Prince Harry & Meghan vs Florida Man

Journos

Used to be, we had forest spirits and talking animals and whatnot. But those days are long over, and now the closest to a mythology we moderns have is celebrities — those magical sprites that materialize in a puff of self-regard and vanish in a flash of cameras. It's not Grimm, but it is grim.

The Great American Fairy Tale added a new chapter recently when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were involved in a post-gala paparazzi pursuit that the royals' PR called "near catastrophic." Since nothing seemed to have happened, it suggests that just being in the neighborhood of catastrophe might be kind of boring.

Still, the event inspired Brandon & Stephen to think about celebs in the media, and that took them to another figure of myth and legend: Florida Man. Where does he come from? Why is he always getting into trouble? And what does it have to do with the state's Sunshine Laws?

But what's a fairy tale without a twist? In this case, it's how laws designed for government transparency can be used to ruin the lives of regular citizens.

If our story has a villain, it's gotta be Gov. Ron DeSantis, "the Florida Man Who Would Be King" ... if he can just manage to shut down anyone trying to tell stories about him.

In this episode, we tell a tale of swamps and snakes, haunted reputations, the power of sunshine, and a kitten trying to get into a strip club. Gather, children!

NOTES

The Royal Press Agent speaks! // Some Florida Man memes courtesy the NY Post // And USA Today, and here and here // The police like Florida Man stories too // The problem with mugshot tabloids, also here // Louisiana's bill to put juvenile arrest records online // China loves a good shaming! // The DeSantis administration dims Florda's Sunshine Laws, also here and here and here

CLIPS

• The Royal Chase on "The Today Show"
• "Good Morning America" has a Florida Man story with a happy ending