The overload can be dialed back. It requires producers to stop casting assholes as heroes. It requires audiences to stop equating "entertaining" with "despicable." And it requires each of us, in our own private circles, to decide whether we want to be the witty villain or the quiet human who calls for a drink of water instead of a dram of blood.
The private society here is the audience’s DMs. Fans join paid Discord channels to harass contestants. The meta-narrative becomes: Who can be the biggest asshole and still get a spin-off? Billions . Industry . Yellowstone . These shows charge viewers an "empathy tax." You watch for 55 minutes, hating every character, and then you wait seven days to do it again. The writing teams are often consulting with former Wall Street traders or political operatives—members of the private society—who assure them, "No, we actually talk to each other like that." Asshole Overload -Private Society- 2024 XXX 720...
But a private society is only powerful as long as its doors remain closed. And entertainment content is only compelling as long as it reflects a truth we recognize—not a nightmare we are trying to escape. The overload can be dialed back