December 31, 2025
Lububus, Taylor Swift and Sydney Sweeney: here’s the deluge that was 2025 | Dave Schilling
In his year-end report, Dave Schilling reflects on the dismal events of 2025, highlighting a pervasive sense of apathy among the public towards crises like wildfires and political turmoil. He discusses various cultural phenomena, including the rise of the whimsical Labubus dolls and the internet outrage surrounding Sydney Sweeney's ad, illustrating how trivial distractions provided a reprieve from the year's grim realities. Schilling concludes that while 2025 was marked by resignation, moments of absurdity and celebrity antics—like Taylor Swift's engagement to Travis Kelce—offered a glimmer of levity amid the chaos. Ultimately, he suggests that embracing the ridiculousness of life may be the best way to cope with ongoing challenges.
Stoic Response
Stoic Field Manual Entry: Navigating the Absurdities of Life
What Is Within Our Power
- Personal Response: We can control our reactions to events, choosing to engage or disengage from the chaos around us.
- Focus on Virtue: We have the power to cultivate virtues such as resilience, humor, and perspective, regardless of external circumstances.
- Mindfulness of Actions: We can choose to take meaningful actions, even in a landscape filled with apathy and absurdity.
What Is Opinion
- Cultural Distractions: The rise of Labubus dolls and celebrity antics (e.g., Taylor Swift's engagement) serves as a reflection of societal priorities, yet these are merely opinions shaped by the media.
- Public Apathy: The collective resignation towards crises like wildfires and political turmoil is a shared opinion, not an immutable truth.
- Outrage Cycles: The internet's reaction to trivial matters, such as Sydney Sweeney's ad, is a manifestation of opinion rather than a reflection of reality.
What Action Virtue Demands
- Embrace Absurdity: Recognizing the ridiculousness of life can be a coping mechanism; laughter in the face of adversity is a virtue.
- Engage Thoughtfully: Instead of succumbing to apathy, actively choose how to respond to crises—whether through protest, discussion, or personal reflection.
- Seek Meaning: In the chaos, find moments of joy and levity, using them as anchors to maintain perspective and purpose.
Conclusion
In a year marked by turmoil and triviality, let us remember that while we cannot control the world around us, we can control our responses. Embracing the absurd and finding humor can serve as powerful tools in our Stoic toolkit, allowing us to navigate the challenges of life with grace and resilience.
Article Rewritten Through Stoic Lens
Reflections on 2025: A Stoic Perspective
As we approach the conclusion of another year, it is prudent to reflect upon the events that have transpired. While many may lament the state of the world, we must remember that our responses to external circumstances are within our control, even when the circumstances themselves are not.
The Nature of Apathy
The year 2025 has been characterized by a notable sense of apathy among the populace. Dictionary.com’s word of the year, “6-7,” serves as a reminder of our collective disengagement. Rather than lament this triviality, we should examine the causes of our indifference. Apathy arises when we focus on what is beyond our control. Instead, let us cultivate virtue and wisdom, recognizing that our true power lies in our responses to adversity.
The Trials of the Year
The year commenced with significant challenges, including devastating wildfires and political upheaval. Such events are reminders of the impermanence of external conditions. While we may feel overwhelmed, we must exercise courage and temperance in our reactions. It is not the events themselves that define us, but how we choose to respond to them.
Protests and movements emerged throughout the year, reflecting the desire for justice. Yet, many met these developments with resignation, as if waiting for time to pass. We must resist this passive approach and instead engage actively with the world, seeking to embody the virtues of courage and justice in our actions.
Finding Meaning in Absurdity
In the midst of chaos, we often seek distractions. The rise of whimsical cultural phenomena, such as Labubus dolls, serves as a testament to our desire for levity. While these distractions may seem trivial, they can also provide moments of respite. However, we must not lose sight of what truly matters. The pursuit of virtue should guide our choices, even in times of absurdity.
The internet outrage surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s advertisement exemplifies our tendency to focus on inconsequential matters. Instead of engaging in fruitless indignation, we should cultivate a sense of temperance, recognizing that our energy is better spent on meaningful pursuits.
The Illusion of Celebrity
The engagement of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, while capturing public attention, is a reminder of the transient nature of fame. We must be wary of allowing ourselves to be swept away by the currents of celebrity culture. Instead, let us focus on our own lives, striving to embody the virtues of wisdom and justice in our daily actions.
Conclusion: Embracing the Present
As we reflect on the year, let us acknowledge the challenges we faced without succumbing to despair. The Stoic philosopher recognizes that while we cannot control external events, we can control our responses. Embracing the present moment with virtue, wisdom, courage, and temperance will empower us to navigate the uncertainties of life.
