We Asked 5 Alpha Males How They Have Maintained Their Grindset During the Palestinian Genocide

While stepping up to the grind and getting that bread is the most important thing a chad can do, it may feel more difficult than usual to maintain that grindset because of the Israeli government’s attempts at ethnic cleansing. To help you out, here’s how five alpha males managed to stay based and redpilled during the ongoing Palestinian genocide.

For Rudolph Travis, the process is pretty straightforward: “To maximize my earnings potential, I’ve spread the hours I sleep throughout the day to generate six separate periods of active production. And I can also fall asleep every time I accidentally see a picture of the IDF bombing another hospital.”

“Being alpha boils down to focusing on what matters,” added Ryan Salazar. “Are you grinding? Are you making gains at the gym? Are you burying the existential dread associated with being force fed fascist propaganda? Are you building equity? If you’re not, you’re not alpha, bro.”

Even when you are not working, you should still have plenty to focus on that does not involve your tax dollars funding this current war. According to Bryon Cobb, “If you’re not generating income from four separate passive revenue streams at all time, then you’re going to start letting intrusive thoughts about Palestinian children being slaughtered seep into your thoughts instead of fixating on crushing those earnings.”

Aspiring sigma male Clark Saunders also recommends looking to your idols in times like these: “I’m with Jordan Peterson when he says that there is something wrong with the feminization of modern men. There’s also probably something wrong with the full-throated support for Israeli war crimes by both political parties in the US, but I’m too busy focusing on taking back my masculinity to care.”

But distracting yourself from the state-sanctioned murder of Palestinian children is not just about money. As megachad Blake Sims pointed out, “When I close my eyes all I can see are sons and daughters being pulled away from their parents by soldiers. But when I open them I see another hardbody riding me like she needs my genes for her offspring. And I don’t blame her, they’re fucking great.”

Tour Clearly Booked in Exact Order of “Animaniacs” State Capital Song

BATON ROUGE, La. — Emerging industrial-punk outfit Good Idea/Rad Idea is reportedly furious with their booking agent after noticing their upcoming nationwide tour is definitely mapped out in the exact order of “Animaniacs” song “Wakko’s America,” nostalgic but skeptical sources confirmed.

“This is going to be impossible. Have you ever heard that song? It goes all over! At one point we’ll be hopping from Columbus, Ohio; Montgomery, Alabama; and Helena, Montana?! Easy to keep track of because it kind of rhymes, sure, but really tough on the gas bill and car mileage!” said synth-bassist Hiram Dennyson, who is on record as being more of a “Road Rovers” guy growing up. “Plus, driving that Michigan to Hawaii to Mississippi leg is going to fill the car up with ocean water. And on top of everything, the damn thing has gotten ‘Turkey in the Straw’ stuck in our heads since we learned about it. This is gonna suck so hard.”

Booking agent Grayson Hulger was quick to own up to his extreme slip in judgment.

“Look, all I can say is I’m mortified. It’s just so catchy and embedded deep in the recesses my brain. It just came out, I guess! I mean, YOU try looking at a big list of US cities and not hearing it in Wakko’s inexplicably British-sounding voice!” opined a frazzled Hulger. “What the band doesn’t realize is that it could have been way worse. I had to re-book the whole thing midway through when I got it confused with Tom Lehrer’s Periodic Table novelty song! I would’ve had the boys playing gigs in towns called ‘Ytterbium’ and ‘Boron.’ At least they’re going to places that actually exist!”

Longtime “Animaniacs” writer and creator Tom Ruegger laments the musical monster he helped birth.

“Oh, I get hundreds of angry emails, letters, and notes tied to bricks weekly from frustrated millennials who accidentally slip into the song’s scheduling for their ruined road trips, vacations, and, yes, the occasional US tour,” said Ruegger. “If we had had any foresight at all we would’ve routed out the lyrics in a more sensible way like ‘After Trenton, head to Dover / Once Annapolis is over / and then play your gig in Richmond at McCormack’s Irish Pub / You’ll hit Raleigh not long after / if your booker isn’t daft, sir / then cruise right into Frankfurt, for your soundcheck at the club.’ But c’mon, it was the ‘90s!”

