the 2024 Republican presidential primary as the biggest threat to unseat Donald Trump as the presumptive nominee. GOP voters seemed to like the Florida governor’s approach to the COVID pandemic and his approach to culture war topics.
However, DeSantis has since over-played his hand by waging a war with Disney and repeatedly stumbled on the campaign trail by showing his lack of talent at retail politics. (Siccing his security on a 15-year-old New Hampshire kid being one of his more recent missteps.) Now, the Florida governor is reportedly facing a donor exodus.
There were reports that at least one of DeSantis’ biggest backers has jumped ship for Chris Christie, but apparently, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. According to Politico, the governor is bleeding donors who are starting to shop around for better candidates. Only 16 of the 50 donors who gave to DeSantis’ 2022 re-election campaign have donated to his presidential super PAC Never Back Down, and at least one of those donors is turning towards Nikki Haley:
“I think he’s done a terrific job as governor of Florida, and I’ve been, as I think you know, a big supporter of him in that role,” Rauner said of DeSantis. But, he added, “I think Nikki Haley probably has the best chance to win the general election … I think everyone is trying to sort things out. We gotta win, we gotta win the general.”
Naturally, DeSantis campaign has offered its spin on the donor situation by highlighting that Never Back Down is sitting on a considerable war chest at the moment.
“Ron DeSantis outraised both Biden and Trump last quarter, and we continue to see overwhelming enthusiasm from grassroots and major supporters chipping in to help our campaign,” a DeSantis spokesperson told Politico. “We look forward to continued fundraising success this quarter as we capitalize on his strong debate performance and momentum in the early states.”
Temple Grandin spent her early life, as she says, “goofing off” until a science teacher made her brain light up.
She was born with autism during the 1940s, when people didn’t understand it well.
But Grandin has done a lot since those days of goofing off.
She became a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, a best-selling author, a consultant to the livestock industry, and a popular public speaker.
HBO made an award-winning movie about her life, which millions of people saw. (When she talks about “the movie” in the TED Talk below, that’s what she’s referring to.)
Her main work now is to educate people on how she, like many people with autism and Asperger’s, sees things in pictures.
She even suggests that some people in places like Silicon Valley may be on the autism spectrum or they wouldn’t have been able to do what they’ve done.
Grandin really does think almost completely in images.
As she describes it, when you say “steeple,” her mind goes to the first image she knows is a steeple from her childhood church. Then, to the next one.
Kinda like Google Images does, right?
Autism is still not very well understood, although research — as well as the number of people diagnosed on the autism spectrum — has been increasing.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the prevalence of autism spectrum diagnoses has drastically increased since 1970. And Temple was born 28 years before this graph’s earliest date.
And no, vaccinations do not cause autism. Science has proven otherwise, so please do not take away from this anything that’s purely fiction.
But there are some things we do know.
Some of them are included in Grandin’s TED Talk.
She has some great suggestions for ways to help those on the autism spectrum, too, like these:
Educators and parents need to find ways to get people on the spectrum to be engaged and thrilled to be using their unique brains the way they need to in order to make a difference in the world.
Understand their reality. She was a “different” kid and adult. She made it work because she found her place and made other humans understand that she didn’t function the way that they do. What if we approached other humans on a regular basis with this understanding and empathy? What a wonderful world it would be, indeed.
Get to know a family with kids who are differently abled than the rest of us. See what their world is like, and maybe make them feel loved — or at least understood a little better.
Spread the word — when you see her movie or TED Talk, pass it around. It’s a great place to start a conversation.
Each year that I teach the book “1984” I turn my classroom into a totalitarian regime under the guise of the “common good.”
I run a simulation in which I become a dictator. I tell my students that in order to battle “Senioritis,” the teachers and admin have adapted an evidence-based strategy, a strategy that has “been implemented in many schools throughout the country and has had immense success.” I hang posters with motivational quotes and falsified statistics, and provide a false narrative for the problem that is “Senioritis.”
I tell the students that in order to help them succeed, I must implement strict classroom rules. They must raise their hand before doing anything at all, even when asking another student for a pencil. They lose points each time they don’t behave as expected. They gain points by reporting other students. If someone breaks the rule and I don’t see it, it’s the responsibility of the other students to let me know. Those students earn bonus points. I tell students that in order for this plan to work they must “trust the process and not question their teachers.” This becomes a school-wide effort. The other teachers and admin join in.
I’ve done this experiment numerous times, and each year I have similar results. This year, however, was different.
This year, a handful of students did fall in line as always. The majority of students, however, rebelled.
By day two of the simulation, the students were contacting members of administration, writing letters, and creating protest posters. They were organizing against me and against the admin. They were stomping the hallways, refusing to do as they were told.
The president of the Student Government Association, whom I don’t even teach, wrote an email demanding an end to this “program.” He wrote that this program is “simply fascism at its worst. Statements such as these are the base of a dictatorship rule, this school, as well as this country cannot and will not fall prey to these totalitarian behaviors.”
