December 28, 2016

My favorite part of this NYT article about the political pattern to the popularity of various TV shows.

They put a special arrow with a "Madison, WI" label on the "Daily Show" map:



Here's the whole article, "‘Duck Dynasty’ vs. ‘Modern Family’/50 Maps of the U.S. Cultural Divide/Americans have been clustering themselves into cultural bubbles just as they have clustered in political bubbles. Their TV preferences confirm that."

The dot that is Madison, Wisconsin shows up in all the maps, but somehow it's the "Daily Show" one that made the NYT feel a special need to point at us.

I think the NYT is looking for ways to serve readers who are agonizing in the aftermath of the election, and pop-culture-focused political articles may seem helpful in moving them through the stages of grief.

44 comments:

Meade said...

The Daily Show is still on? I thought he quit to spend more time with his family.

rehajm said...

The Daily Show is still on?

Ya, that's a surprise. They have some South African dude in the Jon Stewart role. It's funny many of the Daily Show knock offs switched to hosts with British accents all around the same time, as if some study revealed people are more receptive to propaganda if it's delivered in Upper RP.

Rocketeer said...

I'm confused by the graphics, but I'm admittedly a dope. Still, for instance, to me they indicate that while the NYT says Duck Dynasty is the most "divided" from a regional standpoint, when I look at the shading it appears to be broadly popular across all regions when compared to most shows on the list (while clearly having deeper popularity in the "Trump states").

Jaske said...

Vermont's color changes exactly along defined lines, Modern Family in urban & Duck Dynasty in rural.

rehajm said...

Of note, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is popular only in Philadelphia and Austin, TX (do people from Philadelphia move to Austin?). So You Think You Can Dance very popular in Utah.

SNL is popular pretty much nowhere.

mockturtle said...

Just more divisive claptrap from the NYT. I agree with rocketeer: Men with long beards and Christian values center the most geographically divisive show in the data set. Duck Dynasty appears to be far less divisive than many others mentioned.

Nonapod said...

It turns out that human beings are naturally tribal and will group themselves into like-minded bubbles when left to their own devices. A shocking revelation.

rhhardin said...

No-TV ought to have a color.

Michael K said...

Television has probably reduced the average IQ over the past 50 years.

I am almost certain it is related to the increase in senile dementia.

Michael K said...

I agree about no-TV.

It would also be interesting to see, if it was possible, the educational attainments of children growing up with no TV.

campy said...

Duck Dynasty appears to be far less divisive than many others mentioned.

"Divisive" is shorthand for "disliked by lefties."

CWJ said...


"The dot that is Madison, Wisconsin shows up in all the maps..." I'm pretty sure the dot is Dane County.

Bob Boyd said...

I wonder what an Althouse Blog map would look like.

Wince said...

What? What Red Dot? What Are You Talking About?."

rehajm said...

Television has probably reduced the average IQ over the past 50 years.

I wish there was a knob on the TV so you could turn up the intelligence. They got one marked "brightness" but it don't work...
-Gallagher

Kathryn51 said...

I think the NYT is looking for ways to serve readers who are agonizing in the aftermath of the election, and pop-culture-focused political articles may seem helpful in moving them through the stages of grief.

How long must we put up with the agonizing? My God, President Stick-Up-His-Ass just stabbed Israel in the back and the NYT wants to analyze which TV shows are popular in Trumpland? (I've used up my 10 free views this month so I haven't read the entire article). Even Alan Dershowitz was apoplectic over the betrayal of Israel.

Comanche Voter said...

Sigh--don't watch either one of those shows (or for that matter any other shows). I've moved on to Post TV land--when will the naifs at the NYT catch up?

JSD said...

Netflix has already killed traditional television networks. They just don’t know it yet.

mikee said...

When you need to work through stages of grief over a national election that happens every four years of your life, you have bigger problems than being addicted to a rather lame late night fake news show.

rehajm said...

How long must we put up with the agonizing?

The strategy seems to be 'until they win'. Nag us all to the point we just give them what they want.

MadisonMan said...

I don't watch TV. I was watching The Flash for the first two seasons, and Empire for its first season, but then I stopped -- I wasn't watching on TV, but on Hulu.

Our TV is only on when I'm watching DVDs.

rehajm said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Michael K said...

The only TV I watch is football and football season is coming to the end. Most football I watch is college.

The NFL is trying to kill off their brand with the idiots like Kaperneick.

Humperdink said...

I watch pro football. When that concludes, the NHL takes center stage. Sprinkle in some conservatives news and that sums up my viewing habits. The FakeStream media is nowhere to be found.

Bay Area Guy said...

Wow, the NYTimes is doing some real deep investigative journalism there. Where is Sy Hersh when you really need him:)

Curious George said...

"Michael K said...
The only TV I watch is football and football season is coming to the end. Most football I watch is college.