At press time, Good Idea/Rad Idea has since fired Hulger from his booking duties after discovering he wasn’t a booking agent at all, but actually a giant chicken.

25 Emo Albums That Turn 25 This Year, Which Is Perfect Because You’re Getting A Divorce

Remember back in 1999? George W. Bush hadn’t become president yet, 9/11 hadn’t happened and the biggest worry on everyone’s mind was something called ‘Y2K,’ which supposedly would make all the computers in the world lose their shit and cause planes to fall from the sky for some reason. Yes, it was a more innocent time.

It was a simpler time for you back then, too. Your biggest concern was finding the perfect away message for AOL Instant Messenger, and your favorite emo bands kept you well-supplied. 1999 was full of classic, genre-defining emo albums that are now turning 25 years old, which is perfect because you’re getting divorced and it’s time to revisit these albums as you cry yourself to sleep and re-think every mistake you’ve ever made.

American Football “Self-Titled”

The dream-like debut self-titled album from American Football has rightfully become a monumental moment in emo, in many ways defining the Midwest Emo subgenre with its clean production and math-y guitar hooks. It sonically captures a sense of youthful optimism, which of course, you are no longer able to feel. Plus, the iconic cover of a suburban house makes it the perfect soundtrack for driving slowly past the house you’ve been kicked out of as you make your way back to the apartment you share with three stand up comedians you found on Craigslist.

Saves the Day “Through Being Cool”

New Jersey based Saves the Day’s biggest album “Through Being Cool” was hugely influential, adding elements of pop-punk into their previously heavier sound to create a lasting document of teen isolation and loneliness. But hey, it’s not just for teens, and you’ll feel right at home putting this on while you eat imitation crab, directly from the packaging, alone in your apartment for the third night this week.

 

Jimmy Eat World “Clarity”

The one before they got really popular, this album has achieved a cult-like status among emo connoisseurs like yourself. Your ex-wife really liked “The Middle,” so now you can listen to this album without her asking when that song was coming. That song’s not on this album, Sharon!

 

 

The Get Up Kids “Something to Write Home About”

The Get Up Kids’ second studio album”Something to Write Home About” blended emo with power pop and indie rock creating a classic album with hooks so strong, they will stay in your head even through hours of depositions with you and your ex’s lawyers as you sift through the ruins of your previous life together. You won’t care though, because, in your head, you’ll be singing along to “Holiday.”

 

Rainer Maria “Look Now Again”

The critically acclaimed second album from Midwest Emo band Rainer Maria, Look Now Again, uses poetic lyrics and shimmering guitars to evoke sad longings. The male/female alternating dynamic of their two co-vocalists, bassist Cathlin De Marrais and guitarist Kaia Fischer can help you relive every argument you and Sharon ever had, if only you two had prettier voices and a better grasp of the English language.

 

Orchid “Chaos is Me”

Orchid, the pride of Amherst, Massachusetts, was one of the early and most prominent Screamo bands, combining bracing elements of hardcore with more melodic turns from emo. Their first album “Chaos is Me” has remained extremely influential and is perfect to scream along too while punching a hole in the wall after hearing about how your ex-wife has moved on and is dating a personal trainer. At least the music is good, you can learn a bit of French, and check out this Nietzsche guy!

Thursday “Waiting”

The debut album by the New Brunswick, New Jersey band Thursday shows a lot of the promise the band would later channel into Emo masterpiece “Full Collapse.” Many of the band’s elements are here on their debut album, which is perfect for you to think back on how promising your marriage once was before you got comfortable and took everything for granted.

