Hi friend,

I'm back on the farm after a stretch of travel that included Toronto and Orlando. It's always restorative to slip back into the rhythm of country life, especially at the beginning of spring, with its unfailing promise of renewal, the scent of cherry blossoms and the beautiful melodies of birdsongs. Did you know that birdsongs are good for your brain and your mood?

Navigating this season of rebirth alongside the weight of the world's suffering embodies a profound duality. It's a season that whispers of life's persistence, of delicate buds pushing through soil, of days stretching longer, offering light as if in defiance of the darkness that threads through our collective narratives. Here, in this moment, we're invited to pause, to find solace in these small affirmations of life.

This juxtaposition - watching the baby sparrows learn to fly from my window against the backdrop of genocide and intentional famine - underscore the complexity of our existence. I keep reminding myself of the inherent resilience in the natural world, and by extension, within ourselves.

This week, I'm trying to find hope in every tiny vibrant sign of life. I'm compelled to hold space for the spectrum of human experience, of personal blessings and collective tragedies. I don't have easy answers, just an instinct to seek beauty and cherish the fleeting magic of spring as a counterbalance to world's enduring sorrow.

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In this Dispatch:

1. "Let them Eat Flakes" - Kellogg's Greedflation
2. TikTok Ban
3. Boeing's Whistleblower Mystery
4. Content Corner

1. Kellogg's CEO & Greedflation

The Lucille Bluth Banana Award for most tone-deaf executive goes to Gary Plinick, CEO of Kellogg and modern day Marie Antoinette. He suggested that consumers feeling the pressure of rising food costs should try "having cereal for dinner." Not a great look considering Kellogg's prices increased by 17.1% since last year. Even as inflation rates leveled off, food prices have remained high with corporations raking in record profits.

The sheer audacity of a man who makes millions of dollars per year telling struggling Americans to feed their families sugar-filled processed junk did not sit well with consumers (check out the comments on this LinkedIn Post) who have launched a three-month boycott against Kellogg products. On Tiktok #boycottkelloggs sits at over 18.5 million views currently. The boycott officially launches on April 1st, but people have already started.

​LetThemEatCereal.info summarizes consumers' demands: lower food prices by 25% across the board as well as assurances that the company won't penalize employees through layoffs. Other requests include sustainable agricultural practices, the removal of carcinogens, and transparency in ingredient sourcing.

According to Fortune, a study of 1,300 companies found they were lying to consumers about price increases due to inflation - they just wanted more money.​

Consumers are hitting a breaking point. In 2023 we saw a rise in boycotts and this trend is set to continue into 2024 with people leveraging the only weapon they have left: their spending dollars.

2. TikTok Ban Exposes Government Fears

Speaking of a clueless ruling class, American politicians are trying to ban Tiktok - in earnest this time. The pushed narrative seems be a concern about algorithmic influence from China, but I wonder if there are other political agendas at play:

• Tiktok's e-commerce ambitions includes TikTok shop, which allows creators to sell products directly on the app and a partnership with global logistics companies to facilitate world-wide delivery. Rumor has it, Amazon is not happy.
• It was revealed in 2022, that Meta had paid a consulting firm to smear Tiktok to politicians, since the app is more popular than dying platforms like FB and Instagram.
• Jonathan Greenblatt, from the Anti-Defamation League, was heard on a leaked phone call saying that the pro-Israel lobby had a "Tiktok problem", accusing the platform of deliberately pushing Pro-Palestinian content, a claim which has been debunked by several journalists, notably Vox's Rebecca Jennings, who has a great, detailed, summary of this situation.

So, maybe it's less about China and more about losing control over a platform that young people are using to talk to each other, educate themselves, and mobilize around important causes like consumer boycotts and protests? Is it protection or censorship?

Additionally, let's not forget that in addressing "national security concerns", Tiktok offered to build and host data warehouses on US soil, preventing American data from leaving the country - an option that Congress has ignored so far. According to CSIS, the national security threats have been over exaggerated, and there are many options currently available to mitigate those risks without an outright ban.

Obviously, Tiktok has issues and drawbacks - but no more than any other social network. Remember when Facebook gave Chinese and Russian developers access to user data for years? Or how Twitter let Chinese propaganda bot networks spread misinformation during the Pandemic? Not to mention Telegram, Whatsapp and other messaging platforms who have platformed anti-semitic, anti-LGBTQ, and extreme right wing groups for years? Hell, it took a PUBLIC OUTCRY for Substack to remove PRO-NAZI publications.

Doing this during an election year is certainly an interesting move. Let's see how this plays out.

3. Conspiracies Swirl Around Boeing's Whistle Blower

I don't usually believe in conspiracy theories, but even I'm side-eying reports that John Barnett, the Boeing whistleblower was found dead from "self-inflicted wounds". Barnett was in the middle of giving a deposition exposing the companies alleged negligence in following safety procedures, resulting in the 2018 and 2019 Boeing737 Max crashes.

How...convenient for Boeing that he's no longer around to testify. Super shady. Obviously, the Internet suspects foul play, as Barnett was supposed to provide even more evidence showing (allegedly) how the company cut corners.

Interestingly, while Boeing's confidence crisis seems like a recent development, it actually started in the 1980s, with a cultural shift that prioritized financial performance over aviation safety. As Whizy Kim over at Vox writes, "The root of Boeing's present troubles is a longstanding cultural issue. Over the years the company's top decision-makers went from detail-oriented engineers to slick suits with MBAs." ​

Specifically, the influence of Jack Welch's famously ruthless management style (he favored layoffs and factory closures in pursuit of shareholder returns) and how that management strategy entered Boeing via C-suite executives who were former Welch disciples.

​I've added Flying Blind: The 737 MAX tragedy and the Fall of Boeing to my reading list. ​

In the meantime, if you want to avoid flights that use Boeing on your next trip, you can use this site.

In Hustle & Float, I wrote about how Frederick Taylor's ideology of "constant productivity" poisoned our performance metrics for decades, even after we knew it failed. It fascinates me that even after Jack Welch's strategies also failed his principles are still wreaking havoc.

4. Content Corner:

• Switch Game: Dorf Romantik, is a peaceful strategy and puzzle building game where you create a beautiful and ever-growing village landscape by placing tiles. It's within the Cozy Gaming genre, and provides a chill distraction while on a flight or waiting around at an airport. It's been the perfect escape for when i'm too tired to read or work but too wired to sleep. Best of all: no competition, no stress. Just a tiny moment of digital zen. [Nintendo Switch]

• Film & Doc: Jennifer Lopez has a double feature: a musical film called "This is me...now" and a documentary about the making of the film called "The Greatest Story Never Told. I'd recommend starting with the documentary to fully understand the why of this project and how it came about. The documentary is quite revealing and sometimes unintentionally unflattering despite being self-produced. The Film itself is...also odd if not heavy handed in its imagery and messaging. Honestly, I'm torn about this: on one hand, it's not that good, and she's getting criticized for making something no one really asked for. But on the other hand, good for her. She had the means to self-finance and don't we ultimately create art for ourselves? Does it matter if it's a flop? Tell me what you think! [Amazon]

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As always, I love to hear what you think. If you have ideas, things you'd like me to touch upon or general comments - hit reply and let me know. I try to read and respond to every message.