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Weekend Butler: 3,044 empty chairs. 11 short novels. 1 exceptional ramen. 1 stunning quote. 1 midnight song.
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Published: Jun 08, 2022
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Weekend
3,044 EMPTY CHAIRS [IN THE PHOTOGRAPH, ABOVE]
David Keene, former president of the National Rifle Association, and John Lott, author of “More Guns, Less Crime,” were invited to speak at the graduation of James Madison Academy in Las Vegas in June, 2021.
They accepted.
Could they come, in their academic robes, for a tech rehearsal?
They could.
On June 4, they stood on the podium and practiced delivering their speeches to 3,044 chairs. White chairs. Rows upon rows.
Those chairs represented 3,044 students who would never hear their speeches because they were dead — victims of gun violence.
Keene and Lott could have learned that there is no James Madison Academy, but that would have required them to undertake a modest background check — not a concept for them.
As a result, they didn’t learn they’d been set up until June 23, when the video launched.
This two-minute video is a stunningly effective piece of media. Watch it.
Caleb Dewart is the executive producer of the video and a partner at Hungry Man Productions in Los Angeles. He told me the story behind the video:
The idea for the video of the chairs came from Change the Ref, a gun control organization launched by Patricia and Manuel Oliver, whose son Joaquin was one of the 17 students killed in 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Leo Burnett in Chicago came to us with an initial idea that was mainly visual — empty chairs to represent all the kids that didn’t graduate because of gun violence. Bryan Buckley, our director, felt strongly that just the visual wouldn’t break through and get attention. It was his idea to punk Second Amendment activists and get them to give graduation speeches to an empty audience. And we did just that.
We filmed in Las Vegas because we wanted a destination that would be attractive to people like Keene and Lott. Additionally, we thought it more plausible that a place like Las Vegas would have a gigantic school (3000+ graduating students) that would be right-leaning and Second Amendment-focused. We knew that we needed the school to be relatively new, as a deep Google search wouldn’t hold up to scrutiny. We had burner cell phones and actors playing school administrators to go along with the fake website for the school.
“Lost Class” got a lot of attention when it came out last year. It broke through the noise and dominated a news cycle, which was a real achievement — it’s rare to have a news cycle about gun control when there hasn’t been a mass shooting. The video is up for a number of awards this month at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
We’ve been sweeping every awards show and have been named production company of the year at most of them because of this work. Which obviously leaves us collectively with mixed feelings. We made something special – an effective piece of content that got people talking and thinking and sharing. And yet, here we still are, with inaction by our elected officials. We’re evaluating what else we can do to get change to happen. We’re currently working on another piece to punch some of the more egregious offenders in the mouth. We’re not going to stop, that much I know. And we hope change is coming.
11 SHORT NOVELS, NONE MORE THAN 225 PAGES
Short novels. What I write. What I like best. Some go down easier than others. But all can be finished before midnight.
THE BEST INSTANT NOODLES, ACCORDING TO CHEFS, COOKBOOK AUTHORS, AND RAMEN FANATICS
Sample recommendation: The Ramen Rater recommended these Laksa La Mian noodles, which have taken first place on his yearly lists of the best instant ramen for the past four years. He said of the Laksa La Mian that the “broth is just a show stopper with a very flavorful paste and a large sachet of coconut milk powder. Luxuriant to the end.” I agree. The dehydrated coconut milk has a perfect balance of salt and sweetness, and it mixes into a rich, smooth soup. The burnt-orange, chunky laksa paste tastes like galangal and dried shrimp, and it is mildly spicy. When you stir the two together, bright red flecks float to the surface and bring to mind Jupiter’s swirled surface. These noodles are longer, thicker, and straighter than others, and they are air-dried instead of fried. They have a neutral flavor, which complements the pungent broth. These are the most expensive noodles I tried. They also tasted the most like a dish you would order in a restaurant
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
from As Rich Get Richer, Valentino Chairman Sees No End to Luxury Boom
“After the pandemic, rich people are more aware they are going to die and want to spend the money on luxury and more exclusive things.”
MIDNIGHT MUSIC
How quiet is this?
Windows open. A breeze. Rustling of leaves. And this music.