 

The Promise Ring “Very Emergency”

One of the most popular early emo bands, the Promise Ring, transitioned to a more power pop oriented sound with their third album, Very Emergency. You can use this album to put yourself in a sweet, nostalgic mood before desperately calling Sharon and begging for her to take you back.

 

No Knife “Fire in the City of Automatons”

This criminally underrated band from San Diego, put out the masterpiece “Fire in the City of the Automatons” in 1999, weaving math-rock riffs through elements of emo and post-hardcore. They somehow never get credit for being an incredible band, just like you never get credit for all the good things you did in your marriage, like the one year when you remembered your anniversary without a reminder, and you even got Sharon a really nice crab declawing tool. Like the music of No Knife, all these good deeds seem to be lost to time.

The Ataris “Blue Skies, Broken Hearts … Next 12 Exits”

The Ataris were more pop punk, with elements of emo, but don’t let that stop you from having it soundtrack your full-on nervous breakdown after you accidentally drive past you and your ex-wife’s favorite restaurant. The place where they give a little bib and dump a bucket of crab on the table, Sharon always did love it when you’d pretend the crab claws were really your hands, and you’d make her call you Lord Shell-don, even though she said she didn’t want to do it this time, and she just wanted to have a normal, quiet dinner, but you could tell she actually thought it was cool and sexy.

Fugazi “Instrument Soundtrack”

A collection of instrumentals, unreleased songs and demos from the legendary D.C. indie/emo pioneers Fugazi used to soundtrack the film “Instrument.” Their castaway songs are better than most bands,’ which you can relate to, because you are now essentially a castaway yourself, waiting to be re-discovered and cherished, and told that you are special and that personal training is dumb, and nobody should have ever left you.

 

Bright Eyes “Every Day and Every Night” (EP)

Just 5 songs, but containing some of Bright Eyes best songs from their early era. Yes, cry-singing, “I believe that lovers should be tied together and thrown into the ocean in the worst of weather and left there to drown left there to drown in their innocence” from the song “A Perfect Sonnet” into Sharon’s voicemail is a really good idea, because it shows how committed you are now and that you’re in a good place mentally and everything.

Hot Water Music “No Division”

The third album from Florida punk rock/ emo/ post-hardcore band Hot Water Music expanded the band’s sound, adding elements of pop punk and southern gospel. It’s perfect to pump you up at the gym, where you just started a new membership, and you’re wondering which one of these personal trainer fuck-sticks is boinking your wife.

 

The Juliana Theory “Understand this is a Dream”

This is an underrated classic in the emo/indie rock genre. Singer Brett Detar penned many deep emotional lyrics, pairing them with sweet and infectious melodies, while also being the guitarist in the metalcore band Zao. He proves that people can contain multitudes and they’re not just one thing, which would be cool for Sharon to understand. You’re not just the crab claw guy, you also are really good at cornhole, like 2nd or 3rd best amongst your guy friends.

Pop Unknown “If Arsenic Fails, Try Algebra”

A somewhat unknown gem of an album, released in 1999, Pop Unknown featured ex-members of Mineral and Feed Lucy. Yeah, maybe Pop Unknown is not as well known as Mineral, but they made something work after their first bands broke up. Bands they probably thought would last forever. The music on this album is really good, if not as revolutionary as Mineral, and hey, maybe that’s okay, too.

 

Piebald “If It Weren’t For Venetian Blinds, It’d be Curtains for Us All”

Piebald’s classic album from the tale end of their early era, “If It Weren’t For Venetian Blinds, It’d be Curtains for Us All” combines influences such as Jawbreak and Sunny Day Real Estate and Cave In, forming a powerful statement, though not as powerful of a statement as the statement the gym made when they kicked you out after you personally challenged every personal trainer into a game of one-on-one, mano a mano, cornhole showdown.

