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Ten-hut!

Episode length: 1h 2m

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We're a few days into a government shutdown, but James, Steve, and Charles are managing to get by. So it's business as usual as the trio pick apart the oddities of the week: Democrats attempt to dodge responsibility for their own filibuster; OMB's Russ Vought gets to work on his master plan; the Secretary of War stands accused of fat-shaming his generals; a man named Jihad does the unthinkable in Manchester; the Chicago Teachers' Union mourns the passing of a '70s cop-killer; and Hollywood resists the rise of digitally diverse actors.

Sound from this week's opening: Pete Hegseth speaks in Quantico, listing practices that the military is "done with" going forward.

Hosts:
Charles C. W. CookeJames LileksSteve Hayward

Discussion (5)

  • Wolfsheim@Wolfsheim

    Oh, goodness, am I the first comment?

    Another delightful, enlightening podcast...

    One question: What does "kabuki theater" mean as it is used in America? I know first-hand what real kabuki (歌舞伎) is and, when I first heard the English phrase, was a bit put off, thinking that it must be dismissive of a long and much-respected artistic tradition in Japan. My guess, however, is that it is a metaphor so far removed from its source that it has quite a different meaning.

  • Doctor Robert@DoctorRobert
    ReplyingtoWolfsheim

    Wolfsheim (View Comment):

    Oh, goodness, am I the first comment?

    Another delightful, enlightening podcast…

    One question: What does “kabuki theater” mean as it is used in America? I know first-hand what real kabuki (歌舞伎) is and, when I first heard the English phrase, was a bit put off, thinking that it must be dismissive of a long and much-respected artistic tradition in Japan. My guess, however, is that it is a metaphor so far removed from its source that it has quite a different meaning.

    Kabuki theater means, in the US, "actions or performances that are more about showmanship than substance, often implying that the participants are merely putting on a display rather than genuinely engaging with the issues at hand. It suggests a scripted or predictable performance where the outcome is predetermined, rather than a true contest of ideas or policies."

    It is indeed a metaphor far removed from its source.

  • Miffed White Male@MiffedWhiteMale
    ReplyingtoWolfsheim

    Wolfsheim (View Comment):

    Oh, goodness, am I the first comment?

    Another delightful, enlightening podcast…

    One question: What does “kabuki theater” mean as it is used in America? I know first-hand what real kabuki (歌舞伎) is and, when I first heard the English phrase, was a bit put off, thinking that it must be dismissive of a long and much-respected artistic tradition in Japan. My guess, however, is that it is a metaphor so far removed from its source that it has quite a different meaning.

    It pretty much means "going through the motions"

  • Peter Gøthgen@PeterGothgen

    I was laughing at James' difficulties with using AI to get info about the data center, then asking a live person and getting an immediate answer. This was foreshadowed in 2002's Attack of the Clones.

    Obi-Wan's only clue to an assassin is a poison dart. The Jedi's analysis droids don't have a clue what it is. He goes to see his old friend who runs a diner. Friend recognizes it immediately and points him to the right planet, while making a comment that Jedi should recognize the difference between knowledge and wisdom.

  • Steven Hayward@StevenHayward
    ReplyingtoPeter Gøthgen

    Peter Gøthgen (View Comment):

    I was laughing at James’ difficulties with using AI to get info about the data center, then asking a live person and getting an immediate answer. This was foreshadowed in 2002’s Attack of the Clones.

    Obi-Wan’s only clue to an assassin is a poison dart. The Jedi’s analysis droids don’t have a clue what it is. He goes to see his old friend who runs a diner. Friend recognizes it immediately and points him to the right planet, while making a comment that Jedi should recognize the difference between knowledge and wisdom.

    Good comment, but you need to seek out the Star Trek version of this to break through.