What Whitney Wants to Say #11

This week is going to be a full smorgasbord of things I want to say. Reviews, Commentary, recommendations… YOU NAME IT. I’m in a sharing mood this week so I hope you enjoy:

• This week I finished reading Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber and I desperately want as many people as possible to read this book. It is becoming more and more evident that we can not continue going on with business as usual in this country. For a growing number of us, there is almost nothing to look forward to. Many of us are suspending home buying, marriage, children, or even graduation from college. Not to mention workplace culture, job searching, and work in general is a tedious dredge for many and has led to increased depression and anxiety for young people. In this book, David Graeber attempts to identify the problem clearly and give examples, many of which are applicable to just about everyone I know. He also doesn’t shy away from the historic implications of why we ended up here, providing a full history of work and how it became so fake. The book is also very witty and I spent most of it chuckling along. Please get yourselves a copy today!

• Not a single person who has paid an ounce of attention to Hip Hop and the community in the past 20 years, thinks Diddy is innocent. Not a one. And if you do, you are purposefully deluding yourself. No way Cîroc has been that good to you that you can’t see what has been plain to our eyes since at least 1998. This man famously had a TV show solely for the pleasure of verbally abusing and humiliating people in public like, let’s be for real. This man has had people sent to prison for decades covering for him and his antics. He’s refused to pay people what they’re owed and robbed the public of countless years of great music from phenomenal artists. He’s had a brutal history of abuse against the mother of his kids Kim Porter. This is a man whose enemies, accusers, and people not willing to deal with his depravity anymore have mysteriously turned up deceased. I’m scared typing this. But I hope Cassie is surround by people who love and care for her because to come against someone so immensely powerful and weird, is no easy feat. I just hope the “culture” is kinder to her than they have been to literally every woman who has ever spoken out against a famous rapper or rap music executive ever.

• Is anyone planning on voting? I’m really not. I think I’ll get a pedicure that day. It’ll be a better use of my time.

• I am currently on chapter 5 of my book (AHHH!) and I think I’ll finish part one by the end of the month! I’m so excited for you all to get a chance to read it one day (or at least a snippet)

• This week I re-watched The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011): The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is one of the few perfect book to movie adaptations. The harsh and mysterious tone of the books is captured perfectly with quick cuts and haunting establishing shots. David Fincher’s expert direction shines bright as he’s able to lead actors Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig to career defining performances as Lisbeth and Mikael respectively. The five act structure was a perfect choice for the adaptation as it allows the subplot to fully breathe as it did in the book, giving the movie a sense of completion and the clear possibility of an engaging sequel. However, this movie famously did not get a sequel adaptation which would have been of The Girl Who Played with Fire which is one of my all time favorite books. Also worth noting is the brilliant score by musician Trent Reznor who has gone on to be heavily praised and awarded for his subsequent scores. All in all, this movie is an engaging masterclass in storytelling and a must see for film nerds everywhere. (8/10)

• I have something very excited planned for you all in December, please stay tuned!