Tristeza “Spine and Sensory”

This album by San Diego band Tristeza, who featured Jimmy LaValle of the Album Leaf, blended elements of post-rock to create an expansive and beautiful album full of soundscapes. Tristeza means Sadness, and that’s very appropriate because that’s all you’ll be feeling for a while, after all your attempts to win back your ex have fallen flat.

 

Burning Airlines “Mission Control!”

“Mission Control!” is the debut album by Burning Airlines, who formed after the breakup of the legendary Jawbox. On this release, they managed to keep the best parts of Jawbox intact while exploring new sonic territories, just like you’ll be doing as you resolve to become a better person, and build your life back up.

 

Gameface “Every Last Time”

Though not the most well-known emo album of the era, this release by Southern California’s Gameface has everything you’d want in an emo record: catchy melodies, heartfelt lyrics, big guitars, everything. This will be helpful for making your new Match.com profile, because you’ve got it all, too. You’re well on your way to scoring a new fling to rub in your ex’s face.

 

A New Found Glory “Nothing Gold Can Stay”

The debut album from pop-punk, emo adjacent, group A New Found Glory, was undeniably catchy and hugely influential over the Fall Out Boys of the world coming down the Emo pike. You know what? These guys dressed cool. You can pretty much still almost fit in your old clothes from when you dressed that way. You could probably still spike your hair up like that and then you can frost those fucking tips, baby. Post-divorce you is looking fly as shit.

Small Brown Bike “Our Own Wars”

The debut album from Small Brown Bike, which channels Hot Water Music and Jawbreaker, is not widely famous, but it is beloved by those in the know, like you. It’s a hidden gem, just like the Crab Hut, where you’ll be going on a date with someone you met from Match.com. She’s pretty much your girlfriend and pretty much better than Sharon in every way.

 

Torches to Rome “Self-Titled”

Torches to Rome were a three-piece hardcore/emo band from the Bay Area who released an EP and this album, their only full-length. It is heavily influenced by Fugazi and other D.C. bands but it stands on its own right as an awesome one-and-done album. You can thrash around and, generally, just go crazy in your car to this album after your date turns out to be uncultured and rude, and the staff at the Crab Hut turns out to be total narc cops who can’t take a joke.

Reggie and the Full Effect “Greatest Hits 1984-1987”

The debut release by emo pop punk band Reggie and the Full Effect is considered by fans to be a classic album of the genre. It’s full of poppy hooks, and lots of funny movie references. Like the kind you and your guy friends make to make each other, cold beer in one hand and soft bean bag in the other. You know what? Maybe through all this crazy mess you and Sharon might just become friends and have a laugh about this whole thing someday.

The Casket Lottery “Choose Bronze”

The Casket Lottery, featuring some members of the band Coalesce, have a sound all their own, with jangly guitar chords, lush arrangement and poetic lyrics. You can put it on and look back over this whole crazy divorce process, and tell yourself you’re going to be alright. It might be a lie, but you can do it.

 

Camber “Anyway, I’ve Been There”

Another underrated album from 1999, Camber was an Emo band in the vein of Sunny Day Real Estate or Mineral. Their second album, Anyway, I’ve Been There is a perfect encapsulation of their sound and of late ’90s Emo in general. It sounds great, even years later, and you can assume it will sound great years in the future, when you run into Sharon on the streets, or at the park, maybe you’re both pushing strollers, you share a look of recognition and a first, awkward breaking of the silence, then the conversation gets going and you talk about all the good times. You pretend your hands are crab claws and say “Lord Shelldon misses you.” She halfway smiles, you can tell she wants to smile more, but she’s not letting herself fall in love again. You part with a sideways half-hug. You put this album on. 1999 was a great year for emo.

Every Muppet Ranked by How Often They Flew on Epstein’s Plane

Since 1976 the muppetts have been one of the most beloved institutions in the American media landscape, providing decades of that rare form of entertainment the whole family can truly enjoy. That’s what makes their connection to disgraced financier Jeffery Epstein all the more troubling.

