Mullets, Murder & 40 Years of Risky Business

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Happy Saturday, Gen X. 👋🏻

Let’s talk Tupperware. Every house used to have it — and every mom loved a good Tupperware party! — but the colorful containers seemed to have waned in popularity in recent decades. Until last week, that is, when it became the latest “meme stock” target by Redditors, which drove stock prices up by a whopping 165%.

Like most meme stocks, the surge will be temporary and Tupperware’s future remains murky. What isn’t temporary, though, is our love of making Tupperware “burp.” We’ll always love that.

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In today’s issue:

• 📰 An infamous Gen X criminal is out of jail

• 💃🏻 Did you do-si-do?

• 🏅 May the best mullet win

^{ONE GEN X THING}

The Preppy Killer is Out of Jail

It was August of 1986 when the world first heard about Robert Chambers, who became known as The Preppy Killer. Chambers, then 19, was arrested for the murder of Upper East Side socialite Jennifer Levin, 18, and later admitted to manslaughter, claiming self-defense during a sexual encounter with Levin in Central Park.

The nation was transfixed by the seedy story of murder amongst Manhattan’s wealthy and privileged “club kids.” Chambers achieved true notoriety when “A Current Affair” aired a video of him mocking his victim while pretending to strangle a Barbie doll.

After being released from jail in 2003, Chambers returned to the clink in 2007 after being convicted of drug and assault charges. He’s now back on the streets … again … and tells The Daily Mail that he’s “trying to stay positive.”

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BONUS STORY: Meet Your New Boss: Gen X

^PRE-TIREMENT

Headlines

• Nervous About Investing After the Stock Market's 2023 Rally? Consider This Warren Buffett Advice (link)

• Could a Retirement Coach Actually Save You Money? (link)

• How To Help a Young Person Start a Roth IRA With Summer Earnings (link)

And a Chart

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BONUS STORY: If you think pickle ball is boring, think again.

^{LATCHKEY POLL RESULTS FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 29, 2023}

Would you give up your window seat?

We asked you last week if you would give up your pre-booked window seat so a mother could sit with her teenaged children. It was a resounding “hell no” from Latchkey readers.

The numbers:

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Sure. (3)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Hell no. (24)

Here’s what some of you had to say:

• “No one is entitled to my seat for whatever reason. And for the lady assuming the woman would give up her seat is the worst kind of mom in teaching her teen that scamming and entitlement are ways to achieve something.”

• “Entitlement should not be rewarded.”

• “A seat that was reserved that I specifically paid for so that she could sit with her teenaged children? No way. ”

Gen X has spoken.

^{YOU MAKE THE CALL}

Swing Your Partner

We’re hoping this isn’t a regional thing and that all of you were forced to do-si-do with your least favorite classmate during the most dreaded PE activity ever.

What we want to know this week is:

^{… AND THE REST}

• RIP: While the world, and Gen X in particular, mourns the loss of Paul Reubens, here’s a pick me up — 17 fun facts about “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”

• RIP, pt.2: Inga Swenson of “Benson” fame has passed away.

• Travel: Early birds are going to like this tip on how to make air travel less stressful.

• Hollywood: Rebecca De Mornay reflects on 40 years of “Risky Business.”

• Joe Dirt: Over 1,000 kids and teenagers are competing in the 2023 Mullet Championship. They’re pretty cute.

• Ketchup: To refrigerate or not to refrigerate? Heinz finally puts the debate to rest.

• Music: Someone thinks these 10 rock albums are overrated. Don’t shoot the messenger!!

• Stargazing: Mark your calendars right now. There will be a blue moon at the end of this month.

Milestones. August 6, 1996: The Ramones perform for the last time. || August 8, 1992: Metallica’s James Hetfield suffers serious burns during a pyrotechnics explosion on stage at Olympic Stadium, Montreal. || August 10, 1984: The infamous Mary Decker-Zola Budd collision takes place during the women’s 3,000m race at the LA Olympics.

^{FROM THE GEN X MEMORY VAULT}

Tasty Memes and Memories

^{WEEKLY EAR WORM}

“Let Your Love Flow” by The Bellamy Brothers

We’ve been road tripping this week and listening to a lot of Yacht Rock Radio. “Let Your Love Flow,” which was released in January of 1976, is on regular rotation on that channel and now you have to hear it, too.

Like the good Gen Xers we are, we remember this song for one thing and one thing only: It played over the end credits of the classic, and somewhat naughty, film Little Darlings, starring Tatum O’Neal and Kristy McNichol.

That’s it for this week’s Latchkey! We’ll see you back here next Saturday.

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