How The U.S. Postal Service Keeps My Pop Culture Life Afloat

Plus: Boys State, Kumail Nanjiani, and What's Making Us Happy by Linda Holmes Welcome! It was the week when [Sarah Cooper got a Netflix special](. It was the week when AMC Theaters [decided to try to lure people back]( to long periods of breathing on strangers in enclosed spaces. And it was the week when we heard louder rumors about a [proposed Fresh Prince reboot](. Let's get to it. Opening Argument: How The U.S. Postal Service Keeps My Pop Culture Life Afloat I started thinking this week about the fact that we wouldn't have Netflix without the mail. Sure, we'd have streaming services by now, but we wouldn't have Netflix specifically. We wouldn't have this third-party service that started as a DVD-rental-by-mail outfit that didn't have to be specifically affiliated with a studio or an existing media company, that then became its own behemoth. This is not the most important thing about the USPS. But I [couldn't bring myself to write about anything else]( this week. I wish you could see the mail that used to pile up at my desk at NPR. Well ... I don't, actually, because it was very embarrassing in its capacity to overwhelm me, but it was impressive. Affordable media mail meant that books could make their way to me for potential review, which is how I discovered some of my favorite writers. This still happens: When people want me to review a book (or, in my capacity as a novelist myself, to blurb a book, which I do only occasionally), they send it to me. Yes, there are e-galleys, but not everyone likes them, and they don't always look very good. Having the option of having a book in your hand is extremely important. Of course, what reaches me is only part of the puzzle. A tiny piece. The USPS also delivers checks to all kinds of people, including people who work in production. It delivers unemployment insurance checks to a lot of people who once had work and now don't. Culture is made by people, and people sometimes get medication and other things they need through the mail. I recently ordered a number of pop-culture-related prints from Etsy to hang on the walls of my home office, now that it seems I'll be working there for a while. A print inspired by Peggy from Mad Men, that kind of thing. They all arrived via the USPS. Artists on Etsy and at other places, along with craftspeople at various businesses, rely heavily on the post office to send their work to buyers at reasonable prices. I even bought some cookies by mail during this pandemic. That's not to mention all the people who send care packages to loved ones that include books or DVDs (yes, people still have those). It's not to mention the book orders that have helped bookstores stay alive -- the merch, too. Everywhere I look, the USPS is all over the way I do my job, and keep myself entertained, and stay safe, and stay home. Even with all the things you can get electronically now, you can't order an adorable little figurine of a person and a dog (look, something has to go on the coffee table) and download it. Sometimes you need to hold something in your hand that didn't come from inside your house, and during these times, you don't particularly want to go wander into a crowd to retrieve it. Whether it's a check or a book or a ballot, there's a good chance the USPS is key to making sure you can get it. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- We Recommend: One of the things we're preparing to cover on the podcast is [the documentary Boys State]( about a program that challenges high-school boys to simulate politics. It's available on Apple TV+, and it's very good, although it's very ... upsetting in places. My friend Alan Sepinwall at Rolling Stone wrote a [searching, introspective piece]( interrogating his own love of cop shows like NYPD Blue and how influential they were on his critical eye. It's the kind of thinking more of us need to be doing, I think, and it's a good read. The thing that made me laugh hardest this week on the entire internet [was this TikTok]( in which a dog's thoughts are voiced by Alexa. (The video dates back a few weeks, but it's timeless.) Also! We're very excited to say we'll soon be doing a pair of episodes on Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend Of Korra. Have questions you'd like us to explore? Send your voice memo to [pchh@npr.org](mailto:pchh@npr.org?subject=). What We Did This Week: [Kumail Nanjiani, pictured here in 2019, is a longtime friend of Pop Culture Happy Hour. He recently joined the panel for a virtual 10th birthday party.]( Jesse Grant/Getty Images for THR This was a little bit of a quiet week (quarantine has had its ebbs and flows, let's say). But on Wednesday, we republished [our Watchmen episode]( because if you haven't seen this year's most-nominated show, this is a perfect time to catch up. On Friday, [we brought you the quiz we did]( with our pal Kumail Nanjiani at our recent live birthday celebration. We had a little trouble with scorekeeping (sorry!), but we had a lot of fun trying to guess listener answers, Family-Feud-style. Coming soon over at NPR.org: Glen's review of HBO's Lovecraft Country and some thoughts from me on simulation video games. What's Making Us Happy (and other show notes): Every week on the show, we talk about some other things out in the world that have been giving us joy lately. Here they are: - [Watch our 10th birthday happy hour]( - What's making Kumail happy: Ordering takeout during quarantine - What's making Stephen happy: [Stephen's parents, Don and Maggie Thompson, being inducted into the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame]( - What's making Linda happy: [The Dog House]( - What's making Glen happy: [Dua Lipa's remix of "Levitating"]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [pchh@npr.org](mailto:pchh@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Books, Daily News and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Pop Culture Happy Hour emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy](