August 9, 2025

Your Saturday morning "authenticity" update.

1. "A Little League coach went viral for his dad joke on the mound. It taught a bigger lesson" (NYT) quotes Jake Riordan, a Little League coach in Kentucky: "I don’t really take anything in life too seriously. It’s like, it’s Little League baseball. But I think consistency when you’re a coach is pretty important. So I’m consistently loose and goofy, and they play that way. I think that one of the best things we can do as a coach or leader is just to be authentic — to be yourself. I think, believe it or not, kids or players of any age can see through the bull crap."

2. "Jeff Probst Reflects on ‘Survivor’s’ Resurgence After 2025 Emmy Nominations" (Entertainment Now): "While Probst has been open about his friendly rivalry with the other competition series hosts in the past, he argues that [Alan] Cumming and RuPaul 'take on a more performative role' for their respective shows. 'It’s not their true selves,' said Probst, referring to Cumming’s 'dandy Scottish laird' persona on 'The Traitors' and RuPaul’s extravagant drag transformation on 'Drag Race.' Alternatively, Probst said that the man viewers see on each and every episode of 'Survivor' is his authentic self. 'That’s me,' he said. 'The vulnerability is that I’m exposed and vulnerable in the same way that the players are because I don’t do do-overs.... '"

3. "Ding Yuxi’s Tear‑Filled Gaze Goes Viral, Highlighting Authenticity and Shifting Masculinity in Chinese Reality TV" (Trending on Weibo): "Actor Ding Yuxi – known to his growing legion of fans for his curly hair, gentle demeanor and the boy‑ish charm that has anchored his rise in dramas such as “十年一品温如言” – was caught on screen with what Chinese netizens have affectionately called “酒汪汪的大眼睛”, literally 'wine‑soaked big eyes'... a playful twist on the more common “水汪汪的大眼睛” (big watery eyes).... Fans celebrated the moment as a rare sign of authenticity in an industry often accused of presenting polished, pre‑packaged personas.... viewers reposted the clip with captions praising his 'authentic vulnerability,' while others dissected the scene, wondering whether the tear was spontaneous...."

4. TO COME! I SAID I'D DO 4. DO YOU DOUBT MY SINCERITY? 

25 comments:

Achilles said...

He is a white male so it is not funny.

It will actually be interesting to watch the pendulum swing back and see these white male figures be given more affirmation and social status as people realize how cool they are and how much they do to build the social fabric.

Rabel said...

"Did you know that a Koala bear is not a bear?
It's a marsupial.

Do you know why it's not a bear?
It doesn't have the koalafications."

The next one will be better.

FormerLawClerk said...

Morris Buttmaker is turning over in his grave.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Okay, that brought tears to my eyes.

Tina Trent said...

I guess if yourself is authoritative, disciplined, adult, and a good role model for athletics....

wildswan said...

"Authenticity" where the word does not appear:

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work..”
― Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience and Other Essays

Peachy said...

Rabel.. hahaha. That's a good dad joke.

Josephbleau said...

The authenticity problem is that you should not be authentic if you are an ass, keep trying to cover it up, that is the best approach.

Mason G said...

"The authenticity problem is that you should not be authentic if you are an ass, keep trying to cover it up, that is the best approach."

Sort of reminds me of the Bill Cosby joke:

I said to a guy, "Tell me, what is it about cocaine that makes it so wonderful," and he said, "Because it intensifies your personality." I said, "Yes, but what if you're an asshole?"

Mary E. Glynn said...

Thank God you are alive!

Fred Drinkwater said...

Hmm...are we getting the authentic Althouse, here? Or is she just selling to her audience?

Kakistocracy said...

Is today Ghislaine Maxwell’s spa day or yoga class?

It's whatever day she wants it to be! It starts with organic avocado toast, and sparkling spring water!

Wondering what type of massage business she’s looking to set up amongst prison guests.

Saint Croix said...

Catcher in the Rye still rocks. I love the war on the phonies.

"Now he's out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute. If there's one thing I hate, it's the movies. Don't even mention them to me."

"She had on those damn falsies that point all over the place..."

"I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life."

When I was a kid, The Sun Also Rises and Catcher in the Rye were my two favorite books. I haven't read either of them in decades. I still re-read Rex Stout, who didn't write literature, he wrote murder mysteries. So he's low-class compared to Salinger or Hemingway. But he's very re-readable. P.G. Wodehouse called that the "ultimate test."

Twain defined a classic as a book that everybody owns and nobody reads. That's Catcher in the Rye for me. I read it, I love it, and I haven't touched it in 30 years. Until today!

rhhardin said...

Imus, Sports reporter Mike Breen, Bernie McGuirk for the punchline, August 31 2002

Lori McNichol does traffic for us here in New York, where it was revealed earlier this my morning by Miss McNichol, that she is dating more than one person, right?

Uh huh

Well do either one of them think that they're the one, exclusive

I don't think we're having this conversation, so

Is either one, shall we say, further along

What do you mean, Mike?

Is one say on first base and the other headed home

Are you choking up somebody's bat

Rounding third

Is anybody on second base?

Maybe

Somebody's on second base

Is anybody on third base

No one's on third

Is anybody on the mound?

Art in LA said...

What did the coach say? Paywalled ... I'll Google.

RE: Survivor, I have watched every season, LOL. I still love it. The game reminds me of office politics -- when to keep secrets, when to share, all of the social gaming.

MadTownGuy said...

"4. TO COME! I SAID I'D DO 4. DO YOU DOUBT MY SINCERITY?"

For a second, I thought I was on Truth Social.

Smilin' Jack said...

"4. TO COME! I SAID I'D DO 4. DO YOU DOUBT MY SINCERITY?"

Now I do.

Aggie said...

You forgot THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION !

Mary E. Glynn said...

Not your sincerity, you ladies always seem to mean well,
just your staying power. You are so easily distracted, ma'am...

Mary E. Glynn said...

She's no Donald Trump, folks!
Don't encourage the inauthenticity from our EastCoast gal pal... We know who her father created.

Mary E. Glynn said...

Fred Drinkwater said...
Hmm...are we getting the authentic Althouse, here? Or is she just selling to her audience?
--------
That's the trouble with all tip-driven content in new media today. You never know who is paying to support your "work".

Here, it's a bunch of wives who like their old men to have a daytime daycare place to vent, I believe. meade is kinda like the lead "old boy", helping to make them comfortable and encourage donations to support his soft Madison lifestyle...

rhhardin said...

Just uploaded the Imus Lori McNichol audio, converting .rm to .mp3 to youtube. Real Audio was very compact back then so didn't run out of HD space like mp3 does.

Iman said...

Just wait ‘til the new Chinese heartthrob, Yung Duc Wang, makes his mark on the big screen!

rhhardin said...

Quang Phuc Dong is famous already. Look up his "English Sentences without Overt Grammatical Subject" a classic

rhhardin said...

... a linguistic study of "Fuck You"

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