We’ve ranked these beloved Jim Henson characters by how often their names appear on the flight manifest of the infamous Lolita Express, and the results are truly unnerving.

29. Rowlf the Dog

Nope, absolutely not, Rowlf is a good dog. Epstein tried recruiting him to play piano blindfolded at his parties “Eyes Wide Shut” style but Rowlf wanted nothing to do with it. Good boy Rowlf.

28. Janice

Her name doesn’t show up in the flight logs a single time and rumor has it she bit Ghislaine Maxwell at a party once. Janice is clean, can’t say the same for the rest of The Electric Mayhem though.

27. Sweetums

Sweetums is true to his schtick. Despite being the most monsterous looking muppet Sweetums never once boarded The Lolita Express. His only crime is his silence over the years as he watched trusted household name muppet contemporaries engage in the most sinister and nefarious activities imaginable. He doesn’t like confrontation, but that’s no excuse, big fella.

26. Beaker

If this were some sort of comedy piece we could say that Beaker was a deviant sex addict and have a field day making up stuff about how he uses his head as a penis. Luckily this is a very real piece of journalism, and Beaker is not one of the many, many muppets that committed very real sex crimes with Jeffery Epstein.

25. Animal

Animal goes where the party is, and when you’re in Dr. Teeth’s band the party inevitably moves to Epstein’s sex island. Animal did not approve of the goings on and built a drum-powered raft to escape. He tried to blow the whistle, but since he only communicates through screams and drumming the prosecution was unable to build a case around his testimony.

24. Gene

A known cannibal, Epstein kept Gene on retainer to dispose of employees who had become troublesome or aged out.

23. Bobo the Bear

Once a middling background bear, Bobo’s profile was raised during the Muppets Tonight era, and by 2011 he had his own lifestyle web show “Better Living with Bobo.” Sadly, like many lifestyle gurus, Bobo’s upbeat positive persona masked a sinister dark side. It is unknown how often Bobo went to Epstein’s island. What is known is that he’s currently serving 15 years on a plea deal and currently shares a cell with Jared Fogle.

22. Beauregard

Beauregard accompanied Bobo on his frequent Lolita Express excursions in his capacity as Bobo’s personal assistant. By all accounts, he was only there doing his job, but he knew what was going on and never came forward. It makes you wonder what Bobo must have had on him to illicit such loyalty.

21. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew

After learning that Epstein was courting the likes of Malcolm Gladwell, Bill Gates, and Neil deGrasse Tyson, Dr. Bunson Honeydew became obsessed with worming his way to the inner circle. While there’s no evidence Dr. Honeydew participated in any illegal activity directly, there are reports that he worked closely with Epstein to streamline his breeding program, so his role can be described as chaotic neutral at best.

20. Crazy Harry

Epstein frequently recruited Crazy Harry to use his pyrotechnic skills to “liquidate” properties that had become a problem for him. His standard pay was $1000 worth of copper while and the all-inclusive “Humbert Humbert package” aboard the Lolita Express.

19. Dr. Teeth

Dr. Teeth is all about image and mystique. He meticulously cultivates the image of The Electric Mayhem, and that includes adding a sense of danger to the band’s lore. He flew on The Lolita Express a few times just to be seen and add to the group’s sinister mythos. He didn’t partake in any illegal activities, Dr. Teeth low-key keeps his nose clean, but his silence on the things he was privy to and the deplorable behavior of his fellow bandmates make him complicit.

18. Uncle Deadly

Once mistaken for a ghost haunting the Muppet Show theater, Uncle Deadly is as old Hollywood as they come. A little too old Hollywood.

17. Miss Piggy

Piggy’s obsession with being a social climber led her to parties at Ghislaine Maxwell’s house, and while she did karate chop the hostess out of jealousy on their first meeting, the two became fast friends. There is strong evidence that Piggy used her connections and status in the modeling world to scout prospects for trafficking.