May we enter 2026 with a renewed commitment to these principles, understanding that true fulfillment lies not in the fleeting distractions of the world, but in the cultivation of our character and the pursuit of a virtuous life.
Source Body Text
It’s the end of another year, which means a deluge of dire looks back on the various atrocities of the last go around the sun. As is my duty, I have to add to the pile. But does it all have to be quite so sad? Do we have to dutifully trawl through the muck to find some elusive meaning to what we’ve been forced to endure? Unfortunately, yes. It was a tough year (again) and we met it all with a shrug. As we’ve all been made punishingly aware, Dictionary.com’s word of 2025 is “6-7,” a viral meme slogan which is technically two words. Pretty cheeky of the Dictionary to cheat on their own assignment. How tragically emblematic of the year we just witnessed. We’re all too apathetic to even complain about getting swindled by a gaggle of word snobs. “Apathy” would have been a better choice for word of the year, considering how we’ve collectively shrugged at every dispiriting development of the last 12 months. Nicki Minaj popped up at the Turning Point USA conference to kiki with Erika Kirk and the most I could muster was “I guess she’ll do a concert at the Trump-Kennedy Center soon.” The year started with the back-to-back monstrosities of the Los Angeles wildfires and the second presidential inauguration of Donald Trump. I’d say it was all downhill from there, but we’ve already rolled down, hit every tree on the way, and ended up getting mauled by a pack of hungry grizzly bears. Protests against ICE grew, and there was another massive No Kings event in October, but most of the year was met with groaning resignation. We act as though we just have to wait out the clock on this accursed era, like the world’s worst NBA team hopelessly tossing up three-pointers while down by 50. Eventually, getting dunked on by LeBron James becomes tiresome. But what if, at the bottom of the restaurant dumpster that is life on Earth, there’s an unopened tin of caviar? Plus, a box of blinis, some creme fraiche, a bottle of ice cold champagne and also a lovely silver spoon. And a copy of Architectural Digest. The most luxurious indulgence imaginable is being able to fixate on people and events that actually don’t matter. Back in the old days, a series of stupid things would happen during the year and we’d all have a laugh about it. Remember the Macarena? That was great. 2025 didn’t launch a dance craze on par with yuppies swiveling their hips like a broken car radio antenna in a windstorm, but we were blessed with just enough inanity to get us through a cursed year. Let’s start with Labubus. Doesn’t that sound nice? Little furry gremlin dolls that people who are bad with money decided to hoard like toilet paper during a mass quarantine. These dolls were everywhere, dangling from women’s purses and grinning up at us as though they pilfered the entire contents of the cash register at a Cinnabon. Labubus seemed to be the only ones smiling through 2025. Maybe they know 2026 is going to be worse. Sydney Sweeney sparked a good old-fashioned internet outrage cycle over an ad for American Eagle jeans that was only offensive if you were hoping to be offended. A pun about “genes” and “jeans” only seems like a nod to eugenics if you specifically cast an attractive blonde lady for the ad. If I had been the spokesperson, people would have had a hearty laugh over it. “Good genes? He can barely fit into his pants!” Honestly, I chuckled at the ad anyway. Mostly because someone actually thought it was a good idea. Speaking of internet outrage, Andy Byron, a tech CEO, and his head of human resources, Kristin Cabot, were caught on the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert. Cabot has subsequently gone on a press tour to convince maniacs to stop threatening her life. She claims her and Byron had not been engaged in an affair prior to the explosion of #coldplaygate. I, for one, believe her. I’m constantly finding myself being held tenderly by my colleagues while Chris Martin warbles “Adventure of a Lifetime.” Everyone was eating Dubai chocolate, an expensive candy bar filled with pistachio cream so brightly green that it looks like it was injected with actual money. I didn’t buy one because I’m still saving my money for a Labubu. You know who can afford all the expensive chocolate and nightmare dolls they want? The thieves who robbed the Louvre of $102m worth of jewels. It took them less than seven minutes to swipe the treasures, which is the fastest anyone has made that amount of money outside of a crypto casino. But the most “important” story of 2025 was the engagement of Taylor Swift and football hunk Travis Kelce, an event stage managed to both drive listeners to Kelce’s podcast and hard launch Swift’s latest album cycle. The obviousness of the scheme was hard to ignore, though I don’t begrudge them the opportunity to leverage their romance for personal gain. I think we all would, if given the chance. I’d let American Eagle sponsor my wedding if they asked. “Dave Schilling does not have good genes, but he does have a delightful buffet for his guests to enjoy.” May we all be blessed with the honor of being walking sponsored content in 2026. We’re going to need the extra cash once our health care premiums go up in a week. Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist