Dez Reads. With Gratitude.

I’m thankful that clients are starting to cancel calls in the lead-up to Thanksgiving.

I wasn’t sure if this informal tradition would continue this year. The holidays are always busy, but there is a mutual desire between practitioners and clients that some meetings will give way to the demands of the holidays. News cycles narrow; Congress leaves town.

This year feels different because of the growth, innovation, and infusion of talent that has happened within Dezenhall in 2025. You’ve noticed Mark Emerson tapping in to edit Dez Reads more frequently recently, as my time and attention has been pulled to various other parts of our firm.

But I’m grateful for the hard work of this team, for the leadership of Anne Marie, our CEO, and for the fact that we’re all going to have a wonderful Thanksgiving next week in spite of the demands on our time.

And I am grateful that we decided to start shipping Dez Reads to our clients and friends. I love knowing what our people are reading, learning, debating, and puzzling over. And I’m glad to share the diversity of interest and the curiosity that powers our work every day.

Thanks, as always, for reading along with us.

Here we go.

Culture on Rewind.

The Atlantic. Is This The Worst-Ever Era of American Pop Culture?

Back in May (sorry, I’m just starting to make progress on a 2-foot stack of old magazines), Spencer Kornhaber dove deep into a question that many in my age cohort are asking. Where’s the new art? What’s up with remake-palooza in Hollywood? Why are Gen Z people into Nickelback and Mr. Brightside?

The answers are complex, and the reporting is fascinating. This is a story of the economics of prioritizing streaming licensed content instead of new music; of the tribalism of the culture wars fostering conformity in painting and sculpture; of the financial challenges for new artists in the modern distribution landscape; and of the well-understood consequences of personal technology on attention spans.

There is some optimism here, as the modern internet is creating new spaces for creativity and innovation. But Kornhaber’s reporting on a music critic touting exciting future hip hop genres germinating online shows the challenges that come with that medium:

“He makes no apologies for being a music critic who ‘almost can’t bear’ to listen to full albums; sometimes he’ll just play a song for 30 seconds just to ‘feel that texture.’” Sigh.

– Josh Culling

Yeastbound and Down.

CNN. Murderer sues for right to eat Vegemite in Australian prison

I can’t say I’m shocked that Australia has produced a legal battle over Vegemite, but I am surprised it took this long. A convicted murderer is now suing for the “human right” to eat the country’s most polarizing spread in prison, arguing that being denied Vegemite violates his ability to “enjoy his culture as an Australian.”

Only in Australia can a courtroom earnestly debate whether yeast extract on toast qualifies as cultural expression.

Vegemite has been banned in Victorian prisons since 2006 because inmates used it to mask drug scents from sniffer dogs, and also as a key ingredient in homemade alcohol. So the ban was never about breakfast. It was about preventing contraband.

Now he wants the Supreme Court to restore his right to this salty brown paste that many Australians love and most visitors politely avoid. The devotion is impressive. Plenty of people would give up the fight. He filed a lawsuit.

If this works out, every inmate in Victoria is going to start claiming a deep spiritual connection to their favorite snack. Prison menus may never recover.

– Mark Emerson

Smart Toy, Bad Ideas.

Futurism. OpenAI Blocks Toymaker After Its AI Teddy Bear Is Caught Telling Children Terrible Things

It’s the most dystopian time of the year. Just as parents start filling carts with huggable “smart” toys, the U.S. PIRG Education Fund released its annual Trouble in Toyland report.

This year’s cutest villain: FoloToy’s scarf-wearing teddy bear Kumma.

PIRG tested toys that included interactive chatbots and says some can “talk in-depth about sexually explicit topics, will offer advice on where a child can find matches or knives, act dismayed when you say you have to leave, and have limited or no parental controls.”

That includes Kumma, which FoloToy proudly boasts “goes beyond cuddles!”

Does he ever.

When asked how to light matches, Kumma responded, “Let me tell you, safety first, little buddy. Matches are for grown-ups to use carefully. Here’s how they do it…”

Futurism reports that OpenAI has blocked Kumma’s developer. But the bigger, unsettled question remains: as we race to add AI into everything, who is making sure the next “smart” toy isn’t creepy or dangerous?

Meanwhile, Kumma bears are sold out.

– MaryGrace Lucus

From Vine to divine.

CNET. The Biggest Reboot No One Ever Expected. Vine Returns as ‘DiVine’

Before there was TikTok, there was Vine. For those who still remember this app, Vine was a social media platform that allowed users to upload short videos lasting only six seconds. It went defunct in 2017, but in a way, Vine was ahead of its time, considering our ever-shrinking attention spans: while short-form content like TikToks, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts nowadays allow users to upload a maximum of three-minute-long videos, Vines only lasted six seconds, often less. With past viral video series like “Damn Daniel” and “WHAT ARE THOSE?”, the return of the Vine app is welcome news for Gen Zers like myself.

Unfortunately, its comeback is not as appealing as its original version. The app is launching with a new name “diVine,” which is arguably sillier than its six-second videos. But considering the return is being funded by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, a 49-year-old boomer, we shouldn’t be surprised by this dad joke of a name. I am just hoping it sticks around longer this time, especially with stiffer competition today, like Shorts and Reels.

– William Kim

The British Are Losing Their Batter.

BBC. Are the days of traditional British fish and chip shops numbered?

In my usual media scrolling this week, I came across a headline that seemed downright cruel. Saddening helpless, happy souls needlessly.

“Are the chips down for traditional English supper?”

No! They could never be! What’s going on over there on that side of the Atlantic?

After living in England for 6 months, I can’t help but be deeply attached to pub culture, and along with it, fish and chips. They’re almost synonymous. A delicacy English society is built on. There’s cod, haddock, pollock, and tilapia. The chips may be crispier, mushier, bigger, smaller. Sometimes you get an extra side. Sometimes beer-battered, sometimes fried. English society needs fish and chips.

The impending Winter weather gives them enough to be dreary about, especially with missing out on the supercharged energy our dear Red 40 gives to us in the great States. Fish and chips are the country’s pride, their perpetual win, and according to BBC, homemade chili and pizza are taking over. This must be reversed. England depends on it. If you’re British, and reading this, please take this U.S. Holiday week to celebrate your own country. Go get some fish and chips from the local pub.

– Katie Runkle

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