Elections, Layoffs, and Taylor Tomlinson
This is what's crowding up my YouTube feed this week.
The year 2024 is the biggest year for elections with 7 of the world's 10 most populous nations - Bangladesh, India, United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, Russia, Mexico - getting ready to cast their votes.
Al Jazeera says, this has never happened in a single year before. Must be the beginning of the end of the world.
So, Trump is back in my feeds.
You may be wondering: Did he ever go away? Yes but we tuned him out, didn’t we? I’m sure even MAGA did for a bit. We all needed the break.
Four years ago, we witnessed the last scene of “The Trump Show”. Soon after he bowed out, our feeds went grainy. We all returned to our new normal boring lives. But for some of us, it wasn’t the “Good Afternoon, Good Evening and Good Night” we hoped for.
Trump has won Iowa and New Hampshire primaries. He is left with one opponent, Nikki Haley, who is not giving up. She is going to take the fight to her home state.
Secretly, aren’t we all wishing for Nikki to prevail? Aren’t we the America that roots for the underdog? Or, are we so confident that no matter what happens to Red, it’s going to be another 4 years of Blue?
Either which way the votes swing, there is going to be a price to pay because this election is not about the issues that matter.
I have unpaid bills amounting to $4000 for two ER visits we made last year. There’s a third one making its way to me through the mailrooms. It’s going to take a big chunk out of my hard-earned emergency fund.
I was in India last month and stocked up on medications to last me for a year. It cost me under $1000 for what would cost me close to $5000 here.
But healthcare, not an election topic.
The fentanyl crisis, not an election topic.
Gun control, not an election topic.
There is only one topic that both sides are banking on, and it’s Fear.
If you fear that America will become a gun wielding, closed bordered, white supremacist country, you will probably vote Biden.
If you fear that America is becoming domestically too woke, internationally too involved, and outwardly two-faced, then you will probably vote Trump (or Nikki 🤞🏼).
Fear sells, even in India.
India has seen 9 years of the Narendra Modi government. This year, his government is expecting another landslide win.
On the other end of the ring is Rahul Gandhi and his Congress party. They want to bring back a secular India.
The Modi government’s scorecard is about 50-50. They did good in some aspects such as growing the economy, infrastructure, foreign policy, hosted the G20 and gained respect on the international stage.
On the flip side, freedom of expression in the country has declined by 50%. Press freedom is in crisis. “Make in India” didn’t pan out well to create more jobs in the industrial sector. Domestic terrorism has seen an uptick.
But none of this matters to the Modi voter who fears that India is becoming less of a Hindu nation, while the minority voter fears the exact opposite.
Every democracy needs balance. A single party, one person, in power for more than a decade, can seem like authoritarianism.
If elections don’t scare you, this might.
All the big tech companies are course correcting and there are mass layoffs. Last year over 32% companies declared layoffs worldwide. That’s over 24,000 jobs. This trend is expected to continue in 2024.
The pundits say: it's the last bit of post-pandemic cleanup. Also, the record high inflation. Also, AI.
By the way, elections this year, not about jobs.
Finally, there is Taylor Tomlinson in my feeds.
If you are wondering who she is, then you haven’t been keeping up with the who’s who of standup comedy.
Taylor Tomlinson is a young comedian whose Netflix special called “Look At You” packs in punchlines from personal experiences of love, trauma, and depression - each delivered with the precision of a multi-shot aerial firework display, setting off a series of sequenced perfectly timed jokes.
Nowadays, Taylor is using her comic timing to host the 1st ever late night comedy game show on CBS. It’s called After Midnight and is supposedly “the smartest show on television about the dumbest things on the Internet”.
Well, not exactly. But Taylor is an excellent host, quick on her feet, and very witty. Her forced laughter may be a bit too much at times but it’s really not her fault. She needs better contestants to play with. I say bring in the A-listers and bank in some early TRPs.
Watch the 1st episode. The 2nd one is ok. Skip the 3rd. LOL on the 4th.
With only 4 episodes in, it’s still too early to say if Taylor will help us forget our fears and mindlessly tune out of the elections, and the layoffs, and Trump.
I am voting for Taylor.
I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Did it feel like a conversation between friends over a cup of coffee? Good, because that’s what I was going for.
If you wish to support The Marinade and my writing, join my exclusive club for only $20 annually, a limited time offer.
It's an engaging and insightful take on the upcoming 2024 elections across major nations. I appreciate the diverse topics you covered. Looking forward to more of your insights.