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A Dystopian Community Of Influencers, And More Of This Week's 'One Main Character' | Digg
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From 'Little Rascal' To Big Misogynist

A Dystopian Community Of Influencers, And More Of This Week's 'One Main Character'

Darcy Jimenez
Darcy Jimenez
A Dystopian Community Of Influencers, And More Of This Week's 'One Main Character'
Ever wondered what Alfalfa from "The Little Rascals" is up to these days? You probably won't like the answer.
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Every day, somebody says or does something that earns them the scorn of the internet. Here at Digg, as part of our mission to curate what the internet is talking about right now, we rounded up the main characters on X from this past week and held them accountable for their actions.



This week, we've got an onstage scuffle, a baked abomination, everyone's favorite hippopotamus, a depressing childbirth announcement, a political correspondent who committed the cardinal sin of journalism and an eerie new city in Saudi Arabia.


Thursday

Olivia Nuzzi

The character: Olivia Nuzzi, NY Mag's Washington correspondent (on leave,) professional and personal boundary lacker

The plot: NY Magazine's Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi was the subject, not author, of a late-night news dump on Thursday. After having covered RFK Jr.'s presidential campaign late last year, it was revealed that Nuzzi had "engaged in a personal relationship with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on the campaign." Oliver Darcy's Status newsletter broke the news and sent media Twitter (an online minority among minorities) into a frenzy.


The repercussion: Nuzzi has been a fixture in media and political circles for nearly a decade now, so there were a lot of varied reactions. Primarily, though, people were appalled at how unethical the situation appears to be. In response to the news, Nuzzi said in a statement that the relationship "was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of conflict."


Adwait Patil


Friday

Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro

The character: Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro, members of Jane's Addiction, fighters not lovers

The plot: This week, rockers Jane's Addiction made the decision to call off their long-awaited tour after two of their band members got into a scrap onstage. During a Boston show β€” on what was their first tour in 14 years with an original lineup β€” Farrell started a fight with Navarro, and the two had to be physically restrained from hitting each other.


The repercussion: The band announced the abrupt end to the tour in a statement, and said fans would be refunded for the canceled dates. Online, however, people did not pass up the opportunity to dunk on '80s rockers acting juvenile onstage.


Adwait Patil



Tuesday

@easterngoblin

The character: @easterngoblin, X user, diabolical baker

The plot: You've almost certainly never heard of this person before, because they only have a few thousand followers. There's not even a real name attached to their account, but it still feels like we've looked deep into their soul with this nightmarish baked good.

Banana bread is a delightful dessert that just about everyone can get behind, but this ultra-dense formulation with a whole banana plopped on top makes us question the nature of man.

Are we even capable of feeling good ever again? Maybe not.


The repercussion: People rightfully responded with strong emotions. Did they want to fight the baker? Imprison them? Maybe just bleach their own eyeballs? Those are all valid feelings, but we shouldn't act on them. Instead, we must look inside of ourselves to find the fortitude not to remember this monstrosity the next time banana bread is on the menu.


Grant Brunner


Friday

Moo Deng

The character: Moo Deng, chubby baby hippopotamus, most beloved creature on the internet

The plot: If you've been online at all lately, you will likely have seen photos of Moo Deng, an adorable little pygmy hippo who lives in a zoo in Thailand. If, somehow, you don't know who she is, we've written an explainer here.


The repercussion: Over the past week or so, X has been inundated with memes about Moo Deng, artwork made in her honor and photos of her running, screaming and biting. We can't get enough.


Darcy Jimenez


Tuesday

Bug Hall

The character: Bug Hall, former actor, Catholic convert, misogynist

The plot: Remember Alfalfa, the cute little kid from 1994's "The Little Rascals?" Well, Bug Hall, who played him, is all grown up now β€” and fans might be disappointed to learn what kind of guy he's become.

On Tuesday, Hall took to X to announce the birth of his fifth child, whom he described as his "heir." When someone pointed out that he already had daughters, who appear to have been overlooked in his tweet, Hall replied: "I said heir, not dishwasher."


The repercussion: People were outraged by Hall's misogyny, and many expressed sadness for his daughters; four young girls whose father can so casually deride and disrespect them.


Darcy Jimenez


Tuesday

Neom residents

The character: Neom residents, influencers, lovers of dystopia

The plot: Earlier this week, a video on X was shared from influencer Jessica Ashley Herman's TikTok β€” which now appears to be unavailable β€” showing her life in Neom, Saudi Arabia's new futuristic city. The two-minute clip is innocuous, but shows clips of Neom that are rather unflattering.


The repercussion: Herman is far from the only influencer promoting life in the controversial "eco-city," and X users were aghast to see people selling their souls to live somewhere so eerie and dystopian. Many pointed out how "hellish" and desolate the area looks, and how drastically it differs from the graphics used to promote the project.


Adwait Patil


Read the previous edition of our One Main Character column, which featured someone who thinks life ends at 23, and Elon Musk and his mom being awful.


[Image credit: [@jessica.ashley.herman]https://www.tiktok.com/@jessica.ashley.herman/video/7413463017289043206)]

Comments

  1. Will Watford 1 day ago

    I quit reading the articles, i just click to see what John Doe has to add.

  2. John Doe 1 day ago

    Imagine if that was your typical evening FOREVER!

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