Max Notes
In Show Notes this week, 99 and I were talking about the barbershop. Actually, I was talking about it and she was mocking me. But I don’t mind. I love the barbershop. (Slight reveal) my grandfather was a barber for more than 60 years. So maybe it’s in the DNA, but I know I’m not alone in this sentiment. For generations and across cultures, barbershops and salons have held a gravitational pull and been the epicenter of communities throughout the world. Secrets are shared, tall tales are told and chops are busted. Barbers know things even shrinks never hear.
In my younger days, I worked with a fast running group. We were inseparable. It was right before we started families, so we would work unconscionable hours, attend events and after parties and somehow recover to do it all over again. And for a stretch of time, the barbershop was home base. But nothing lasts forever, and most of us have drifted apart or fallen out. But those days still mean a lot to me.
These days, I go to my local shop because I found a young barber who takes his time and loves his craft. He doesn’t say much, but that’s fine with me. Instead, I listen to the chatter all around.
If you want to understand a community and get to know its rhythm, hang around the barbershop.
By now, you must be wondering what the hell this has to do with Unf*cking the Republic. Well, I’ll tell you…
The Chart of the Week (below) is a snapshot of ISM Manufacturing Data. Years ago, Nate Silver demonstrated that the ISM data set was a better predictor of election outcomes than any other economic indicator. That being said, it’s still not statistically viable enough to run to Vegas with. I discuss this more below, but the upshot is that elections remain wholly unpredictable, and it comes down to sentiment.
There were those who canvassed the country during the 2016 election and warned of a Trump victory. We roundly treated them like Chicken Little; told them they were just being contrarians. Maybe they were just plugged into conversations that we just didn’t want to hear.
Now, take this extremely small sample of my barbershop experience with a grain of salt. But take it, nonetheless.
While I was in the chair, the House was voting whether to expel the Speaker. Donald Trump had been on the television all morning for news of his corruption trial in New York. Just days before, Republicans nearly shut down the government again. And while there was plenty of political banter during the 90 minutes or so that I spent in the barbershop, not one word of these rather significant events ever came up. To the contrary, here’s a smattering of the topics that were discussed: (Language warning: Like, more than usual.)
Monica Lewinsky’s Dress:
“I bet she lets people pay to touch Bill’s money shot.”
“Clinton did it in the oval office. At least Trump did it in one of his hotels.”
“How stupid do you have to be to finish on her dress?”
The Environment:
“It takes more oil to build electric cars than to run the grid.”
“I’ll kill the motherfucker who tries to take away my gas lawn mower.”
“Democrats are fucking over the car companies and forcing everyone to drive an electric car.”
“The whole world is going to be one giant landfill full of electric car batteries.” (They may have a point there.)
Dicks:
“God bless the hooker who took a picture of Hunter Biden’s dick and his crack pipe.”
“They killed Obama’s chef because he saw Michelle’s dick.”
Trump:
“They already dropped like 80% of the charges against him. It’s such bullshit. Meanwhile, Hunter Biden fucked his dead brother’s wife.”
More Clinton Stuff:
“Clinton killed that dude with the island. What’s his name? Yeah, Epstein.”
“Hillary killed so many people, it’s ridiculous.”
“How about the one guy that shot himself in the chest with a shotgun?”
A couple of takeaways. First off, these weren’t older dudes. These were young guys in their late twenties, maybe early thirties. They were babies when the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal broke— toddlers at most. But they weren’t just stuck in the past, because they were throwing out current statistics (true/false or otherwise) about renewable energy, fossil fuel production, electric vehicles, etc.
The other thing about these exchanges is that I wouldn’t bet my life that they’re voting for Trump. They could be RFK, Jr. guys. Non voters. Maybe they’re Democrats, but just like telling funny Hunter Biden stories.
You see, I live in a very purple town. The ruling party changes hands every ten years or so. We have a large Hispanic immigrant population mixed with multigenerational European immigrant families who stick to segregated neighborhoods and speak their native tongues in the home. (Polish, Russian, Italian, mostly.) We have a Black neighborhood, a Jewish neighborhood, plenty of Section 8 housing, some obscene wealth and a few blue blood white people kicking around as well. And the barbers in my shop are just as diverse.
Point being, you can’t make assumptions about anyone in my town.
More than inflation and unemployment; more than ISM manufacturing data, stock market trends or spending bills and GDP growth; more than any poll or trend you can identify, American electoral politics comes down to the stories we tell. Conversations over the dinner table. In diners. Barbershops and salons. Stories move the needle and shape public sentiment. Stories become legends that harden over time into pillars of stone that prop up a nation’s identity.
So, I have a favor to ask. Tell me what you’ve overheard lately. What stories are you hearing in these places? I think it’s important to start listening more closely because right now the power of narrative feels like it’s in the hands of the Republican Party. At least to my ear it does.
Other things I’m obsessing over…
- Put your hand inside the puppet head.
- Oil drilling is tilting the Earth. (Seriously)
- Why am I still a Jets fan?
- Literally me last weekend.
- Any fellow OA travelers out there? Brit Marling has a new series coming out.
- Max