Episode 225: Can Anybody Stop NYT Pitchbot's Infuriating Descent Into Annoying Dumb Lameness? (with Jeff Maurer)

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Episode 225: Can Anybody Stop NYT Pitchbot's Infuriating Descent Into Annoying Dumb Lameness? (with Jeff Maurer)

Plus: Jeff discusses his time writing for "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" and why Conan rules

Aug 17, 2024

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This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse is joined by former Last Week Tonight With John Oliver writer Jeff Maurer to discuss comedy, politics, how politics makes comedy suck, and everyone’s favorite Twitter media critic.

Jeff’s Substack:

I Might Be Wrong

Comedy Has Gotten More Political Partly Because Opinions are Easy and Jokes are Hard

5 months ago · 76 likes · 20 comments · Jeff Maurer

I Might Be Wrong

The JK Rowling/Scottish Hate Crimes Law Kerfuffle, But With Jokes

JK Rowling is the author of stories about a little demon boy who has the magical power to keep Warner Brothers Pictures afloat via endless sequels and spinoffs. Long an outspoken advocate for women’s rights, in recent years, Rowling has criticized the encroachment of trans women into certain women-only spaces. Basically, she has spent her 50s the way most people do: Fighting with strangers online. She just happens to have 14 million followers and has had more influence on Gen Y than their parents and ABC’s Friday night lineup combined…

5 months ago · 45 likes · 4 comments · Jeff Maurer

I Might Be Wrong

How I ALSO Went From Left To Center-Left

On Wednesday, Matt Yglesias published a piece called “How I Went From Left to Center-Left”. I enjoyed the piece, and — consistent with my habit of never having any original ideas — thought: “I should do that…

3 months ago · 60 likes · 11 comments · Jeff Maurer

I Might Be Wrong

The Great Dumbening

Recently, Elon Musk — a man I simply can’t get myself to care about — tweeted the cartoon shown above. It got a lot of attention, and I understand why; it’s hard to deny that something is happening on the left. I thought about the stick figures for frankly way too long. It was hours — I eventually started to feel like I was pondering the allegorical subtext of a…

2 years ago · 124 likes · 164 comments · Jeff Maurer

A Voice of Hate in America’s Heartland - The New York Times

Christopher Rufo Fuels the Right’s Cultural Fires in Florida - The New York Times

At its best, The Daily Show was absolutely brilliant:

The Interrupter:

The Masturbating Bear Revealed:

If Chris Rufo looked any cooler in this photo he’d just be a block of ice:

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Journalists Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal scour the internet for its craziest, silliest, most sociopathic content, part of an obsessive and ill-conceived attempt to extract kernels of meaning and humanity from a landscape of endless raging dumpster fires.

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