The NFL is trying to kill off their brand with the idiots like Kaperneick"

The NFL may be...no is killing off their brand but I'm positive that they are not trying to.

Fabi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fabi said...

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is one of the better shows ever produced.

Danno said...

Ann said...."I think the NYT is looking for ways to serve readers who are agonizing in the aftermath of the election, and pop-culture-focused political articles may seem helpful in moving them through the stages of grief."

My thought is to make them think that reenacting Jonestown, only making it bigger and better, would be the ultimate solution to their dilemma. They already readily and willingly drink the kool-aid.

tcrosse said...

Ann said...."I think the NYT is looking for ways to serve readers who are agonizing in the aftermath of the election, and pop-culture-focused political articles may seem helpful in moving them through the stages of grief."

I get the feeling that those who are agonizing in the aftermath of the election would prefer to stay angry, and the NYT would be the last to help them get over it.

mockturtle said...

I get the feeling that those who are agonizing in the aftermath of the election would prefer to stay angry, and the NYT would be the last to help them get over it.y

Hell, they will be licking their wounds for at least four years and the NYT, WAPo and other's will use their lying tongues to help lick them.

Thuglawlibrarian said...

a vast wasteland

Richard Dolan said...

" ...helpful in moving them through the stages of grief. "

More likely, helpful in nudging them to subscribe. The NYT certainly knows its audience even as it is slowly disappearing.

grimson said...

When we looked at how many active Facebook users in a given ZIP code “liked” certain TV shows . . .

Junk science--analyzing Facebook likes. Google search analysis is probably even more suspect, because privacy advocates are probably using DuckDuckGo. Any political analysis using Google is going to over-represent the left. Maybe that was Mrs. Clinton's problem.

Mary Beth said...

It's funny many of the Daily Show knock offs switched to hosts with British accents all around the same time, as if some study revealed people are more receptive to propaganda if it's delivered in Upper RP.

Not a talk show, but...We were watching a SDCC panel last summer that had Tom Ellis as one of the guests. (He plays Lucifer on the show of the same name.) He said he had tried using an American accent at first but then they realized he could get away with saying much more offensive things with his regular (British) accent.

American accent = asshole
British accent = charming rogue

mockturtle said...

American accent = asshole
British accent = charming rogue


Kind of like:
Rich: Eccentric
Poor: Perverted

Christy said...

I must be a racist. I noticed that the white spaces of Mythbusters (which I rarely watch) were practically a one to one match for the Black belt.

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

Lower Rio Grande Valley, TX
Counties Clinton%::Trump%
..Cameron 64.6::32.1
..Hidalgo 68.6::28.1
..Star 79.1::19.0
..Willacy 67.2::30.3

Favored entertainment
..Simpsons
..Ridiculousness
..Walking Dead
..Teen Mom
..America's Funniest Home Videos
..Keeping Up With the Kardashians
..SpongeBob Square Pants
..Adventure Time
..American Horror Story
..Pretty Little Liars
..Orange Is the New Black

NYT places Kenedy County, TX in "the extended Black Belt." Per Wikipedia 2000 census data: population 414, 138 households, 110 families, 0.72% "Black

Michael K said...

" I'm positive that they are not trying to."

I find it hard to believe that they think this stuff is good for the game or the brand.

They seem to think they can woo the left, which is unalterably hostile to football at any age as "Too Masculine and dangerous," by indulging the traitorous instincts of PE majors like Kapernieck.

The NBA is doing much the same thing with gender identity but I could not care less about professional basketball.

Again, Codevilla explains it better then most. It is cultural suicide.

wildswan said...

In the nineteenth century European artists and revolutionaries wore suits and ties and the cultural groups outside of Europe wore colorful costumes. In the Twentieth century European artists and revolutionaries wore colorful costumes and rising members of formerly excluded groups wore suits and ties. In the Twenty-first century everyone wears T-shirts, jeans and sneakers; there are no artists, women or men and everyone is excluded by someone and is excluding someone else.

The only current TV show I watch is Cops in motels while I'm travelling.

mikee said...

If you think British accents allow one to say deplorable things without accountability, you haven't been around people with French accents.

A manager of mine, with excellent spoken English but a Chevalier-esque French accent, would say things to VPs in meetings like, "You can do zat, but you will be wrong. Eet iz the stupid!" And they would nod thoughtfully instead of becoming outraged.

walter said...

They're just explaining the odd dark spot in the vast swath of flyover.
"Madison"
"Oh...riiiighhhht."

320Busdriver said...

I was just watching Tomi Lahren's appearance on TDS to see how she handled the hostile environment. Turns out, she did quite well, especially for someone so young. She represents us deplorables with proficiency. Here is the clip

Tari said...

Why is my family never on maps like this? Where are middle aged women who split their time between Miss Fisher's Mysteries and Inspector Lewis, middle aged men who are obsessed with LFC, and teenagers who watch nothing but Grand Tour and Doctor Who? England, you say? I'll check that theory out.