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Sarah Cooper, Revisited






A few months ago, I wrote about Sarah Cooper.

You can read it here:

https://thiscantbebroccoli.blogspot.com/2020/10/on-sarah-cooper.html

Since the election, the question of "What will happen to her if 45 doesn't get re-elected?" has been answered.

I think it's fair to say she's...pretty much been discarded.

If I felt somewhat bad for her before, I really feel bad for her now, because whereas I had a feeling she wouldn't be as prevalent post-election, I had no idea she'd evaporate this quickly.

I can only imagine how bizarre it must be to be Sarah Cooper. Obviously thrilled that we have a new President and also understanding that your relevancy was snatched from you the same way the Pentagon had to snatch the nuclear codes from the former President as he was making his way to the helicopter.

My essay was never meant as an attack on Cooper, but an attack on--here's everyone's favorite phrase--

The Culture

Specifically a Content Culture that loves the new TikTok format that allows them to do five-minute interviews with people about their five-minute, mildly amusing videos.

You could tell as we got closer to the election that Cooper was really hoping somebody would find something else about her that merited attention, and as best I can tell, there was plenty to find.

She's clearly clever.
She's very likable.
She's obviously brilliant.

But none of that is why she got famous, and the message almost seems to be--

You're better off playing to the lowest common denominator.

I have never lost more respect for so many people so quickly as I did when everybody on Twitter started calling her lip synch videos "satire."

I mean...satire?

Most of the people who are famous today don't deserve to be famous, but the problem is, even the people who do deserve to be famous are now getting famous for the wrong reasons.

And now that the media no longer needs Cooper for podcast Q&A's, they've left her to the hyenas, and by the hyenas, I mean--

The Trolls.

As soon as they sense that you're no longer the toast of the town, they eat the damn toast.

Twitter has gone from loving Cooper to ripping her apart for becoming famous for something stupid as if she had any control over that.

She's also made it a point to be as reflective and self-aware about her fame and the reason for it as possible, but it doesn't seem to matter, because she got sucked into the flash-in-the-pan storyline, and the only options for you once that happens is to either forsake the fame altogether and refuse to give the people what they want (I would not be able to do this and I don't know anyone who would) or just give into it and accept that once the bloom is off the rose, you're getting the #%$^ kicked out of you.

Even though Sarah had a hell of a ride, I wonder what it's like when you're on the ride with a tyrant. When, for the rest of your life, that's what you're going to be attached to unless you manage to find gold in the river for a second time.

Believe it or not, I'm pulling for her.

As someone who was convinced he could take some joy in her downfall, the more I got to know about her, the more I think she deserved better.

And that's not just--

Wait for it.

--lip service.

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