#20: Roland Emmerich Liked Our Tweet

At seven twenty-five PM, on Tuesday, the eleventh of October in the year two thousand and sixteen, Roland Emmerich "liked" one of General Snobbery's tweets. 

@BillyPullman, the King of New York

If you have been following General Snobbery throughout these twenty episodes, you will know that we have launched a campaign to #LetUsWriteID3. Essentially, we think that, due to our heightened understanding of Roland Emmerich's intentions, as well as our limitless appreciation for Independence Day: Resurgence (most notably the character of Dikembe Umbutu), we are the most qualified people to help Roland write the script for Independence Day 3. Indeed, as Andy Dufresne wrote a letter every day to receive books in the Shawshank library, so we have tweeted @ Roland every day since launching our campaign. 

Why, you may wonder, did Roland suddenly decide to grace our evening with a like? Certainly he'd noticed the previous 60-70 tweets we had sent at him? We believe the sudden liking can mean only one thing: he has finally decided to give us a chance. He has finally decided to #LetUsWrite ID3. 

In the immediate aftermath of the Twitter notification, we scrapped all previously-held plans for our monumental twentieth episode and instantly began recording this episode that now greets your sacred ears. In this excited conversation, we showcase our passion for our new devoted listener, Roland Emmerich. We offer up some teasers for ID3. We propose our meeting place in LA, offering even to foot the bill for the meal and use our Southwest Points to fly out there. 

It's all an exuberant appreciation for the unexpected delights of life. We thank you, listener, for joining us. When the moment comes that Roland sends us a DM with the plan, know that that DM is coming not only to us, but also to you. In the end, we will all be writing the script for ID3, and as we do, we will all be snobbing the whole way home. 

#18: Gladiator and Bros

Gladiator (2000), directed by our favorite British-man, Ridley Scott, ushered in a new era of violence in the multiplexes. But, unbeknownst to Mr. Scott, Russell Crowe, or even Joaquin Phoenix, the film was destined to usher in a new era of something far more deplorable: a new era, of "bros." 

Maximus Decimus Meridius, looking like a standard bro. 

We all know "bros," and we all despise "bros." So why do "bros" still exist? In the eighteenth (!) episode of General Snobbery, we endeavor to answer that question. Using Gladiator, that depthless masterpiece, as a springboard, we travel into echelons wholly new, and for the first time, we leave you, listener, with a pressing moral prerogative. Together, let us do all we can possibly do to rid the world of "bros" once and for all. 

A special thanks to our Listener of the Week, Aaron Brunmeier, for providing us with such a grand question this week. Aaron, this snob's for you. 

Key Moments:
42:45: Transition from Gladiator to Bros
52:15: The two words that are destroying the human race
1:19:00: How to cure the world of Bros

 

#16: Love for Adam Sandler: Why Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore Rule

It's a common misconception that Snobbery is an inherently negative pursuit. Indeed, for amateur "snobs", this way it can become. Yet for those truly committed to the Art of Snobbery, the negativity acts always in service of the joy and delight it brings to be. It is but an illusory negativity, put forth in ongoing effort to open up the shimmering core of a given reality. And after traveling beyond the fourth dimension with Coop in episode XV, our only path forth was to enter the boundless delight of Adam Sandler's early filmography. 

There was a time when Adam Sandler ruled the world. That time may have passed, but we at General Snobbery wish to rekindle the flames the great Jewish comedian once sparked. In his films Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, his greatest contributions to the world of the screen (and thus the reality of our minds), Mr. Sandler offered a degree of delight previously unknown to the universe. While this delight may be as complex as a tesseract in the middle of a black hole, it is undoubtable that much of it comes through the diverse, unpredictable, and hilarious side characters of these films. 

From Otto the hobo caddy to Gary Potter the energy-reading golfer, the clan of O'Doyles to a towering man with a nail in his head, our conversation moves character to character in unabashed adulation for these wonderful people in these wonderful films. We of the Snobbing Pathway choose not to focus on the oft-bemoaned state of Adam Sandler's contemporary career. Rather, we proceed in gratitude that his 90s offerings exist, and, two decades later, they continue to provide such joy and delight in a life so often bogged down in weariness and turmoil.

Adam Sandler, this snob's for you.