Five Things You Should Know

Vol. VII

(image credit: Saturday Night Live // NBCUniversal)

[This blog will always be free to read, but it’s also how I pay my bills. If you have suggestions or feedback on how I can earn your paid subscription, shoot me an email: cmclymer@gmail.com. And if this is too big of a commitment, I’m always thankful for a simple cup of coffee.]

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Hey folks, I haven’t done this in a while, but a semi-regular feature of my little blog is sending out five things you should check out.

These are things I believe you may find interesting, insightful, entertaining, or otherwise positive.

Here are five things you should know:

1. My Interview with Ana Marie Cox

Political journalist Ana Marie Cox is one of my favorite folks in media. She has a long history of sharp and illuminating reporting on the American landscape. Although she was initially planning to take a less active role in covering the election, the events of this summer inspired her to launch the political news equivalent of a miniseries: her new interview podcast “90 Days with Ana Marie Cox,” in which she talks to a wide range of public figures in politics and media about the history transpiring before all of us.

In my chat with Ms. Cox, we covered religion, the role of media in the election, Tuesday’s presidential debate (we recorded this only a few hours prior), and so many other things intersecting with the current moment. I was especially gratified with the freedom to talk at length with Ms. Cox through the nuanced aspects of all this, as opposed to the oft-abbreviated conversations that are central to the cable news business model.

2. “For Our Daughters” Documentary on Evangelical Sexual Abuse (Sept. 26th)

New York Times bestselling author Kristin Kobes Du Mez is no stranger to tackling the particularly thorny intersection of evangelical church culture and corresponding tragic absence of accountability over wrongdoing in congregations (see her fantastic book “Jesus and John Wayne”).

Later this month, just in time for the election, she’s releasing a new documentary that spotlights the horrific response to revelations of sexual abuse in evangelical churches, which provides critical insight into a movement that seems to readily embrace Donald Trump despite his long history of predatory behavior.

It will not be an easy watch, but it’s absolutely necessary in understanding why so much wrongdoing goes unchecked in open sight within these church walls. Here’s the trailer:

3. The Strong Man Who Bakes Cakes

Florian Schaffer is a Bavarian strength athlete and unabashed muscleman who has dedicated his professional life to fitness and bodybuilding, but he’s probably better known to the wider world for his insatiable interest in baking exquisite cakes customized to delectable perfection.

Mr. Schaffer apparently didn’t get the memo that an individual can’t have such a wide range of interests. Go follow him on Instagram (flo_schaffer_official) to check out his cake creations and the not-so-infrequent shots of his beefy side, too.

Quite appropriately, he also goes by “cakehulk” on other platforms, including TikTok.

cakehulk

A post shared by @cakehulk

4. Gov. Tim Walz’s Barnburner Speech to the Human Rights Campaign

Are y’all tired yet of Gov. Tim Walz saying exactly what’s on our minds and sounding every bit like the kind of elected official this country needs?

Yeah, me neither. I recently attended the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner, where Gov. Walz was the headliner, and my goodness, he sure didn’t disappoint.

For half an hour—and trust me: it’s worth every minute—Gov. Walz outlined why Vice President Harris is the best person to lead our country into the future, why LGBTQ rights are non-negotiable, and why this nation is meant to be a shining beacon of hope for all people, regardless of who they are or who they love.

I was particularly taken with Gov. Walz spending a considerable amount of his speech on the solemn obligation to protect trans youth and reject the fear-mongering of extremists who seemingly spend every waking hour being weirdos over the private lives of others.

5. SNL George Washington Sketch

Okay, this one is really not so fresh. It aired ten months ago on Saturday Night Live, but I’ll be damned if I haven’t rewatched it at least once a week since then.

George Washington, played here by that week’s host, comedian Nate Bergatze, offers a vision of the country to his fledgling Continental Army that includes the freedom to dictate a nation’s own weight and measures.

If it sounds ridiculous, I promise you it is exactly that and so much more. The first time I watched it, I was crying from laughter, and I include it here only to offer a hilarious start to your work week.

Finally, a note of thanks to y’all:

Last weekend, at their national convention in L.A., the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association awarded Charlotte’s Web Thoughts its 2024 Award for Excellence in Blogging, citing the essay I wrote last summer “To the Man on the Northeast Regional,” which is among my favorite pieces I’ve produced on this little blog.

As always, this wouldn’t be possible without the support of all of you who subscribe to Charlotte’s Web Thoughts. Thank you so much for sharing my work with your family, friends, and colleagues. It means the world.

Alongside that, here are some recent pieces of mine you may have missed:

Aug. 23rd — “I Don’t Feel Sorry for Guz Walz”

Aug. 28th — “In Praise of the Hardest Job in Arlington National Cemetery”

Aug. 31st — “Maybe Part of the Problem is Loneliness”

Sept. 2nd — “A Navy SEAL, An Astronaut, and a Doctor Walk Into a Bar”

Sept. 4th — “I Really Don’t Care About Your Marriage”

Sept. 6th — “It’s Impossible for a Child to Steal a Gun from a Responsible Adult”

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