If youre anything like me, youre definitely not obsessing over the eventual outcome of the vote count happening in Georgia or wherever. Youre not hitting refresh on news sites like its your job, and youre not suddenly very interested in district level congressional maps. So instead of politics, lets talk about the dumbest, most meaningless things that young people are into, OK? (Its really about all I can handle right now.)
Dumb urban legends from TikTok
I asked my teenage niece Claire for the dumbest urban legends on TikTok and she came through big time. The first fake story is a little old, but its so weird, gross, and hilarious, I had to bring it back to the surface, just in case you missed it the first time. Here goes: Teenage girls on TikTok started a rumor that girls routinely eat their tampons after their periods.
It started with this video from caro.trash, who feigns incredulity at all the clueless guys who dont know that girls eat their tampons after theyre done with it to re-absorb all the blood they lost. Before long, other girls confirmed this truth via the comments section, and a nation of boys were like, wait, really? in reaction videos.
Dumb rumor number two: According to some TikTok users, Spiders and other insects are attracted to the glue on the back of those LED string lights kids like, so if you put up those adhesive style lights in your bedroom, you will soon be overrun with the insects who live behind them. Peel them off the wall and a gang of spiders will fall on your face. Gross, dumb, and not even a little true…a perfect urban legend.
Viral video of the week: A day in an ice house
So far, more than 24 million people viewed an incredibly dumb video featuring YouTube star Mr. Beast attempting to spend 24 hours in a house made entirely out of ice. Why does he do it? No one knows (I mean, other than the revenue stream from YouTubes ads.). To add pointless drama, if he makes it, his friends have to cover themselves in maple syrup and feathers because I mean, who knows?
Spoiler: Mr. Beast discovers that it is very, very cold in a house made out of ice. According to Beast, the total cost of video was over $300,000, and is there anything dumber on Gods earth than spending the cost of real house on making a video about spending a day in a house made out of ice? But its so awesomely dumb, I cant help but admire it.
This week in video games: The new consoles are almost here
Okay, anticipation for the new Xbox and PlayStation consoles is not dumb (I mean, depending on your point-of-view) but it is whats happening in gaming this week. Parents of console gamers are going to be facing a choice this holiday-buying-things-season, so youll want to be as informed as possible. Check out Kotakus in-depth review of the Xbox Series X and its everything we know about the PlayStation 5 guide to inform yourself. They both look good to me, but Im still amazed by my GameCube, so what do I know? Luckily, the kid or teen in your life is likely to have a strong opinions about which to buy, so that will take a lot of the decision-making off your shoulders. The new Xbox comes out on November 10 and the PS5 drops on November 12.
This week in TV: Teenage Bounty Hunters and the return of Dawsons Creek
I know were in a golden age of television, where shows are supposed to be elevated and art or whatever, but theres still room for dumb, mindless fun on the boob tube. Take Teenage Bounty Hunters, a Netflix show that has been growing a rabid, young audience since it premiered back in August. The premise is as loopy as its title: Teenage Bounty Hunters tells the story of twin sixteen-year-old girls who attend a strict religious high school in Atlanta by day, but hunt dangerous bail-jumpers at night. Yeah, it makes no sense at all, but its still amazing and takes the kind of risks that are only possible when the audience doesnt have to be massive for a show to stay on TV.
My other TV pick for teens this week is Dawsons Creek, a show that isnt dumb, per-se, but is mindless. All six seasons of the late 90s teen comedy have washed onto Netflixs shore like so much digital flotsam, and its exactly the kind of teen drama the world needs to binge right about now. Its so earnest, and it takes itself and its teen subjects so seriously, its kind of a breath of fresh air in our current everything is meta mediascape. I predict a new generation of Dawsons Creekfans, provided todays kids can look past the dated fashions and imagine a world where global pandemic wasnt something anyone cared about.read more
Out-of-Touch Adults’ Guide To Kid Culture: The Dumb Edition
