#5SmartReads - November 5, 2024

your palate cleanser from election news

#5SmartReads is a Webby-honored weekly news digest that amplifies underreported news and underrepresented perspectives. My goal is to help you stay informed without being overwhelmed, and to embrace nuance and reflection over picking a side.

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Vladimir Putin’s spies are plotting global chaos (The Economist)
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There are a few topics that I Google and peruse every few days:

• Gaza

• What episode was (insert quote here) said? If anyone can tell me with certainty if Josh Lyman said “I’m nauseatingly optimistic” on The West Wing (and which episode), I would be so grateful

• Afghanistan women and girls

• Putin

Vladimir Putin has made no secret of his intention to reassemble the Soviet Union, and I can safely assume he’s gleeful at the prospect of destroying Eastern European democracy in the process.

And if he has his way, democracy around the world.

This article reads like the most fantastical Russian spy thriller (and I’ve read many), and I’d be engrossed if it wasn’t such a threat to every person on the planet.

What’s insidious about Russian’s offensive is how physically subdued it is - it’s a misinformation/disinformation and hacking attack mounted globally. These attacks have targeted major utility facilities, cyberattacks for both espionage and sabotage, data destruction, mass propaganda creation and distribution, and in supporting named terrorist organizations.

I’m fairly certain this was a plot line for an entire season of Madam Secretary. Except Tea Leoni won’t save us this time - but we can save ourselves with knowing what’s happening, and modifying our digital habits and news diet accordingly.

May this be a sign to also spend more time offline.

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The Love Machine (Vulture)

After seven seasons, we can conclusively declare that love is not blind.

But the premise makes for some entertaining - and uncomfortably manipulative - television that I can’t stop watching.

Or, in the case of this detailed reporting, couldn’t stop reading. It strips away the boldly lit walls and perfectly designed pods to reveal the inner workings of the show whose unconventional premise was, in fact, fairly conventional for reality television.

And the latest legal challenges from former cast members is shining a new light on the production and its showrunners. These lawsuits detail cast members being pushed to drink more alcohol and not have enough food available, and to be forced into relationships that they alleged to be abusive.

And if I were Chris Coelen (the founder and CEO of Kinetic Content, the show’s production company), I’d be addressing these suits and making the necessary changes versus sitting down with Vulture for an in-depth feature that leaves him in the show’s MVP (Most Villainous Pantheon)

Reading this piece was like watching a season of UnREAL and being thrust back into the world of sorority rush, all while truly being invested in watching people find their partners. There’s a rush you get when you accurately predict a couple going all the way on the show, and a satisfaction when you see them happily married years later. But knowing how much of it is manipulated before it’s edited is dulling the sheen of the show’s premise - much like their infamous gold goblets.