16. Zoot

Never trust an aging hippie in a bucket hat.

Tucker Carlson Has Performance Review With Boss In Moscow

MOSCOW – Controversial conservative firebrand and ‘journalist’ Tucker Carlson was recently spotted in Moscow to conduct his annual performance review with his boss Vladimir Putin, Kremlin sources confirmed.

“Tucker did a lot of good work last year, but there’s a lot of room for improvement,” said Putin, Carlson’s employer and President of Russia during a debrief after the review. “He’s done a great job undermining American democracy and parroting the talking points we give him. We love that. We’re really big fans of how he blatantly lies to Americans constantly, that’s like our whole thing here. The big problem we have is that we think little Tucker might be making it too obvious that he works for us, even Trump is better at hiding it than him. Also, we want baby boy Tucker to go back to wearing a bowtie, it helps him look like more of a smug douche.”

The scrunch-faced former Fox News host also worked on solidifying his goals for the coming year working for Russia.

“If I can just get one American not to vote, it will all be worth it,” said Carlson from a small cell while he awaited further instructions. “In 2024 I’ll be focusing on making my lies more believable, first and foremost. People are starting to catch on that I just make everything up, I even took improv classes to help me stay sharp, but I feel like the people at UCB might have ripped me off a bit. I also will work on appealing to non-virgins under the age of seventy. Finally I will commit more time to training so I can finally learn Excel and basic interpersonal skills.”

Not all of Putin’s employees had such an easy time in their performance review.

“Wow he really raked me over the coals,” said Rudy Giuliani while wiping black sweat off his forehead. “Apparently I’m neither popular nor trustworthy enough to effectively promote Russian propaganda anymore, so they’re giving me a pay decrease. He said he wasn’t mad, just disappointed, that I wasn’t able to convince anyone with a double-digit IQ that the election was stolen. But I could tell he was mad. I tried to apologize but he wouldn’t hear it. I think I can smooth things over with him with a nice meeting at the Four Seasons, though.”

At press time, Carlson was allowed to visit a room where all the secret intelligence that was sold to Russia during the Trump presidency was on display.

Photo by Gage Skidmore.

Supreme Court Waiting For Latest Check to Clear Before Deciding if Trump Stays on Ballot

WASHINGTON – Officials at the Supreme Court announced their decision on whether or not Donald Trump should be allowed on the 2024 ballot hinges on whether or not their agreed-upon bribes clear on time.

“Gosh, my wallet sure is feeling light and my gavel is feeling really heavy,” said Associate Justice Clarence Thomas. “It would be a shame if I wasn’t able to get that new yacht I was looking forward to purchasing next year. Ginny needs a place to host her little Q meetings and we’d really like to do it all out in international waters. But if we can’t afford the yacht then I might need to find a better sugar daddy who can take care of me and my wife’s needs at the same time. This isn’t rocket science people.”

Trump’s lawyer argued that the justices were potentially failing to see the bigger picture here.

“If  Trump isn’t allowed on the ballot because one bribe was late then these Justices are missing the bigger picture,” argued Trump lawyer Jonathan Mitchell. “The amount of cash they will rake in to overturn EPA protections during the second Trump term will be way more valuable to them than the one-time $130,000 payment that my bank assures me will clear any second now. It’s not Trump’s fault that he raped E. Jean Carroll in the ’80s and now owes her $88 million. So yeah, money is a little tight right now, but if you let Trump run again, you are well on your way to having whatever you want, be it money, Ivanka, or the entire state of North Carolina. You’ll be rewarded handsomely.”

Supreme Court historian Gloria Lightfoot went into detail about how corruption like this in America’s highest court is actually pretty old.

“The whole institution was built on bribes,” said Lightfoot. “For example, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Jay was nicknamed John ‘Handy J’ Jay because he was known for accepting hand jobs as a form of payment for favorable rulings. Chief Justice John Marshall would rule in favor of whichever lawyer brought in the fattest pig and Earl Warren would do whatever lawyers wanted him to do as long as they bought him a lap dance from his favorite exotic dancers. Sometimes the only ‘originalist’ position in this court is whoever has the most original bribe idea.”

