Fyreside Newsletter - 11/10/25

Hey Reader,

Sometimes, I wake up angry. Sometimes, I wake up not feeling anything and then social media makes me angry. Sometimes, I wake up angry and then social media makes it worse. Today was that third type of day.

Truth be told, I shouldn't blame social media for making it worse. I should blame 8, spineless, democratic senators. But even then, it's not their fault that I'm disappointed. After all, if someone let's you down, and then you trust them again, and then they let you down again, and then you trust them again, if they let you down a third time, maybe it's your fault for trusting them? (Looking at you, John Fetterman.)

If I hear the phrase "trust recession" one more time...

I hate marketing buzzwords. They're useless combinations of sound that fools cobble together to sound smart. They're tools of mass confusion, forged to create the perception of a knowledge gap between those who "know" and those who "don't." We don't need a fancy term to describe everything we see, we just don't. And, quite frankly, it's foul that some think we do.

So, to quote cultural touchstone Mr. Robinson: The word of the day is "trust recession."

"My brand is suffering from the trust recession"

No it's not. You're a scumbucket. Have you given anyone a reason to trust you? To trust your brand? Or did you just feel entitled to the trust of the populous? Because, my dear scumbucket, that's a you problem.

When I was 11, I went to summer camp for the first time. Great experience, I went back every year after, worked there through college, very few bad things to say. But, don't get me wrong, I learned A LOT. Some of what I learned, I learned the hard way. At the top of that list, a single sentiment: "Just because someone says you can trust them, does not mean you can."

See I was a large 11 year old. I'm 6'1", 310lbs ish at 32, so I'll estimate I was about 5'5", 150lbs back in 2004. Despite my above average stature, I was still 11 years old and when a counselor said, "yeah we'll catch you," I listened. Fun fact, starting in 2005, my summer camp required kids participating in the low ropes trust fall to wear a helmet.

You do not inherently deserve to be trusted.

Sure, when I was 11, I should have looked at twelve kids half my size and an overeager 18 year old and thought "You know what, I'm not sure they can catch me." Instead, I folded my arms, turned around, and took a one way trip to Groundtown. 21 years later, I see hoards of overeager brands and small businesses, arms interlocked like a zipper, saying "go ahead, invest a significant amount of money, we'll for sure catch you!" Luckily, consumers aren't (usually) large children and they have a tendency to hesitate. I'd venture to say that's a good thing.

Trust is supposed to be earned and it should not be given freely. The idea of a "trust recession" is laughable to me because it sounds like a euphemism for "they're wising up to our tricks." If no one trusts you, maybe you should stop dropping kids trying to do trust falls. If no one trusts you and you've never dropped a kid, maybe you should stop asking them to fall backwards off a platform.

We're not in a "trust recession," you're suffering from inflation of self-confidence.

-MC

p.s.

I'd apologize for my venomous tone today, but sincerity breeds trust.
If you forward this to John Fetterman, I'll give you a dollar.
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