Social Media Versus Reality in Canada

One man's attempt to recreate a meme. Plus recs for the comedy of survival with Austin Kleon / Joseph Meeker, The Onion, and the history of Luddites.

I’ve been in Vancouver all week for work and I have been going nonstop. But even in a hectic week, I still gotta send out a Bright Spots! That’s one of the things I like about doing this newsletter as a creative practice, I don’t get to make excuses. Busy or not, the show newsletter must go on.

Before I get into things though, I have a favor to ask: Please vote for How to Be a Better Human in the Webby Awards! This is the last week for voting and we are so close but have dropped into second place behind a podcast all about how to get rich. I am feeling very competitive and also, on a philosophical level, cannot allow a money podcast to win. PLEASE HELP! You can vote for free and sharing with friends is a huge help! I truly believe that a dozen or so votes would push us over the edge so it’s within our grasp! Here’s a direct link to vote

Thank you for any/all help! Ok, on to the regularly scheduled shenanigans…

Every time I go to Vancouver, I make a point of visiting the same hole-in-the-wall falafel shop. It’s genuinely one of my favorite restaurants in the world, despite being very not fancy at all. It’s just one long narrow room with a grill up front and several small tables covered in plastic in the back. But it’s run by the nicest family and the food is cheap and extremely delicious. They make the falafel to order, they use fresh, high quality vegetables in their sides, and the owner, Farhad, always finds a way to make me accept something extra for free, whether it’s a glass of tea or a scoop of baba ghanoush or a taste of shawarma.

This week, when I stopped by, I got a heaping plate of food and chatted with Farhad a bit about how business was going. When I sat down to eat, I noticed that the only other customers dining in were also solo guys eating their dinners in silence. I thought up trying to strike up a conversation, but people seemed pretty content enjoying their food alone.

Still though, I had this inclination to do something nice because I’m only in Vancouver once a year at most and I really like this restaurant and the people who own it. Then I thought about a genre of social media video I get served a lot, particularly on TikTok, where a person helps support a small business by paying for people’s meals or buying a bunch of food to give away for free.

There were only two other people in there and the food is very affordable, so when I got up to pay my bill, I said to Farhad, “You know what? Let me pay for those guys’ dinners too.”

I had this image in my head that he would look at me like a hero and say “Are you sure? That’s so generous!” and then I’d go, “I just want to support you and your business and do something nice for some strangers. Keep up the good work!” And then he would go, “Thank you so much, Chris! You’re a good person.”

I would leave Vancouver feeling like a hero.

Instead, he rang up a receipt with only my meal. At first, I thought maybe he didn’t hear me or understand, since it’s a pretty unusual request. So I was like, “Oh, I wanted to pay for them too.”

Farhad gave me a very kind smile and a little shake of his head. “No. That’s weird.”

We had a brief moment of silence then he added, “See you next year!”

I thought about it and decided he was right. It is kind of weird! So I paid my bill and left a good tip. He smiled and shook my hand. I’ll see him next year. In the meantime, nobody had to go viral. That’s almost certainly for the best.

My projects and upcoming events:

LIVE IN LA: Wrong Answers Only - Dynasty Typewriter on Tuesday, May 20th at 7:30 p.m. There are so few opportunities to go to a comedy show that prominently features a parrot scientist. I am here to change that. Please join me and a panel of three celebrity comedians as we learn all about the wild parrots of Los Angeles. Get your tickets now (also available for livestream if you live outside LA and still want to join in the fun).

PODCAST: How to Be a Better Human (TED/PRX) - Clint Smith is one of my favorite writers. He writes with such humor and heart but he’s also able to be honest and capture difficult nuances in his journalism. It was genuinely an honor to get to talk to him on the podcast. While we weren’t directly addressing any breaking news, I feel like what Clint says (and his book about reckoning with the legacy of slavery) are extremely relevant to this historical moment. Listen here (or wherever you get podcasts).

This week’s list

GREAT:

I interviewed Austin Kleon the other day for the podcast (the episode will be out soon) and in our conversation he told me I have to read this 1974 book by Joseph Meeker about how often we get stuck in a tragic mode of history when really we should be trying to cultivate the comic mode. Austin wrote up a great post summarizing the book and some related ideas. It’s so up my alley and a blueprint for a better way forward. The comedy of survival

FUNNY:

People think that dramatic news cycles are good for comedy, but that’s actually not the case. It’s much better for comedy when the news is boring because then you’re able to heighten reality with punchlines and satire. Right now, the actual headlines parody themselves, which makes landing a joke significantly harder. But somehow The Onion always finds a way. Here are a few headlines and articles that really got me:

FBI Warns Of ‘American Dream’ Scam

Trump Calmly Reminds Nation That Desire The Root Of All Suffering

and Man Who Bumped Tesla While Parallel Parking Sentenced To Death

INTERESTING:

I’m going to write something longer and more in-depth about this at some point (or maybe it will become a standup joke or other bit) but I’ve been thinking a lot about the Luddites. I only recently learned the history of the actual people behind the term. I thought it just meant being ignorantly anti-progress, but it turns out that it was actually an multi-pronged movement involving public outreach, protest, and strategic resistance against the destruction of good paying jobs by automation imposed by rich elites. It feels weirdly very relevant to all the debates and fears around A.I. today. I haven’t formulated all my thoughts but even just reading this wikipedia article is really interesting. Luddite

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That's it for this week. Thanks for reading! Please share Bright Spots with anyone you think might enjoy it.

Unfortunately, that’s weird,

Chris Duffy

This has been Bright Spots, a newsletter.

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…wait, who are you?

I'm Chris Duffy, a comedian, TV writer, podcast host, and both a former fifth grade teacher and a former fifth grade student. I’m currently writing a nonfiction book about humor for Doubleday.