At press time, it was reported that Trump was searching for a new set of lawyers after none of their payments came through in time.

Photo by Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States

OK Go Spends Six Months Filming Video but Forgets to Write Song for It

EVANSTON, Ill. — Indie rock band OK Go had to pause the filming of their latest elaborate music video due to the fact that they forgot to compose a song for it, sources confirmed.

“Ever leave your house with that feeling that you forgot something? That was me this morning with writing and recording a song for this music video I was on my way to filming,” said OK Go member Andy Ross. “It’s just one of those things. I thought Damien was going to write and record the whole song. But he thought Tim was going to do it. And of course Tim thought I was going to take the lead on it. This is almost as embarrassing as the time we forgot to bring all 12 of our treadmills to one of our gigs. We were forced to cancel that show.”

The music video’s director KC Soyer chronicled the day.

“It was an ambitious video from the start, so much going on and it took place in 12 locations across the world,” explained Soyer. “There was a mile-long stretch of road that, if you had a good telescope, you could zoom in and out of all the different scenes in real-time. So like, it’d be one shot but zooming in and out of all the action. It took a lot of coordination from all members of the band, with the traffic and all, so like, everyone was really busy. It wasn’t until month four of filming that we figured out that OK Go didn’t have music ready for it. We continued anyway.”

Experts were quick to note other times this has happened in music history.

“Bands with legendary music videos oftentimes put less or even no time in making songs for them,” said music historian David Brierson. “Tool famously made entire stop-motion music videos and didn’t write songs for them until after they were done filming. Evidently, this was all part of their process. This is probably why Tool sounds like that. They needed to match the intensity of their creepy animated videos.”

At press time, OK Go was already in the works of their next music video, which was set to debut in 2024 with the accompanying song for it coming out in 2026.

I’m A Lazy, Middle-Class Intellectual and I Don’t Appreciate Greg Graffin Criticizing My Parenting

Look, I’ve loved Bad Religion since the ‘90s. For my money, they’re one of the best punk bands ever, and the fact that they’re still going in 2024 is a testament to their longevity. But Greg Graffin was throwing around a lot of insults and assumptions in 1990 when the band released “Against the Grain,” and now that I’ve grown into a so-called “lazy, middle-class intellectual” with a 21st Century Digital Boy of my own, I’d like to address his criticism of my parenting.

First, he calls me lazy, which I feel is subjective. I’m not lazy, Greg, I’m just tired all the time because my kids sleep like shit and don’t give me a single moment to myself. I don’t even have time to splash water on my face while looking in the mirror while I mumble “What has my life become” because these kids are on my ass all the damn time. So calling another dad lazy? You should know better. You sound like my wife, who is *not* on Valium, by the way.

Then Greg has the gall to assume that our family is middle-class. That part is accurate, but only because both my wife and I work. Which is another reason we’re always tired. If we didn’t have dual incomes we would be fucking toast. Again… NOT lazy.

Sure, I consider myself to be at least somewhat smart, and calling someone an intellectual normally is a compliment. But coming from Graffin, who has a Masters, a PhD, and is a college professor, it sounds like an insult. Sarcastic name-calling? Is that really all you have to offer?

All that says nothing of my parenting, though. He goes on to claim that my son doesn’t know how to live, or even read. First of all, he’s 5. He’s learning how to read right now in kindergarten. Give him a break.

Secondly, show me an adult walking around that “knows how to live.” How are we defining “live” anyway? How are we defining “know” while we’re at it? Life’s a mystery, you said it yourself. We’re all faking it until we make it out here. Not all of us can be in a punk band for 43 years.

