Reply All: #98 Fog of Covfefe
June 8, 2017 10:47 PM - Subscribe
The last person on earth who has not heard about covfefe walks into a studio, and a strange journey begins.
Last tweet courtesy of MeFi's own Greg Nog!
posted by Maecenas at 5:35 AM on June 9, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Maecenas at 5:35 AM on June 9, 2017 [6 favorites]
BRRRRRRRRRRRM
I laughed when I saw the title, and then found the episode even more enjoyable than expected. Hearing Alex Blumberg discover 'they're good dogs, Brent' was like watching a person investigate their first snowfall - full of wonder and joy I'd long forgotten. I'd read the mefi-linked profile of the guy who runs dog_rates, so I remembered that he was just a college kid that seemed like he needed a little more challenge than he was getting at his current institution - I've gotten the idea that the cofefe planned parenthood thing is already nearly forgotten, but hopefully it feels that way for him, too.
posted by dinty_moore at 6:55 AM on June 9, 2017 [3 favorites]
I laughed when I saw the title, and then found the episode even more enjoyable than expected. Hearing Alex Blumberg discover 'they're good dogs, Brent' was like watching a person investigate their first snowfall - full of wonder and joy I'd long forgotten. I'd read the mefi-linked profile of the guy who runs dog_rates, so I remembered that he was just a college kid that seemed like he needed a little more challenge than he was getting at his current institution - I've gotten the idea that the cofefe planned parenthood thing is already nearly forgotten, but hopefully it feels that way for him, too.
posted by dinty_moore at 6:55 AM on June 9, 2017 [3 favorites]
A century from now when surviving Chinese political historians try to make sense of how America turned itself into a sea of radioactive glass, they will turn to this podcast as the only way to understand the meaning of the word covfefe.
posted by Nelson at 8:03 AM on June 9, 2017
posted by Nelson at 8:03 AM on June 9, 2017
Listening to Alex Blumberg discover "they're good dogs, Brent" was totally a highlight of my day.
posted by esker at 8:06 AM on June 9, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by esker at 8:06 AM on June 9, 2017 [4 favorites]
Having never heard of @dog_rates or "they're good dogs, Brent," until this show, I'm glad to have learned something. The exchange is beautiful, and I wish I'd learned about it before it was so dated that it's no doubt gauche to reference. The twitter stream itself is. . . very definitely among the popular things on the internet that I do not get at all. But, it clearly makes people happy, and doesn't seem evil, so that's great.
But then, I also don't get the obsession everyone I know has with Trump tweets. I'm pretty sure following Trump would make him happier than it would make me. I'm glad there are journalists willing to rake the muck, but they're getting paid to do it. (At least, I hope they are.) My crackpot theory is that Trump is getting a kickback from social media advertising companies.
In short, I really enjoyed the episode. Yet I remain baffled by why people like things.
posted by eotvos at 7:34 AM on June 10, 2017
But then, I also don't get the obsession everyone I know has with Trump tweets. I'm pretty sure following Trump would make him happier than it would make me. I'm glad there are journalists willing to rake the muck, but they're getting paid to do it. (At least, I hope they are.) My crackpot theory is that Trump is getting a kickback from social media advertising companies.
In short, I really enjoyed the episode. Yet I remain baffled by why people like things.
posted by eotvos at 7:34 AM on June 10, 2017
I mean, @dog_rates is a guy saying mildly clever things about pictures of adorable puppies. I don't think the appeal is that hard to understand!
I love @dog_rates a lot, but I think that's because I discovered it at the exact moment when I really needed a lot of cute puppy pictures. And I feel bad that he fucked up and people gave him a hard time, but he seems to be taking it in stride. It must be very weird to become a big internet celebrity when you're a college sophomore. Or actually even when you're not a college sophomore.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 4:34 PM on June 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
I love @dog_rates a lot, but I think that's because I discovered it at the exact moment when I really needed a lot of cute puppy pictures. And I feel bad that he fucked up and people gave him a hard time, but he seems to be taking it in stride. It must be very weird to become a big internet celebrity when you're a college sophomore. Or actually even when you're not a college sophomore.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 4:34 PM on June 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
I mean, @dog_rates is a guy saying mildly clever things about pictures of adorable puppies. I don't think the appeal is that hard to understand!I certainly understand that it's consistent with things people like. But, "I want to look at photos of dogs just being dogs" isn't actually something I've ever experienced. I'm not a monster: pets doing funny things work for me. But, pets just being pets? I've got a pet. She's cute, but photos of her sitting on the bed will be interesting only after she's dead, and then only to our family.
Interacting with most dogs is a lot of fun. But, photos of dogs are like photos of kids: something you pretend to care about so a not to hurt the feelings of the weird friend who insists on showing you photos of things. "Oh, great, your baby has a nose. You must be very proud," is the response I never actually share. (And it's not just 'cause I'm a cat person. I don't want to see photos of your cat either, unless it's doing something really exceptional. If your cat isn't riding an invisible bicycle, stick it in a drawer and find something interesting to photograph.)
But, to be clear, I'm all in favor of @dog_rates existing and growing. Making lots of people happy with something that doesn't hurt anyone is fantastic.
The @dog_rates master seems like a pretty cool guy. I hope he transcends his golf management trajectory. The odds look good. (Although, I guess, if he truly loves golf management, then more power to him.)
posted by eotvos at 1:06 PM on June 11, 2017
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posted by bq at 10:48 PM on June 8, 2017