Saagar’s Boomer sarcasm
Saagar, can you please limit or refrain altogether from referring to people of my demographic as “Boomers” and “White Suburban Ladies”? Insulting. Condescending and at times wholly inaccurate. For example, my life has been spent as a proud NorthWesterner, a professional violinist schooled in Paris, a hospital and retail pharmacist, a NPR radio host, a mother of twins, a globalist, an English Channel swimmer (successfully crossed at age 62), a cancer survivor, a puppeteer, a technical writer, an event coordinator, a Full Ironman finisher, a cross country ski racer, and a traveler (Including Cuba, High Andes of Peru, Europe as student and visitor). I am multi-lingual. I am an active and vociferous protestor against the genocide in Gaza. I hate both Biden and Trump. I am an avid scholar of history just like you. Yet I am white. Born into suburbia. Scottish Protestant work ethic. Comfortable middle class upbringing. Does this background disqualify me from claiming I have a brain? I will add that my friends and colleagues are also diverse, well informed and engaged. Sure, certain polls may indicate otherwise but they do not take into consideration the individuality of “Boomers” or those of any other age group. From my vantage point I could easily group you with young, privileged and inexperienced thirty somethings who have yet to be challenged by life. A former Frat boy. Unable to consider a path to success other than college. So please, please jettison the stereotyping. Honestly, I lose respect for you every time you offhandedly throw around misnomer labels. All that said, I am still a huge fan of you and BreakingPoints, and will continue to support the show.
Two requests
Krystal, someone has to do something about Bill Maher and his seemingly massive ignorance about the Gaza situation. I’m a former USAF officer with am MS in International Relations. He’s so off. Only Krystal can school Bill. Even Bill Burr can’t give him a spoon full of medicine for his total lack of thought. It’s like a cult has emerged. You should talk about it. And you should go back on his show even though I know you hate it. But do it for your country. 2nd, a lot of talk about China and manufacturing, etc this week. You should have someone in trade who can actually talk about these issues from experience and expertise. I have never heard anyone, like me, who is in trade and manufacturing and actually travels to these areas and has long term relationships, talk in a straight forward way about this issue. Lots of macro but no micro. There is never a human element. The truth isn’t macro, it’s 100% micro and no one gets it. Their anpproach is always technical. That isn’t what trade and foreign business are about. Ryan got close this week but is still missing the real human element of what is happening with real people. Lifetime member, daily listener since day one. You guys make me proud and hopeful as we meander through the bizzaroland of planet earth.
"Hey, if you liked that video ..."
Just a suggestion: make a second version (both Saager/Krystal and Ryan/Emily) of your subscription pitch clip (placed at the end of Youtube videos) that isn't quite so upbeat. I get that you want to be positive and energetic, but it's really jarring after many of your segments -- especially those on Gaza. It almost suggests that your commentators are play-acting when they do serious interviews about tragic situations. I know they aren't, but it feels as though these trailers could give that impression to the less initiated. Here's an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qgzdj2Cwujw