thank you so so much for this piece. It gives me a framing to express what I've loved about this special so much. You noticed the exact same beats about White Woman's Instagram that make it such a beautiful song.
BTW the songs are available on Spotify, unlike in Make Happy
I find the Socko character endlessly interesting. Personally, I think Burham uses Socko not as a pure stand-in for the kind of leftist politics that he agrees with, but rather as a mixed take where the useful ideas blend into conspiracy theory, self-defeating moves, and buzzwords (like you said, "neoliberal fascism," which is basically nonsensical and I don't think Burnham is stupid enough to think it's a useful construct).
I get this sense because it aligns with a focus of Inside: that particular important truths about the world (e.g., climate change exists and is dangerous) become unhealthy and self-defeating in the context of our overconnected, ragebaiting, exhausting, polarized society. Here's the canonical lyric from All Eyes on Me:
"You say the ocean's rising like I give a shit
"You say the whole world's ending, honey, it already did
"You're not gonna slow it, Heaven knows you tried
"Got it? Good, now get inside
This song is certainly a critique of leftist doomerism. Compare this to the part in How the World Works just after Socko explains all the problems:
Burnham: "What can I do to help?"
Socko: "Read a book or something, I don't know. Just don't burden me with the responsibility of educating you. It's incredibly exhausting!"
Burnham has straightforwardly offered to take action, but Socko shuts him down and shifts the dialogue back to Socko's own *feelings*. Burnham clearly knows that feeling miserable is seductive—in some ways, making yourself feel miserable is a way to exert some control over your life in a world that feels so out of control. It's easier to stay inside (your feelings) than go outside (and engage with others, doing something).
This reminds me of the influencers who do essentially nothing off camera. Every moment they're out they're on, searching for moments that are clippable and purposefully enticing conflict for content.
I think it's a bit pretentious for people to say that this isn't real. It's a performance but for them their life is a performance. The modern jester. Clavicular said as much back in March, "It's unlikely they would want to be around me if it wasn't for the fucking viewership I have."
Good post. I also want to say that, as a Gen Z kid, I still think Eighth Grade is by far the best 'coming of age' film. Nothing before or since has captured the experience and cultural milieu of growing up at that time. Its portrayal of social media, relationships, modern anxiety etc is very accurate without being pandering or just straight up inaccurate like so many others that try. Booksmart is also good, but it's more focused on being funny (which is fine).
Enjoyed this piece a lot, and I think the emphasis on the flaws is really well-put. I do have one note: while I agree, too, with the gist of the self-awareness being used as a shield from criticism, I do think Problematic is actually subtly more interesting than that. I'd go so far as to say it represents proto-backlash to the insincerity of the "repenting influencer" and their popularity.
I think he is probably representing some real remorse there, but as he progresses to penitent self-flagellation, I think the mockery of narcissism and Jesus-like self-portrayal becomes more overt. With that, I read it as more than self-awareness, but as an attack on that style of ego itself, *and* of the people/culture taking it in and accepting it as something brave and earnest. This dovetails with the rest of what you said regarding uncertainty felt around the entire mode of online presence and "content creation work."
I am so glad that Inside exists as you describe it and now I am even more convinced that I do not want to watch it anytime this decade. Too soon, man. Too soon.
I just finished reading this post thinking it was from Jeremiah's Infinite Scroll. Turns out it was Jeremiah writing a guest post for The Argument. Great read!
I’ve caught just the slightest bit of Burnam’s songs, and your description of how he apologizes but still exists, makes me think that how Jonathan Colton did a much better job of illustrating the problems of past tropes about brilliant, lonely, white boy geniuses (raises hand) by assuming that role without apology, just letting the trope literally speak for itself. The best of the 2020s was the early 2010s, when it presented, well, an argument, and before it decided it had to cow everyone into submission.
The other thought I had is based on a conversation I just heard on Compact’s podcast, related to the nontroversey about Christopher Nolan’s version of The Odyssey (although there was a good point about universality being replaced with “universality” that demands particularity All. The. Time.). They talked about a piece they published that pointed out that more viewers of these adaptations are not familiar with the original work, so they don’t understand the mediation of it through what they’re viewing, that it’s a version of something and not the thing itself. I wonder if we manage to get reading of these works back up, and emphasize the mediation of it in these other formats, perhaps that familiarity with artifice will filter to other examples like this one, where people confuse Burnam’s show with Burnam himself. Then again, that collapse is a hallmark of social media (“toxic fandom” attempting to bully creators into giving them what they want from the show).
thank you so so much for this piece. It gives me a framing to express what I've loved about this special so much. You noticed the exact same beats about White Woman's Instagram that make it such a beautiful song.