I did everything in my power to fight their rebellion.
I “bribed” the president of the SGA. I “forced” him to publicly “resign.” And, yet, the students did not back down. They fought even harder. They were more vigilant. They became more organized. They found a new leader. They were more than ready to fight. They knew they would win in numbers.
I ended the experiment two days earlier than I had planned because their rebellion was so strong and overwhelming. For the first time since I’ve done this experiment, the students “won.”
What I learned is this: Teenagers will be the ones to save us.
Just like Emma Gonzalez, the teen activist from Marjory Stoneman Douglas, my students did not back down nor conform. They fought for their rights. They won.
Adults can learn a lot from the teens of this generations. Adults are complacent, jaded, and disparaged. Teenagers are ignited, spirited, and take no prisoners. Do not squander their fight. They really are our future. Do not call them entitled. That entitlement is their drive and their passion. Do not get in their way. They will crush you.
Foster their rebellion. They are our best allies.
This story originally appeared on Medium and is reprinted here with permission. It was originally published on February 21, 2018.
Fifty years ago, when Paul McCartney announced he had left the Beatles, the news dashed the hopes of millions of fans, while fueling false reunion rumors that persisted well into the new decade.
In a press release on April 10, 1970 for his first solo album, “McCartney,” he leaked his intention to leave. In doing so, he shocked his three bandmates.
The Beatles had symbolized the great communal spirit of the era. How could they possibly come apart?
Few at the time were aware of the underlying fissures. The power struggles in the group had been mounting at least since their manager, Brian Epstein, died in August of 1967.
‘Paul Quits the Beatles’
Was McCartney’s “announcement” official? His album appeared on April 17, and its press packet included a mock interview. In it, McCartney is asked, “Are you planning a new album or single with the Beatles?”
His response? “No.”
But he didn’t say whether the separation might prove permanent. The Daily Mirror nonetheless framed its headline conclusively: “Paul Quits the Beatles.”
The others worried this could hurt sales and sent Ringo as a peacemaker to McCartney’s London home to talk him down from releasing his solo album ahead of the band’s “Let It Be” album and film, which were slated to come out in May. Without any press present, McCartney shouted Ringo off his front stoop.
Lennon had kept quiet
Lennon, who had been active outside the band for months, felt particularly betrayed.
The previous September, soon after the band released “Abbey Road,” he had asked his bandmates for a “divorce.” But the others convinced him not to go public to prevent disrupting some delicate contract negotiations.
Still, Lennon’s departure seemed imminent: He had played the Toronto Rock ‘n’ Roll Festival with his Plastic Ono Band in September 1969, and on Feb. 11, 1970, he performed a new solo track, “Instant Karma,” on the popular British TV show “Top of the Pops.” Yoko Ono sat behind him, knitting while blindfolded by a sanitary napkin.
In fact, Lennon behaved more and more like a solo artist, until McCartney countered with his own eponymous album. He wanted Apple to release this solo debut alongside the group’s new album, “Let It Be,” to dramatize the split.
By beating Lennon to the announcement, McCartney controlled the story and its timing, and undercut the other three’s interest in keeping it under wraps as new product hit stores.
Ray Connolly, a reporter at the Daily Mail, knew Lennon well enough to ring him up for comment. When I interviewed Connolly in 2008, he told me about their conversation.
Lennon was dumbfounded and enraged by the news. He had let Connolly in on his secret about leaving the band at his Montreal Bed-In in December 1969, but asked him to keep it quiet. Now he lambasted Connolly for not leaking it sooner.
“Why didn’t you write it when I told you in Canada at Christmas!” he exclaimed to Connolly, who reminded him that the conversation had been off the record. “You’re the f–king journalist, Connolly, not me,” snorted Lennon.
“We were all hurt [McCartney] didn’t tell us what he was going to do,” Lennon later told Rolling Stone. “Jesus Christ! He gets all the credit for it! I was a fool not to do what Paul did, which was use it to sell a record…”
It all falls apart
This public fracas had been bubbling under the band’s cheery surface for years. Timing and sales concealed deeper arguments about creative control and the return to live touring.
In January 1969, the group had started a roots project tentatively titled “Get Back.” It was supposed to be a back-to-the-basics recording without the artifice of studio trickery. But the whole venture was shelved as a new recording, “Abbey Road,” took shape.
When “Get Back” was eventually revived, Lennon – behind McCartney’s back – brought in American producer Phil Spector, best known for girl group hits like “Be My Baby,” to salvage the project. But this album was supposed to be band only – not embroidered with added strings and voices – and McCartney fumed when Spector added a female choir to his song “The Long and Winding Road.”
“Get Back” – which was renamed “Let it Be” – nonetheless moved forward. Spector mixed the album, and a cut of the feature film was readied for summer.
