Turn headlines into talking points

Lance Armstrong. Ben Johnson. Half of Russian athletics.

Allegedly.

Drugs make athletes faster, stronger, and much better at avoiding awkward press conferences.
Superhumanity in a syringe, right?

Remember the Enhanced Games — the Olympics, but with more needles?
Last year, 66% of you said you'd watch it.

Well, it happened.

The pitch was simple: let athletes use performance-enhancing drugs openly and watch world records explode.

Vegas. Billionaire backers. Biotech bros. Millions in prize money to attract proper athletes.

Finally! Humanity hacked!
We have a chance against the bots!

So, how'd it go?

Well, awkward...

Only one world record was claimed — a Greek swimmer beat the 50m freestyle by 0.07 seconds.
Tiny problem: he was wearing a banned super swimsuit (not skimpy Speedos).

Meanwhile, three winners reportedly used no banned substances at all.
Which creates a bit of a branding issue.

If clean athletes can turn up, take the money, and beat the “enhanced” crowd, what exactly is being enhanced?
Probably not the drugs they're selling on the Games website.

Heart risks, kidney risks, and embarrassment risks.

For that return?

Maybe just eat your greens.

💡 PRO TIP: Sports talk not your thing? Doping is the easier angle. Natural limits vs. medical risk-taking vs. pure entertainment.

💬 FOLLOW-UP: "If they could guarantee it was safe, what’s one thing you’d take a performance enhancer for?” (Careful: could get spicy).

⛔ DON’T SAY: “I could win if I took enough drugs.” You couldn’t. Las Vegas just proved it.

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Britain is getting very…banny.

Cigarettes for anyone born after 2009.
MPs’ second jobs. (How will they survive on only £100,000 a year?!)
Protesting (banned-ish)

And now, possibly, social media for under-16s.

Some bans make sense. Some look like panic in a suit.
Social media is trickier because everyone has a point.

Parents are right to worry.
Shorter attention spans. Mental health. Bullying. Trolling…insecurity turned into a business model.
Hardly the digital playground you want your children visiting.

But bans have a funny habit.
In 1980s Britain, “video nasties” were treated like radioactive filth.
Naturally, every kid wanted to watch them.

I know because I was one.

Driller Killer. Cannibal Holocaust. The Evil Dead…
Under-the-counter rentals and dodgy contraband copies in the school changing rooms.
Basically Netflix for feral children.

Now replace horror tapes with TikTok.

Australia has moved first. Britain is circling. Others too.

But kids find ways: borrowed phones, fake moustaches (is Big Tech even trying?)
My daughter can still find YouTube with half the internet blocked.

Bans delay access, but they don’t teach anything.

Is “Ban this now!” the smart conversation?

Or should it be:

“What do kids need to learn before the algorithm raises them?”

“There are worse crimes than burning books.
One of them is not reading them.”
(Joseph Brodsky, Russian/American poet, 1940-1996)

👇 Answer at the end

Feedback — we all need it.

None of us are perfect.
Even super-doped athletes, apparently.

Getting it should be easy.
Ask and people tell you, right?

“How was that? Be honest.”
“Yeah, er…really good.” (Probably not that honest.)

If you want useful feedback, you have to give people a smaller target.

‘Any vs One’

This works in meetings too.

‘Any’ offers an exit. ‘One’ creates a task.

Next time you want real feedback from anyone — ban ‘any’ and use ‘one’.

One word that gets you one useful answer.

⛔ DON’T SAY: “Anything else?” after getting feedback. You just reopened the fog machine. Try: “What’s one more thing?”

Britain’s getting banny? America got there first.

The US government’s unofficial “banned words” list has grown to 350+ terms.

Some are predictable: “equality,” “climate change.”
Some are ridiculous: “safe drinking water,” “autism.”

So if you’re a pregnant climate scientist studying disability, vaccines and clean water?
Good luck getting that grant.

Language isn’t being cleaned up. It’s being handcuffed.

Words matter. That’s why people ban them

A Unitree robot moonwalking to Billie Jean.

Going well. Until the stairs.
Who puts stairs on a stage? Even a Roomba knows better.
It looks like a drunk relative at a wedding.

Or me at mine.

That should have been banned.

💬 FOLLOW-UP: "What's the most embarrassing thing you've witnessed at a wedding?"

Small town. Strict reverend. Dancing — banned. Until Kevin Bacon comes to town.

💬 YOUR TURN: What's something you were banned from as a kid — that you did anyway?

A) 🍸 Keep him classic — cars, suits, martinis, murder (62%)
B) 🔄 Reboot him — less empire, more edge (30%)
C) 🪦 Retire him — before he needs a mobility scooter (8%)

💬 Your Two Cents

P: “I don't really watch them anymore. I haven't seen one since Casino Royale, but I hope they still have lasers aimed at crotches.”
B: “I thought Daniel Craig was one of the best Bonds….What about Christiano Ronaldo as the next 007?!”
S: “Bond is iconic because he hasn’t been rebooted or retired.”
A: “I love the idea of actors like Idris Elba being a Bond-style spy but…make a new series about 008 or whatever and give him a different name!”

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