Matt Yglesias & the Legend of Big Muggy. Everyone’s favorite contrarian blogger searches for a mythical giant turtle in the Amazon, risking life and limb in his quest to bring sensible centrism to cryptid zoology. Under assignment from a mysterious new thinktank, our hero travels to the rainforest in search of the legendary beast. Dogged by radical climate activists, libertarian seasteaders making a go of it on the world’s largest river, and a mercenary team sent by the Brookings Institution to secure Big Muggy’s DNA, Yglesias seeks to chart a common sense middle path using the power of reason and a keyboard, with the Holy Market as his guide. His only allies on this journey are his translator/father Rafael, who to Matt’s considerable angst has converted to Maoism; a dog-eared copy of
Damn, Freddie. Surprised you didn't do one of yourself, as that's such a Freddie move. But good job. Ezra's is the best, I think, with Yglesias and Douthat next.
As Rick James / Dave Chappelle would say, "Coooooooooold blo-oooo-ded."
An entire article prominently featuring multiple AI images is just too much. It was bad enough when it was just banners. Freddie, you have such respect, such reverence for the craft of writing. Where is your reverence for the visual arts?
There's literally no way that I could do this other than with using llms, and it's not "an entire article," it's exactly the kind of joke that llms are appropriately used for
Thanks for responding. I don't see any good use for image-generating AI, myself, and I find their output ugly and repulsive. It makes me feel tired and sick. Your writing often challenges me and makes me contend with difficult or painful feelings, but it's worth it because it helps me think clearly and acutely about things. GenAI "art" makes me feel crappy for no benefit, and I take what steps I can to avoid encountering it wherever possible.
I don't know the people you're roasting and got nothing from the joke - all I got was a weary sense of sadness from seeing more AI sludge in my life.
I know - "this isn't an airport, you don't need to announce your departure." I'm just sad, that's all. Thanks for taking the time to respond to me, I appreciate it. And thank you for all the wonderful writing.
For what it's worth, I recognize the feeling you're describing exactly. I also don't know most of these people, but even if I did I don't think the AI sludge would've added anything except sadness.
I have the same sentiment as you about AI art quite often, I'd say I am fine with these in this particular context -- like I think the problem with AI slop is that it is published by people who are absolutely devoid of taste, not that it is AI, but a lot of people seem to feel like they were punched in the gut if they see any AI art and working in public you ought to be aware of the range of reactions you get.
It seems strange to me to equate respect and reverence for writing (or art) with being offended when people make bad writing or art (or use AI to make "bad" writing or art). I just don't understand this perspective, as someone who is a creative writer, artist, and also regularly uses LLMs for writing and image generation tasks
When I share Freddie's articles on my socials on places like Mastodon and Bluesky I don't get a lot of pushback about "heterodox" but I do get a lot of pushback that boils down to "why does he care so much about the New York Times?"
I get how Freddie feels about hierarchies in journalism, I mean, he is in it, his life has been like something out of a young adult novel -- and it's not just him, many journalists who aren't 100% heads down writing the police blotter in a mid-sized city or the like are in this hierarchy and care about the position they are in it. It's an insider-outsider thing, real outsiders don't give a damn about the contradictions of Ezra Klein.
I get it because I've done a lot of business development work and I know a lot about how easy it is to get an audience in various places and I can say the New York Times and Apple are in a category by themselves in terms of "you can't talk to anybody". In the city I know I could find and exploit a seam with fox medicine but over the phone forget about it.
Freddie's use of AI art for this snarky but lighthearted putdown of various pundits is perfect. It further says "it's for fun and not a substitute for real political and cultural analysis" to riff off the Sawbones podcasters.
I see this attitude so often, and I never quite understand. These images are *not* art - that's exactly the use case! No self respecting commercial artist who is remotely financially stable would take their creation on for money, nor would a work like this one have a budget to be *able* to pay them. This is a category of work that does not meaningfully exist except on the back of free labor from artists who want to see it made, and as they're purely fluffed whimsical inserts into a different work, the only reasonable person would be Freddie himself. If somebody is versed in one art but not another, and has a use for a stupid, low-brow... forgive the internet-speak, but 'shitpost' is apt, yet lacks the time or ability to recognizably create it, then either it doesn't get made at all or it gets done with AI. There is *no alternative world* where a real artist is pulled in to make these. It's not taking away any work, because the 'work' isn't WORTH the work! This use of AI doesn't devalue artists - it shows respect for them! This kind of 'art' is *beneath* them, so let the machine do it!
