I decided to change things up this week and make a podcast for you guys. I hope you like it.
In it I talk about some of the foundational ideas of the Political Therapy project. I talk about how civic virtue is the key to achieving our political goals, even though, sometimes, it feels like no-holds-barred winner-take-all political struggle is the better way. I talk about how incivility helped Donald Trump make his way into the Presidency. And I talk about how our call-out culture, which prevents some mainstream viewpoints from being publicly expressed, distorts our politics.
In the podcast I mention the book Kill All Normies by Angela Nagle. It’s a slim volume that’s more descriptive than analytical. But I found it fascinating reading shortly after Trump was elected. It pokes into weird and remote corners of the internet from which have sprung cultural elements that are becoming more mainstream every day. And it gives the reader a glimpse into how call-out culture evolved on the internet, and how resisting it has been a ticket to success, or, at least, to a broader platform, for many, including Donald Trump. More and more I find myself eager to learn about the obscure internet subcultures whose memes and nascent ideologies seem to be leading indicators of where our broader society is going.
I also mention JK Rowling’s case. I think it’s worth reading what she wrote about her situation.
Civic virtue and social justice