McCartney’s announcement and release of his solo album effectively short-circuited the plan. By announcing the breakup, he launched his solo career in advance of “Let It Be,” and nobody knew how it might disrupt the official Beatles’ project.
Throughout the remainder of 1970, fans watched in disbelief as the “Let It Be” movie portrayed the hallowed Beatles circling musical doldrums, bickering about arrangements and killing time running through oldies. The film finished with an ironic triumph – the famous live set on the roof of their Apple headquarters during which the band played “Get Back,” “Don’t Let Me Down” and a joyous “One After 909.”
The album, released on May 8, performed well and spawned two hit singles – the title track and “The Long and Winding Road” – but the group never recorded together again.
Their fans hoped against hope that four solo Beatles might someday find their way back to the thrills that had enchanted audiences for seven years. These rumors seemed most promising when McCartney joined Lennon for a Los Angeles recording session in 1974 with Stevie Wonder. But while they all played on one another’s solo efforts, the four never played a session together again.
At the beginning of 1970, autumn’s “Come Together”/”Something” single from “Abbey Road” still floated in the Billboard top 20; the “Let It Be” album and film helped extend fervor beyond what the papers reported. For a long time, the myth of the band endured on radio playlists and across several greatest hits compilations, but when John Lennon sang “The dream is over…” at the end of his own 1970 solo debut, “John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band,” few grasped the lyrics’ implacable truth.
Fans and critics chased every sliver of hope for the “next” Beatles, but few came close to recreating the band’s magic. There were prospects – first bands like Three Dog Night, the Flaming Groovies, Big Star and the Raspberries; later, Cheap Trick, the Romantics and the Knack – but these groups only aimed at the same heights the Beatles had conquered, and none sported the range, songwriting ability or ineffable chemistry of the Liverpool quartet.
We’ve been living in the world without Beatles ever since.
Tim Riley is Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director for Journalism, Emerson College
Sometimes you see something so mind-boggling you have to take a minute to digest what just happened in your brain. Be prepared to take that moment while watching these videos.
Real estate investor and TikTok user Tom Cruz shared two videos explaining the spreadsheets he and his friends use to plan vacations and it’s…well…something. Watch the first one:
What in the wealth is thispic.twitter.com/NTPTKT5CZG
So “Broke Bobby” makes $125,000 a year. There’s that.
How about the fact that his guy has more than zero friends who budget $80,000 for a 3-day getaway? Y’all. I wouldn’t know how to spend $80,000 in three days if you paid me to. Especially if we’re talking about a trip with friends where we’re all splitting the cost. Like what does this even look like? Are they flying in private jets that burn dollar bills as fuel? Are they bathing in hot tubs full of cocaine? I genuinely don’t get it.
To be crystal clear here, the top 5 friends on the Forbes list are willing to spend more than double what the guy at the bottom of the Welfare 10 list makes per year on a 3-day guy’s trip. I don’t know what to do with this information.
u201c@Radio_Reem Those that make less are called the “Welfare 10” ud83dude2dud83dude2dud83dude29u201d
But that’s not even the full spreadsheet. It might make sense if this guy was just rich, had always been rich, only knew rich people, and therefore having multiple millionnaire friends was his normal. Surely that’s some people’s reality who were born into the 1%.
That’s not the case here, though, because Cruz also has a Welfare 10 list. He says this group of friends who make less than $100K a year call themselves that, and perhaps that’s true. (If I were a part of this group, I might call myself a welfare case too because everything’s relative and some of these dudes spend more in an hour of vacation than I spend on my mortgage each month.)
It’s like we can see our society’s wealth gap all laid out nice and neatly in a spreadsheet, only these people aren’t even the uber-wealthy and uber-poor. This is just the range of this one guy’s friends.
I have nothing against people who build success and wealth for themselves, and even $5 million per year is hardly obscenely wealthy by billionaire standards. But Cruz says he’s known most of his “welfare” friends since college, which presumably means most of those guys have college degrees and are making pittance in comparison with the Forbes list. One could claim the guy making $5 million a year just works harder, but does he really work 100 times harder than the guy making $50,000? Doubt it.
Money makes money, and after a certain threshold of wealth or income, it’s actually quite easy to get and stay rich without actually “earning” more money, assuming you’re reasonably wise and responsible. So maybe the guys who are willing to shell out $125,000 for a week-long trip should offer to pay the travel expenses of the friends they “hang out with regardless of income” who don’t even make that in a year, since that’s probably just the interest they’re making on their wealth anyway.
But what do I know? This is like an entirely different world to me and probably 99+% of Americans, as evidenced by some of the responses.
u201c@araless Broke Bobby every time itu2019s time for a trip https://t.co/VTUf3xW1DWu201d
Naturally, there will be a range of incomes in any group of people, but 1) most of us don’t actually know how much our friends make, and 2) even fewer of us make spreadsheets with that information in order to rank our friends and figure out who can go on which vacations.
People are just endlessly fascinating. That’s all I’ve got.
This article originally appeared on 08.20.21
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