Freddie is ultimate outsider. He despises the rich-kid Sosh Right, who don't even know he exists. He endlessly critiques the stoner Lefties, who hound him right back when they notice him. He's so heterodox that he even hates the Heterodox Club, the only group that would have him -- but he wouldn't join any group that would have him. He's crazy, but he knows that he's crazy, and that's kind of scarily sane.
Now Freddie, the lonely hero, the last man with any journalistic integrity because he's got nothing left to lose, must face off against his greatest opponent yet. Not the school nurse, who refuses to recognize his disability while dispensing Ritalin to the Lefties. Not the corrupt football coach who systemically exploits his players. Not even the principle who's pushing out failing students to boost the school's stats. No, this time, it's the ultimate foe . . . the crushing ordinariness of a so-so Life.
I was expecting a roast, and there's definitely more than enough of that here, but these are, at their heart, surprisingly sweet and endearing portraits. Well done.
Just brilliant. The send ups of Ezra, Derek and Jerusalem (I love them all) were so spot on. I hope they all have to sense of humor to appreciate this comedy gold. I think they do. I'll admit I didn't know a few of these people.
"He’s been writing them down in a journal since he was twelve, and over time it’s become less of a diary and more of a lightly-sourced encyclopedia-length essay addressed to a God who Derek suspects would, if pressed, have some genuinely interesting things to say about the labor market." <3 <3 <3
I am honestly a huge fan of writing fanfic about people that you are not supposed to write fanfic about. I think it’s a semi-healthy way to exercise my obsessive mind.
I was literally laughing out loud reading this 🤣
me too. Ezra's was my favorite.
Damn, Freddie. Surprised you didn't do one of yourself, as that's such a Freddie move. But good job. Ezra's is the best, I think, with Yglesias and Douthat next.
As Rick James / Dave Chappelle would say, "Coooooooooold blo-oooo-ded."
Oh, these are all loving
I love mine, Frederick. I will cherish it for real.
I know they were done in fun. Still, gotta be sharp, and they are.
This is funny even though I barely know who these people are... and now I have a pretty good idea of what they're like.
An entire article prominently featuring multiple AI images is just too much. It was bad enough when it was just banners. Freddie, you have such respect, such reverence for the craft of writing. Where is your reverence for the visual arts?
There's literally no way that I could do this other than with using llms, and it's not "an entire article," it's exactly the kind of joke that llms are appropriately used for
Thanks for responding. I don't see any good use for image-generating AI, myself, and I find their output ugly and repulsive. It makes me feel tired and sick. Your writing often challenges me and makes me contend with difficult or painful feelings, but it's worth it because it helps me think clearly and acutely about things. GenAI "art" makes me feel crappy for no benefit, and I take what steps I can to avoid encountering it wherever possible.
I don't know the people you're roasting and got nothing from the joke - all I got was a weary sense of sadness from seeing more AI sludge in my life.
I know - "this isn't an airport, you don't need to announce your departure." I'm just sad, that's all. Thanks for taking the time to respond to me, I appreciate it. And thank you for all the wonderful writing.
For what it's worth, I recognize the feeling you're describing exactly. I also don't know most of these people, but even if I did I don't think the AI sludge would've added anything except sadness.
I have the same sentiment as you about AI art quite often, I'd say I am fine with these in this particular context -- like I think the problem with AI slop is that it is published by people who are absolutely devoid of taste, not that it is AI, but a lot of people seem to feel like they were punched in the gut if they see any AI art and working in public you ought to be aware of the range of reactions you get.
It seems strange to me to equate respect and reverence for writing (or art) with being offended when people make bad writing or art (or use AI to make "bad" writing or art). I just don't understand this perspective, as someone who is a creative writer, artist, and also regularly uses LLMs for writing and image generation tasks
When I share Freddie's articles on my socials on places like Mastodon and Bluesky I don't get a lot of pushback about "heterodox" but I do get a lot of pushback that boils down to "why does he care so much about the New York Times?"
