Where my grinches at?🎄

➕ Spotify wrapped, & unpacking this headline: "Gen Z crybabies schedule their teary sessions, present them in PowerPoints”

Ok first of all, all your instafest line-ups in the chat yesterday were EVERYTHING. I would live and die to dance with the SYSCAhood.

Second of all - how the HELL is it the first of December? I’m freaked out by this, and really need Zoella to start Vlogmas (I love to get vicariously festive.)

Third of all SPOTIFY WRAPPED IS OUT AND MINE IS SO PREDICTABLE!!! Here it is:

Obv I’m gonna make a chat so you can all post yours!!!!!

• Bel Chimes In: With a love letter to all the grinches out there

• Jacinda Ardern and Sanna Marin dismiss suggestion their age and gender was reason for meeting

• “Gen Z crybabies schedule their teary sessions, present them in PowerPoints”

• Mattia Binotto is to leave his position as Ferrari Team Principal

Bel Chimes In: With a love letter to all the grinches out there

This section is written by my crush, the refreshing-as-a-house-chardonnay-on-a-steamy-day, Bel Hawkins. You should check out more of her beautiful words here.   

Hi besties! Oof just wanted to say a soft heart thank you for all your sweet replies last week! I love them like love itself. How *spesh* is it to have a space on the internet where you can be vulnerable and let people in (metaphor for friendships??? I think so). Keep me posted on any heart hell you’re feeling, and well, just know that we got you <3 Life has a funny way of doing its turning thing, and changing in ways we’re often only able to make sense of when we can look back at them. What’s meant for you won’t pass you by!

This week, in a SUPER ununique revelation… OMG it’s December, which, I don’t know about you, but always brings a bit of anxiety for me. Anxiety cos I’m a WOW (Worn Out Woman, lol), anxiety from feeling the gravity of the whole year both kinda slowing and catching up with you all at once, but also… Christmas.

This brings me to my big confession, which is that I’m a total grinch. Not in a bad-vibe-spreading-shut-up-about-it-already way. Just like, ugh I don’t like the pressure of this holiday.

It’s like… cool, let’s finish an entire working year, pack in an exhausted haze, have to buy people presents when often we have no money and spend an intense period of time with our imperfect families when we haven’t even had time to decompress yet.

~ Quick interlude here to say amazing if you love it! And your Christmas cheer is the total tonic to us Grinches in the world, ily ~

So I guess this Chime is an ode to anyone who this day is hard for. There are so many reasons, and I won’t bore you with the details of mine. But I feel like I’ve had a lot of convos with people lately who find the day tough. For really sad reasons, really complex reasons, or maybe really simple ones. So if you have yours, please know you’re not the only one who’s ever found themselves in a quiet moment in the chaotic day wondering, why are we trying to make something perfect out of all this?

There is still hope, there is always change, and there's always the beauty in simplifying our expectations of ourselves, others, and a random day on the Gregorian calendar.

All of this is to say I totally see you, and I hope this rant makes you feel seen! And when I wake up in a hotel room with my bestie in a foreign city this 25th, one of my greatest gifts will be all the joy and validation you’ve given us in the SYSCA universe this year xx

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Jacinda Ardern and Sanna Marin dismiss suggestion their age and gender was reason for meeting

Today in sexism: NZ’s PM (Jacinda Ardern) and Finland’s PM (Sanna Marin) were asked at a media briefing yesterday if the reason they were meeting up was because they were both ‘young female leaders.’ Sanna came back with:

“We’re meeting because we are prime ministers.”

And Jacinda responded by saying:

“I wonder whether or not anyone ever asked Barack Obama and John Key if they met because they were of similar age.”

“We, of course, have a higher proportion of men in politics – it’s reality – because two women meet, it is not simply because of their gender,” Ardern said.

Hate that this got asked, love how they responded. Now let’s leave them alone to do their jobs ✨AS PRIME MINISTERS✨and not ask waste-my-time questions like that anymore XD

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“Gen Z crybabies schedule their teary sessions, present them in PowerPoints”

Ok so first of all, haaaate the New York Post (who wrote this article) second of all, haaaaate that they ran with this headline when the article literally talks to two people - one 32 -year old and one 24-year old. But I guess Gen-Z shaming is trendy and will get the clicks!

What I like about the premise of this piece - which talks about how young people are scheduling in crying sessions - is that I feel kinda seen by it. Not often do I actually feel the need to cry (except for ironically, as I was editing Bel’s chime just before) but I DO like to sit down (maybe like 4 times a year this happens) and watch happy/sad videos and have a lil cry sesh. It kinda makes me feel good?? And apparently it does for a bunch of other people too. And this kinda brings me to today’s mundane poll:

Related: This tweet from Jaden Smith yesterday:

Jaden @jaden

I Was Sitting With A Group Of Friends Once, Mix Of Guys And Girls, And They We’re All Talking And Laughing Telling Stories, Then They Looked Over At Me And I Was Fully Sobbing Silent Tears, Like Fully Crying.

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And in F1 news:

Formula 1 @F1

BREAKING: Mattia Binotto will leave his position as Ferrari team principal at the end of 2022 #F1

Ferrari have announced that Mattia Binotto is to leave his position as Ferrari Team Principal at the end of the year, after WEEKS of speculation. He started his career in the team as an engine engineer (why didn’t they just call it an engineer to save time?) way back in 1995, and took on his current role in 2019.

Thoughts & feelings in the comments please!

• FIFA & the Controversies in Qatar, Explained (The Shit Show Podcast)

• What do we do with Chris Brown? (Culture Vulture Podcast)

• The Myth of the 25-Year-Old Brain (Slate)

• Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All is a Gen Z-friendly cannibal romance (New Statesman)

• Are Portia’s Outfits on The White Lotus Good or Bad? (Vogue)

• China’s Generation Z Isn’t Lying Flat Anymore (Bloomberg)