The overload can be dialed back. It requires producers to stop casting assholes as heroes. It requires audiences to stop equating "entertaining" with "despicable." And it requires each of us, in our own private circles, to decide whether we want to be the witty villain or the quiet human who calls for a drink of water instead of a dram of blood.
The answer, so far, is: further than you think. To understand the intensity of Asshole Overload, you cannot look only at Netflix or HBO. You must look at the Private Society.
The private society here is the audience’s DMs. Fans join paid Discord channels to harass contestants. The meta-narrative becomes: Who can be the biggest asshole and still get a spin-off? Billions . Industry . Yellowstone . These shows charge viewers an "empathy tax." You watch for 55 minutes, hating every character, and then you wait seven days to do it again. The writing teams are often consulting with former Wall Street traders or political operatives—members of the private society—who assure them, "No, we actually talk to each other like that."
The private society accelerates this. When your closed WhatsApp group laughs at a devastating insult, your dopamine spikes. You learn that asshole behavior is a social reward.
The overload can be dialed back. It requires producers to stop casting assholes as heroes. It requires audiences to stop equating "entertaining" with "despicable." And it requires each of us, in our own private circles, to decide whether we want to be the witty villain or the quiet human who calls for a drink of water instead of a dram of blood.
The answer, so far, is: further than you think. To understand the intensity of Asshole Overload, you cannot look only at Netflix or HBO. You must look at the Private Society. Asshole Overload -Private Society- 2024 XXX 720...
The private society here is the audience’s DMs. Fans join paid Discord channels to harass contestants. The meta-narrative becomes: Who can be the biggest asshole and still get a spin-off? Billions . Industry . Yellowstone . These shows charge viewers an "empathy tax." You watch for 55 minutes, hating every character, and then you wait seven days to do it again. The writing teams are often consulting with former Wall Street traders or political operatives—members of the private society—who assure them, "No, we actually talk to each other like that." The overload can be dialed back
The private society accelerates this. When your closed WhatsApp group laughs at a devastating insult, your dopamine spikes. You learn that asshole behavior is a social reward. The answer, so far, is: further than you think