Let’s face it – every day we are routinely bombarded with questions. When you’re an emerging media company in Nashville, people just want to know what your opinions are on everything. It’s only natural. And, since our duty is to serve the people, well, we have no choice but to be present. That’s the SoBro Way. Also, aren’t mailbags just a barrel of laughs anyway? Welcome to the newest weekly recurring feature up in this bitch: The SoBros Mailbag. As always, hit us with those mailbag questions @SoBrosNetwork on Twitter, email ’em to me anonymously at thesobrosnetwork@gmail.com. And, holy shit, I need to update this terrible intro paragraph that I’ve been using literally ever since I started writing this column…
Question:
When someone is stupid, do they know?
— Tres Winn (@TresWinn) May 24, 2023
Answer:
This is a great philosophical question. I’m going to say ‘no,’ because if they knew they were being stupid, they would probably elect to not be stupid. There’s an element of self-awareness here that makes for the deciding factor for me – the dumbest people I’ve ever met have had no idea that they are dumb.
You can know in the moment when you’ve been stupid. You can learn from that and you can move on. But, if you truly are stupid, you’re oblivious to that. So, I think I lean towards…no, while a not-stupid person may be able to identify when they’re being stupid, the truly stupid person has no idea they are stupid.
Question:
Would you say streaming negatively or positively affected (net) the way we consume media? Really think about it – especially with how everyone was confined because of covid and now they are not.
— Canadian Titan – Will Levis Stan Account (@Canadian_Titan) May 24, 2023
Answer:
Hot damn – back to back with bangers this week. I chewed on this one from the moment I read it on Twitter yesterday, and I think I’m ultimately landing on ‘negatively.’ At first, I wanted to say, “well, it killed the theater experience!” That’s the thing to say about covid, right? But, it really didn’t. Those experiences are out there, and the feeling of going to the cinema, getting your popcorn, and seeing a blockbuster…that’s all still there. My wife and I just went to see Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3, and we loved it. I recently went to The Belcourt here in Nashville to see Quasi. Hell, if I can get enough done today, I might go see a movie this afternoon!
So the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to say ‘positively,’ because I’m the type of guy that loves to sit down with a cocktail on a Friday night and watch a movie from the comfort of his recliner. I don’t feel like we have to wait as long for the new stuff to hit our home televisions, so I like that. But then when I try to decide on which movie to watch, I land back on ‘negatively’ because it seems that the advent of streaming platforms has greatly saturated our viewing options. At times, it just feels overwhelming and I ultimately decide to listen to an album or read a book instead.
It’s like streaming has turned into an arms race where everyone has to have their own service. Everyone is fighting over IP. And, everyone is trying to get these flat, manufactured projects online as quickly as possible. I’m not saying that’s everything that drops on Netflix, but it feels like for every The Power of the Dog we get, we get three of The Old Guard. Don’t even get me started on that Chris Pratt Amazon movie where he practically fist fights a dinosaur at the end. The constant stream of Marvel stuff damn near ruined the MCU for me too, and I was one of their diehard supporters for years. Disney isn’t immune to this. No one is.
There’s so much watered down stuff that isn’t very good that’s crowding our feed as the companies try to show you how much value you’re getting for your subscription money. I spend a lot of time scrolling through the services and I’d honestly say that 80% of it is garbage. Every now and then, you’ll stumble across The Outfit, realize you never saw it, watch it, and love it. But, most of the time, the impending decision paralysis just makes me avoid it altogether.
In a way, I think streaming somewhat neutered the filmmaking industry from a creative standpoint – everything feels rushed, commercialized, and I don’t know who is out there taking risks at a creative level anymore because my streaming services are chock full of garbage. I think that’s why I enjoyed stuff like The Banshees of Inisherin and Tár so much, when I probably wouldn’t have as much a couple of years ago (and honestly, it’s what makes me really want to see Beau Is Afraid). Maybe that’s just me, though.
Question:
What’s your go to poverty meal?
— brett (@thebrettclark) May 24, 2023
Answer:
Hot damn – back to back to back with bangers this week. I am still a sucker for ramen noodles…two packs of beef or pork flavored, a dash of worcestershire sauce, some soy sauce, and crushed red pepper. I also love a good fried bologna sandwich. If I’m out and about and need a poverty meal, it’s two McDoubles and a McChicken for me.
Keep the questions coming – catch y’all next week!
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
Subscribe to the SoBros Network Patreon here – $5/month gets you instant access to an exhaustive content library of articles, podcasts, and videos created exclusively for our subscribers!
