Sign up for Digg's morning newsletter The best stories of the day, in your inbox
Subscribe Now
Hide
Video Data Viz Movies and TV Real Estate Internet Culture News One Main Character Memes Relationships Gaming

dudes rock

Theo Von's Advice For A Trans Guy, And More Of This Week's 'One Main Character'

Darcy Jimenez
Darcy Jimenez
Theo Von's Advice For A Trans Guy, And More Of This Week's 'One Main Character'
The new "Nosferatu" movie has sparked debate about media literacy.
· 6.9k reads ·
·
·

Every day, somebody says or does something that earns them the scorn of the internet. Here at Digg, as part of our mission to curate what the internet is talking about right now, we rounded up the main characters on X from this past week and held them accountable for their actions.



This week, we've got "Nosferatu" discourse, an AI company CEO's take on music and some unconventional advice from comedian Theo Von.


Sunday

Nosferatu fans

The character: @iamBK_, X user, movie fan

The plot: Robert Eggers's "Nosferatu" came out recently, and while some fans have reacted with little more than silly memes online, others are debating the true meaning behind Ellen’s relationship with the vampire.

One X user, named Ben, criticized the interpretation of "Nosferatu" as a love story. "People leaving 'Nosferatu' thinking Ellen was in love with Orlok is very concerning, both in terms of media literacy and how we view relationships/consent," he said.


The repercussion: Over in the cinephile corner of X, opinion is split. Many have responded in agreement with Ben, while others think he's missing the point — in their eyes, Ellen does want Orlok, who represents the desires she has repressed out of shame. This interview with Eggers suggests the latter take is correct, but we'll let you decide for yourselves.


Darcy Jimenez


Saturday

Mikey Shulman

The character: Mikey Shulman, Suno AI CEO, building something for a billion people, part-time musician therapist

The plot: Tech CEO Mikey Shulman, who runs AI music company Suno, proclaimed on a podcast that "the majority of people don't enjoy the majority of time they spend making music." It takes time to hone your craft, he said, implying that no one has the patience to do that anymore.

Had this take come from anyone other than the CEO of an AI company that generates music, perhaps they would be forgotten in an instant, but not this guy.


The repercussion: For starters, folks have a problem with the product Shulman is selling, and the fact that he's making up weird hypotheticals to shill it. As expected, musicians and non-musicians alike called out Shulman's take for being completely out of touch with reality.


Adwait Patil


Tuesday

Theo Von

The character: Theo Von, podcaster, comedian, expert on masculinity

The plot: A trans man, also named Theo, asked the prolific comedic podcaster for some tips on being a man. Thankfully, Von's reply was welcoming and affable, but it was exceedingly bizarre — trademark Von.

Chewing tobacco and slacks made his list of manly things, but at least he clarified that steroids aren't mandatory anymore. Also, hats. "Some guys do a hat," and that's beautiful.


The repercussion: People certainly took note of Von's unconventional ideas of masculinity, but they mostly just smiled and nodded their heads. In such a toxic media environment, it's just nice to have a goofy response instead of the venom we've grown accustomed to.


Grant Brunner


Read the previous edition of our One Main Character column, which featured a rich guy who doesn't like Manhattan's congestion toll, someone who wanted private firefighters to save his home and discourse about using AI for everyday tasks.


[Image credit: Theo Von]

Comments

Cut Through The Chaos With Digg Edition

Sign up for Digg's daily morning newsletter to get the most interesting stories. Sent every morning.