INDIGNITY VOL. 3, NO. 33: Reading the room.

BUSINESS DEP'T.

GOOD AFTERNOON! Thank you for another week of reading Indignity, or at least of receiving Indignity. I have never been more grateful for our generally sane readership than during the past 24 hours, as the formerly swashbuckling Matt Taibbi told preposterous lies to Congress about his PR work for Elon Musk, then cozied up to Ted Cruz.

While Taibbi and Musk were busy pretending that their widely discussed arrangement—in which Musk gave Taibbi authorized access to a selected set of internal Twitter material and Taibbi published it, on Twitter, under Musk's "Twitter Files" rubric—was in fact a sensitively sourced confidential investigative project, Silicon Valley Bank was imploding. This morning, California regulators stepped in and seized it.

An earlier version of Matt Taibbi, the one who fancied himself the scourge of our financial overlords, might have had something to say about the hubris of the Valley being struck down. But Taibbi is now a prisoner to the grudges and incentives that have made him a highly successful contrarian newsletter purveyor, which are by and large the grudges and incentives of the reactionary chuds who root for capital. His audience is there to see him own the libs.

Grim stuff! Except the part where a person gets a lot of money for running a newsletter. That part, we wholeheartedly endorse.

What if audience capture could mean being captive to our readers' curiosity and enthusiasm, rather than their prejudices and resentments? What if the non-chuds were a viable market segment? What if by clicking this button right here, you could make this come true?

If you've already clicked the button, please encourage a friend to click it, too. We hate to keep asking for money and attention, but there are worse ways to abase oneself, as we've just seen.

OUR FAR-FLUNG CORRESPONDENCE DEP'T.

A SELECTION OF messages from our commenters and email sent to indignity@indignity.net.

Re: Hijacking Home Rule
This rebooted, reenergized, weatherized and finger sandwich-sliced version of the newsletter and associated content is excellent. Not just because I agree with most of your takes. I finish feeling smarter, not smarting. A wholesome addition for someone on a diet from the outrage-filled news and hot takes that most media is serving up in their quest for attention that translates into ad dollars.
- David Patton

Re: All Beef, No Sandwich
The tiny creature who lives in a personal state of dependence toward me can be analogized to a baby for obvious reasons; referring to them as “it” is far more insulting.
- Asher

Re: Locked Into Habit
Really beautiful mediation on the keys today. I moderated a panel once on matters in bioethics, and one of the interesting papers was about how diabetics who wear monitors at all times mourn them when they have to swap them out after years.
- Steven Thrasher

Re: The Return of Weather Reviews
Excited to see the return of the weather reviews!
- Mythili

Re: The Return of Weather Reviews
Can i just laugh at "stoned raisins" and Scott Adams being a degenerate moron? :D
- Corrado Ferrara

Indignity responds: Yes, you can!

WEATHER REVIEWS DEP'T.

New York City, March 9, 2023

★★★ Another clear, bright morning arrived, in this strangely steady stretch of March days. A big yellow dog basked on the doorstep of a brownstone, peacefully on its own. One front window was raised, to give the piano tuner fresh air, and when the painters propped open the apartment door to work on it, a chilly draft began to flow. One of the pegs on a low D string had slipped in the dry air, the tuner said. The sky stayed pristine, near-autumn blue. After five or six blocks of walking, the sturdy black hoodie was not really enough, but it was still bearable. Up in the afternoon light the treetops were brushy with buds or tiny blossoms. Kids sat in twos on the rock outcroppings above the path, the nearest with knees tucked up. The brilliance seemed like it should have been kind to buildings, but it called attention to mismatched brick repairs and incompatible paint jobs. Pink cherry blooms hung on a spindly tree. Some had already fallen to the sidewalk.

VISUAL CONSCIOUSNESS DEP’T.

Flowers

More consciousness at Instagram

SANDWICH RECIPE DEP’T.

WE PRESENT INSTRUCTIONS for the assembly of select sandwiches from Recipes of the Women’s Club of San Mateo, compiled by May Robinson Thomas, Dietician, published in 1909, found in the public domain and available at archive.org for the delectation of all.

SARDINE SANDWICHES

1 box best sardines, (boned)
1 small onion
1 teaspoon vinegar
Bread

Chop together the sardines and onion; stir into this the vinegar and spread on thin slices of buttered bread; cut in any shape desired.
—Mrs. A. G. V.

If you decide to prepare and enjoy a sandwich inspired by these offerings, kindly send a picture to us at indignity@indignity.net.

Thanks for reading INDIGNITY, a general-interest publication for a discerning and self-selected audience. We depend on your support!