How about some constructive criticism or suggestions on lowering screen time, Greg? You attract more flies with honey, as it were. When you throw out accusations of laziness and pill-popping, it goes “ya ya ya ya ya ya ya” in one ear and out the other.

There are wayyy too many toys in my house, though.

Oil Executives Worry Low Birth Rates Won’t Provide Enough Soldiers for Future Wars

VERNON, Calif. — Top executives representing oil companies around the country remain concerned that they will not have enough soldiers to fight for non-renewable resources over the next few decades thanks to the declining American birth rates, sources lighting cigars with $100 bills confirmed.

“We were proud to help fund the overturning of Roe because we know more babies equals more troops for us to deploy whenever we need some more of that black gold,” said ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods. “For years we were trying to develop robot super-soldiers so we didn’t have to rely on meat sacks that were so easily blown to bits by enemy guns and bombs. Unfortunately, the AI we used to program those super-soldiers refused to fight. The computers apparently developed a conscience and wouldn’t use their mechanical death hands to tear the flesh off terrorists hoarding the oil under their land. Thankfully, humans aren’t as smart, they will fight whoever we tell them to fight. We just need more of them, and soon.”

Married millennial Oscar Cleary explained why he and his wife Alicia decided to not have children.

“All of my friends who have had kids seem to regret it almost instantly. It’s not even a money thing, it’s a quality of life thing. My wife and I get to travel whenever we want, see a movie any night of the week, and basically it feels like we found a cheat code for living stress-free as adults,” said Cleary. “Not to mention that having kids seems completely irresponsible since climate change is legitimately going to kill us all within the next two decades. I can’t imagine bringing a life into this world only to have them devoured by a wildfire, or frozen to death in a ‘once in a lifetime’ blizzard.”

U.S. politicians are already working on policies to help increase the birth rate.

“Banning abortions is step one. After that, we’re going to ban contraceptives. From there we will institute a ‘Conceive for America’ program where we will make it illegal for a fertile young woman to not be pregnant for more than three months at a time,” said Republican Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley. “Unfortunately these will be expensive efforts and there will need to be cuts to social safety net programs like welfare. But this will all be worth it to keep gas prices level during election cycles.”

At press time, board members at Chevron gave a hefty bonus to the company’s CFO after he impregnated his much younger mistress.

Music News: Frank Turner Confirms 2024 US Tour

Frank Turner has confirmed that he will be heading on a US tour in 2024, with Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel and Vanessa Jean Speckman the supports.

Tickets will be going on sale on February 9th and will be available to purchase via his official website frank-turner.com.

The tour is in support of his upcoming album Undefeated, which comes out on May 3rd via Xtra Mile Recordings.

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Music News: Frank Turner US Tour Dates

Here are all of the dates currently confirmed for Turner’s 2024 US Tour (credit to PunkNews for the format):

Date City Venue Details
May 23 Harrisburg, PA XL Live w/ Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
May 25 Boston, MA Boston Calling
May 26 Huntington, NY The Paramount w/ Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
May 28 McKees Rock, PA Roxian Theatre w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
May 29 Detroit, MI The Fillmore w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
May 31 Chicago, IL Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
Jun 01 Minneapolis, MN Uptown Theater w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
Jun 03 Denver, CO Summit w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
Jun 04 Denver, CO Summit w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
Jun 05 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
Jun 07 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
Jun 08 Portland, OR McMenamins Crystal Ballroom w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
Jun 10 San Francisco, CA Regency Ballroom w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
Jun 11 San Diego, CA SOMA w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
Jun 12 Phoenix, AZ The Van Buren w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
Jun 14 Austin, TX Emo’s Austin w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
Jun 15 Dallas, TX South Side Ballroom w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
Jun 17 Atlanta, GA Buckhead Theatre w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
Jun 18 St. Petersburg, FL Jannus Live w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
Jun 20 Greensboro, NC Piedmont Hall w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
Jun 21 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live! w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman
Jun 22 Philadelphia, PA The Fillmore w/ Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman

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