BTW the songs are available on Spotify, unlike in Make Happy
I find the Socko character endlessly interesting. Personally, I think Burham uses Socko not as a pure stand-in for the kind of leftist politics that he agrees with, but rather as a mixed take where the useful ideas blend into conspiracy theory, self-defeating moves, and buzzwords (like you said, "neoliberal fascism," which is basically nonsensical and I don't think Burnham is stupid enough to think it's a useful construct).
I get this sense because it aligns with a focus of Inside: that particular important truths about the world (e.g., climate change exists and is dangerous) become unhealthy and self-defeating in the context of our overconnected, ragebaiting, exhausting, polarized society. Here's the canonical lyric from All Eyes on Me:
"You say the ocean's rising like I give a shit
"You say the whole world's ending, honey, it already did
"You're not gonna slow it, Heaven knows you tried
"Got it? Good, now get inside
This song is certainly a critique of leftist doomerism. Compare this to the part in How the World Works just after Socko explains all the problems:
Burnham: "What can I do to help?"
Socko: "Read a book or something, I don't know. Just don't burden me with the responsibility of educating you. It's incredibly exhausting!"
Burnham has straightforwardly offered to take action, but Socko shuts him down and shifts the dialogue back to Socko's own *feelings*. Burnham clearly knows that feeling miserable is seductive—in some ways, making yourself feel miserable is a way to exert some control over your life in a world that feels so out of control. It's easier to stay inside (your feelings) than go outside (and engage with others, doing something).
This reminds me of the influencers who do essentially nothing off camera. Every moment they're out they're on, searching for moments that are clippable and purposefully enticing conflict for content.
I think it's a bit pretentious for people to say that this isn't real. It's a performance but for them their life is a performance. The modern jester. Clavicular said as much back in March, "It's unlikely they would want to be around me if it wasn't for the fucking viewership I have."
Good post. I also want to say that, as a Gen Z kid, I still think Eighth Grade is by far the best 'coming of age' film. Nothing before or since has captured the experience and cultural milieu of growing up at that time. Its portrayal of social media, relationships, modern anxiety etc is very accurate without being pandering or just straight up inaccurate like so many others that try. Booksmart is also good, but it's more focused on being funny (which is fine).
As the parent of Gen Z kids I agree and I think the brilliance of the movie is that it also understands the experience of the parent.
Enjoyed this piece a lot, and I think the emphasis on the flaws is really well-put. I do have one note: while I agree, too, with the gist of the self-awareness being used as a shield from criticism, I do think Problematic is actually subtly more interesting than that. I'd go so far as to say it represents proto-backlash to the insincerity of the "repenting influencer" and their popularity.
I think he is probably representing some real remorse there, but as he progresses to penitent self-flagellation, I think the mockery of narcissism and Jesus-like self-portrayal becomes more overt. With that, I read it as more than self-awareness, but as an attack on that style of ego itself, *and* of the people/culture taking it in and accepting it as something brave and earnest. This dovetails with the rest of what you said regarding uncertainty felt around the entire mode of online presence and "content creation work."
I am so glad that Inside exists as you describe it and now I am even more convinced that I do not want to watch it anytime this decade. Too soon, man. Too soon.
It’s like a 3 out of 5
I just finished reading this post thinking it was from Jeremiah's Infinite Scroll. Turns out it was Jeremiah writing a guest post for The Argument. Great read!
I thought it was one of the weekly recommended posts that Substack emails me! (Occasionally one of those is actually interesting enough to read.)
I’ve caught just the slightest bit of Burnam’s songs, and your description of how he apologizes but still exists, makes me think that how Jonathan Colton did a much better job of illustrating the problems of past tropes about brilliant, lonely, white boy geniuses (raises hand) by assuming that role without apology, just letting the trope literally speak for itself. The best of the 2020s was the early 2010s, when it presented, well, an argument, and before it decided it had to cow everyone into submission.
The other thought I had is based on a conversation I just heard on Compact’s podcast, related to the nontroversey about Christopher Nolan’s version of The Odyssey (although there was a good point about universality being replaced with “universality” that demands particularity All. The. Time.). They talked about a piece they published that pointed out that more viewers of these adaptations are not familiar with the original work, so they don’t understand the mediation of it through what they’re viewing, that it’s a version of something and not the thing itself. I wonder if we manage to get reading of these works back up, and emphasize the mediation of it in these other formats, perhaps that familiarity with artifice will filter to other examples like this one, where people confuse Burnam’s show with Burnam himself. Then again, that collapse is a hallmark of social media (“toxic fandom” attempting to bully creators into giving them what they want from the show).
I absolutely loathe this special.
Personally I agree with the folks who compare it to Pink Floyd's "The Wall" - especially the opening vibes of "In The Flesh?"
So ya, Thought ya, Might like to go to the show...