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We live in a world where the leader of the Catholic Church can be put on hold, a public transit agency tries to charge World Cup fans a small mortgage, and teenagers are applauded for canceling subscriptions like it’s a life hack. Call it progress, call it anarchy — either way, it’s worth calling out. Below are three stories from this week’s Brunch Buzz that tell us more about who runs things now and who pays for them.
Pope Leo XIV and the Bank That Hung Up
The anecdote about Pope Leo XIV calling his hometown bank to change his address to the Vatican and getting hung up on is funny — until you remember it’s also a sign of how brittle our institutions have become. According to the priest who told the story, the pope answered security questions, identified himself and even offered “Would it matter to you if I told you I’m Pope Leo?” The staffer reportedly hung up. That’s either an epic customer-service fail or a tall tale that needs a few more checks from the bank and the Vatican press office.
We should laugh at the image of a bank hung up on the pope, but also ask real questions. Which branch was this? Why did the call center worker not escalate? Is this the new normal in a world where automation, scripts, and customer-unfriendly policies rule? The truth matters — and so does basic courtesy. If true, the story is a reminder that bureaucratic indifference can be as damaging as bad policy.
NJ Transit’s World Cup Fare Fiasco: $150 to $105, Still Outrageous
NJ Transit announced it would lower its special-event round-trip fare for certain World Cup matches from $150 to $105 after public outcry. Kris Kolluri, President & Chief Executive Officer of NJ TRANSIT, said sponsorships and other funding made the cut possible. Governor Mikie Sherrill pushed for private help. Good — but $105 is still many times the usual Penn Station–Meadowlands fare of about $12.90. That’s not a correction. It’s sticker shock with a press release.
People will pay more for big events. But charging fans ten times the normal commuter fare and calling it “cost recovery” smells like a free-market fig leaf over a bad planning job. If sponsors like Audible are handing over money to fix this, fine — but the public deserves better than surprise price hikes and the impression that agencies will nickel-and-dime any fan with no shame.
Where’s the Common Sense in Public Transit Pricing?
Special-event pricing needs guardrails. Public transit should not be a cash cow for poor logistics. If extra security and staffing are the issue, reveal the costs. If private sponsors are covering expenses, say who and how much. The conservative argument is simple: protect the consumer, limit sudden fees, and force public agencies to justify pricing. Let the private sector sponsor the fun. Don’t make ordinary people foot the bill for someone else’s big party.
Gen Z Streaming Habits: Tactical — Not Magic
Reports this week say Gen Z is “smart” about streaming because they sign up for a show, binge it, then cancel. CivicScience finds roughly eight in ten Gen Z streamers do this. Dentsu/IGN reports 59% “actively subscribe and unsubscribe” to chase titles. Call it savvy if you like. I call it common sense. When streaming services multiply and prices keep rising, of course folks shop around instead of paying for a dozen subscriptions every month.
Giving Gen Z a medal for avoiding wasteful spending is cute. But the real lesson is for the streaming companies: fix your product or your model. Offer better bundles, keep key titles, and stop building a business on lock-in and surprise price hikes. If platforms don’t adapt, churn-happy viewers will keep treating subscriptions like a one-night stand.
These three stories — a pope on the phone, a transit agency scrambling, and a generation avoiding subscription traps — are small snapshots of a bigger problem. Institutions that used to be predictable are not, and the public is responding in predictable ways: anger, ridicule, and smarter spending. Call it the new civic manners. Or call it the cost of living in a world where customer service has hit snooze and pricing logic took a vacation. Either way, someone needs to pick up the phone.
