These two TikTok clips really need no introduction, but I'm going to give them one. If you're time-challenged, just scroll down to the links and watch them. They're the best explanations of the topics they concern that I've seen all week.
Or you can just go to my WordPress page and view the videos immediately here: https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2025/08/04/two-videos/
Yes, on TikTok. The dirty little secret is late night TV's goal is virality online. That's where you see the shows' best work. And the standard for virality is high, which is why Jimmy Fallon so often fails. Online edgy works, bland is overlooked. In the days of three networks, bland was the standard, in the era of unlimited choice, you must cause a reaction in the consumer. You must make them laugh or get their blood to boil, to the point where they'll tell everybody else about your work. The music business used to sell edge, it specialized in this, but now it has sacrificed the bleeding edge to TikTok. As for why your music doesn't go viral...does it have an edge, does it say something? The audience has got no time for commerce, they want something that affects them.
Now when it comes to politics, those in authoritarian countries say the only thing that works against leaders is humor, that they can't handle it. The following clip is not about Trump, but it is about the red/blue divide.
The clip comes from "The Daily Show." To tell you the truth, I don't know the host's name, even though I could look it up. She's got the sneer down pat. She ends up rising above the argument, which is what all cool people do. Now in truth, despite being on TV only one day a week, Jon Stewart is the king of late night virality. We keep hearing about Colbert, but online Stewart rules. His show airs on TV Monday night and for days thereafter the best clips are viewed online by a plethora of people. I don't pull Stewart's words, they're pushed to me, they always come up in my feed. Stewart sometimes gets down into the trenches, but what is most appealing is when he's separate/above it all, as if saying "look at these doofuses."
Enough words, please watch this "Daily Show" clip about Sydney Sweeney and the jeans controversy. It nails the issues and the hypocrisy:
https://www.tiktok.com/@thedailyshow/video/7533586266227559693?q=daily%20show%20sydney%20sweeney%20megan%20kelly&t=1754337669567
Now the other clip I'm going to link to is one about electric cars. It's a slam dunk. If everyone in America viewed this also humorous clip, they'd get the message, they'd get on board.
This is a gigantic issue in America today. The entire world is moving to electric.
I know many of you hate the "New York Times," but I point you to an article in today's "New York Times":
"Trump Will Slow, but May Not Stop, the Rise of Electric Vehicles - President Trump and Republicans in Congress are eliminating federal incentives to buy electric vehicles, but carmakers need to keep selling and investing in them."
Free link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/03/business/trump-electric-vehicles.html?unlocked_article_code=1.bk8.7xED.9N54uIc9O82S&smid=url-share
Here's the nougat:
"U.S. electric vehicle sales rose just 1.5 percent in the first six months, according to Cox Automotive. But globally sales rose 28 percent to 9.1 million vehicles"
"Carmakers that ignore this fast-growing market may not be in business 10 years from now"
The problem is we live in a world economy, where electric is triumphing, led by the Chinese. Anway, here's the video, please watch it:
https://www.tiktok.com/@thefinanceinfo/video/7532506945819823382?_r=1&_t=ZP-8yZkgRMuSrP
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