Editor's Note: We're Rebranding, and Honestly It's About Time
Photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A Message From the Top Floor of Our Mom's Basement
Folks, we owe you an explanation. For years, this site has operated under a name that made advertisers sprint for the exits, made our domain registrar send concerned emails, and made one intern cry during onboarding. That intern was right. Dave was right. Even the spam bots hesitated before subscribing to our newsletter.
So we're rebranding. New name, same chaotic energy, zero slurs. Think of it as taking a shower after a music festival — necessary, overdue, and slightly painful.
Why Now?
You'd think the answer would be "decency," and sure, that's part of it. But the real reason is simpler: it turns out nobody wants to be seen reading a site whose name gets you flagged by your workplace firewall, your church group, and your grandmother within the same afternoon.
Our traffic analytics told a story. 87% of visitors closed the tab within four seconds, presumably after reading the URL aloud and whispering "oh no." That's not an audience. That's a cry for help.
What Happens to All the Edgy Content?
Nothing changes there. We're still committed to the sacred American tradition of punching at whatever deserves it, which is usually ourselves. Satire isn't dead — it just doesn't need a slur in the masthead to land a punchline. Shock value is a seasoning, not the whole meal. Ask any chili cook-off champion: too much of one ingredient and people just leave.
Our new identity will keep the outrage, the hot takes, the unhinged op-eds about gas station pizza and HOA politics. What it won't keep is a brand name that alienates half the country before the first paragraph loads. Turns out you can be transgressive AND have a name you'd say out loud at Thanksgiving.
The Road Ahead
The new site launches soon. Dave is designing the logo. Dave has never designed anything. We're terrified. But we'd rather fail with a name that doesn't require an apology than succeed with one that does.
See you on the other side. Same outrage, better manners, slightly fewer HR incidents.
— The Editors
