We awaken from troubled naps into the existential horror of clickbait. Two stories in particular caught our attention recently: the sad tale of the "World's Dirtiest Man" who lived and died in Iran, and a restaurant for dogs in San Francisco.

Like angry media-addicted teenagers, Brandon & Stephen ask: why were these stories even born? Is it just good old "churnalism" — press releases reformatted into news articles by overworked reporters? Or is there something more sinister at stake, like trying to distract from revolution in the streets?

We all think we know from clickbait, but do we really know clickbait? In this episode, we drill down into the deeper (lack of) meaning in fluff pieces, celebrity news, and human interest stories, and ask why even high-class dogs have to pay top dollar for flavorless food.

Take a quick transitional shower and click through for amazing deals.

Comments? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]

NOTES

Identical takes on the "World's Dirtiest Man" from Yahoo, The Guardian, and Fox News. Plus, Breitbart's hot take on a dog restaurant.

Also, Iranian protests clips from CBC News, DW News, and Sky News.

Audio FX:

"Shower, A.wav" by InspectorJ of Freesound.org

"Fanfare" by bone666138