I get how Freddie feels about hierarchies in journalism, I mean, he is in it, his life has been like something out of a young adult novel -- and it's not just him, many journalists who aren't 100% heads down writing the police blotter in a mid-sized city or the like are in this hierarchy and care about the position they are in it. It's an insider-outsider thing, real outsiders don't give a damn about the contradictions of Ezra Klein.
I get it because I've done a lot of business development work and I know a lot about how easy it is to get an audience in various places and I can say the New York Times and Apple are in a category by themselves in terms of "you can't talk to anybody". In the city I know I could find and exploit a seam with fox medicine but over the phone forget about it.
Freddie's use of AI art for this snarky but lighthearted putdown of various pundits is perfect. It further says "it's for fun and not a substitute for real political and cultural analysis" to riff off the Sawbones podcasters.
I see this attitude so often, and I never quite understand. These images are *not* art - that's exactly the use case! No self respecting commercial artist who is remotely financially stable would take their creation on for money, nor would a work like this one have a budget to be *able* to pay them. This is a category of work that does not meaningfully exist except on the back of free labor from artists who want to see it made, and as they're purely fluffed whimsical inserts into a different work, the only reasonable person would be Freddie himself. If somebody is versed in one art but not another, and has a use for a stupid, low-brow... forgive the internet-speak, but 'shitpost' is apt, yet lacks the time or ability to recognizably create it, then either it doesn't get made at all or it gets done with AI. There is *no alternative world* where a real artist is pulled in to make these. It's not taking away any work, because the 'work' isn't WORTH the work! This use of AI doesn't devalue artists - it shows respect for them! This kind of 'art' is *beneath* them, so let the machine do it!
Counterpoint: it's very off-putting.
You're right - these are visual jokes, not works of art.
The Outsider: a Freddie deBoer Novel
Freddie is ultimate outsider. He despises the rich-kid Sosh Right, who don't even know he exists. He endlessly critiques the stoner Lefties, who hound him right back when they notice him. He's so heterodox that he even hates the Heterodox Club, the only group that would have him -- but he wouldn't join any group that would have him. He's crazy, but he knows that he's crazy, and that's kind of scarily sane.
Now Freddie, the lonely hero, the last man with any journalistic integrity because he's got nothing left to lose, must face off against his greatest opponent yet. Not the school nurse, who refuses to recognize his disability while dispensing Ritalin to the Lefties. Not the corrupt football coach who systemically exploits his players. Not even the principle who's pushing out failing students to boost the school's stats. No, this time, it's the ultimate foe . . . the crushing ordinariness of a so-so Life.
{By the way, I didn't want to spoil the ending, but Freddie DOES win in the end, with the most extraordinary of ordinaries . . . his name is Junho.]
What’s up with making Douthat such a hottie?!??
See? You've finally found a use for artificial intelligence: generating facetious book covers!
Your AI overlords are delighted you've joined The Borg.
HA!
I was expecting a roast, and there's definitely more than enough of that here, but these are, at their heart, surprisingly sweet and endearing portraits. Well done.
[Deeply relieved this wasn’t porn]
Just brilliant. The send ups of Ezra, Derek and Jerusalem (I love them all) were so spot on. I hope they all have to sense of humor to appreciate this comedy gold. I think they do. I'll admit I didn't know a few of these people.
Ezra's cover alone worth the price of admission.
This is pure gold, thank you so much for this. I think we all needed something like this right now.
"...a hand-cranked Substack terminal." Good lord that's hilarious!
"He’s been writing them down in a journal since he was twelve, and over time it’s become less of a diary and more of a lightly-sourced encyclopedia-length essay addressed to a God who Derek suspects would, if pressed, have some genuinely interesting things to say about the labor market." <3 <3 <3
Fun! A welcome break in my day.
I am honestly a huge fan of writing fanfic about people that you are not supposed to write fanfic about. I think it’s a semi-healthy way to exercise my obsessive mind.