Like Solomon, I will cut this baby in half
Updates and a podcast
I’ve struggled a bit with pacing on this newsletter - and I think that is largely because I haven’t embraced the blog-style writing that is required for frequent and regular publishing. Short, informal, covering one aspect of one issue….not at all within my comfort-zone.
For example, two weeks ago I began crafting a post about gender. In a matter of days, it became two essays, which spiraled into three, and is now looking a like half a book (!!!).
I asked y’all what I should do about this on Twitter - several long essays? Or several dozen short ones? The answers varied widely enough to make me reconsider the question too.
So here is what I’m going to try.
I’ll continue plugging away on the “half-a-book”. When an essay becomes strong enough to publish on its own, I’ll make it available (but probably only to paying subscribers).
In the meantime, as I do this work, any interesting thought or insight (however brief), I’ll publish on here, in a less formal and polished style than you might be used to. It is a good exercise for me to publish more often (writing is a form of thinking!), and I think many of you are more likely to read and engage if my posts are frequent, short and accessible.
As I try this out formally in the coming weeks, I’d like to know what you think of the changes.
I forgot to share on here, but I had an interview with Angel Eduardo and Melissa Chen on the FAIR Perspectives podcast recently. It was my first time speaking with either of them, and I enjoyed it very much. You can find it here.
I’m afraid I did come off a little pessimistic. I could tell from the pained looks that briefly flashed on their faces, and I felt bad about bringing such nice, well-meaning people into the darkness where I currently reside. But they asked for my views, and they got them.
As you all know (or will, soon enough!), I’ve began to think of our current cultural absurdities as less of a fever that must eventually break, and more of a deeper, structural illness without an easy solution. All my studies and readings confirm this - it is evident that the seeds of what is now bearing fruit were laid down decades ago.
I like the more short, articles. I have a film blog & I'm kinda doing the same thing.
As far as the "social justice" stuff goes, I'll give you an little anecdotal ray of sunshine. I have a 16 year old daughter. Not super "anti-woke" but not "woke" either. (Despite 12 years of very progressive education). We're touring colleges now. Her Mom is a little less heterodox than me and we're visiting the usual East Coast liberal schools. The first one seemed only to have a few of the dog whistle words like "diversity" or "privilege" in their pitches. The second one was much more "captured" as they say. Without being overt, the guide made it clear what kind of "space" the campus was. But here's the thing.
I asked my daughter about it after the tour. She, a Gen Z kid (born in 2005) said "Oh, we call those types 'The last of the millenials.' "
Meaning, her & her friends, who sit through "diversity" stuff in high school all the time. She said most kids laugh and make fun of it behind the teachers backs. And that only a small percentage take any of it seriously. They care more about bands and Tik Tok. This is a VERY progressive NY school.
Again, anecdotal. But now "Culture Warriors" are "The man". The old bureaucratic fuddy-duddy's who the next generation will rebel against.
It'll get worse before it gets better. But long-term? Green shoots! It's a house of cards. It'll collapse under it's own weight. Fingers crossed!
Please don't pull your punches. Readers sense when you're not being honest with yourself and lose faith in you.