17 Substack Posts From the Last Week Which You Should Give a Look
Thought I'd do another round-up of intriguing pieces!
I’m going to continue to try and do these sorts of posts highlighting writers and pieces which intrigue me the most on this exciting new publishing and social networking platform. Currently I’m subscribed to 234 different publications on here and I expect that number to only grow as I come across more of interest.
As with the previous round-up, all posts are free.
Here are a few for your consideration:
My absolute favorites this week
This really incredible piece by Asha Rangappa was most definitely my favorite of the week - and not just because I’m working on my own essay with a similar theme and I’ll be citing her in mine!
My beloved Sally Shideler had a great post yesterday about our ongoing challenges with finishing our move into our new apartment after the dirt (sand!) road to our previous domicile was destroyed in a flood, now only accessible by 4-wheel drive vehicles.
Katherine Brodsky continues to be one of my very favorite writers on Substack. She’s just great. I left this as a comment on the post:
"What other financial models could work to address some of the issues around journalism?"
The answer is very, very simple: the non-profit world. The vast majority of journalism that I've done in my career was subsidized by 501(c)3s.
Monday - May 22
A really good book review from my favorite libertarian intellectual on Substack.
Tuesday - May 23
Nothing today!
Wednesday - May 24
Start here: Most Americans aren’t on Twitter. A 2022 Pew survey showed that less than 1 in 4 people are even on the site.
And that number is even lower among self identified Republicans and Republican leaners. Among that group just 17% say they ever use Twitter. 17%!
"This is one of the most out-of-touch campaign launches in modern history,” said a Trump campaign spokeswoman. “The only thing less relatable than a niche campaign launch on Twitter, is DeSantis' after party at the uber-elite Four Seasons resort in Miami.”
All of which raises a VERY basic question: Why the hell would Ron DeSantis announce his presidential candidacy on Twitter?
The answer, I think, is that he wants to associate himself with Musk, who has emerged since buying Twitter as a sort of uber-troll, with a particular focus on stirring up shit among the online left.
Thursday - May 25
Ehud Neor continues to be one of my favorite writers on here when it comes to Jewish and Israeli subjects.
John Hawkins is someone I’ve worked with off and on for over a decade and he’s still one of my favorite right-wing writers (not that there are that many these days!)
Friday - May 26
Jonathan V. Last is really on-point here:
What I want to focus on is that GOP Josh is identified as a “supporter” of Donald Trump.
What does that mean?
GOP Josh did not vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020, though he might vote for Trump in 2024, depending on when his birthday falls. And it is not legal for minors to make political contributions, so he hasn’t given Trump money.
GOP Josh isn’t a “supporter” in the traditional sense. He’s a fanboy.
And here’s where we get to the distinction between real-world “support” and “internet support.”
You can vote for a candidate, or give money to a candidate, and still make objective judgments about the candidate. When the candidate does something unwise or harmful, you can say so. If the candidate is doing badly, you can admit it. Because being honest about the candidate does not diminish your support—Sen. Smith is getting your vote and so it’s okay to acknowledge that Sen. Smith is in trouble in the polls, or that Sen. Smith’s statement on the Widget Act is dumb/wrong/whatever.
But with “internet support” it’s different. If you’re an internet supporter, then the nature of your contribution is your public performance. You are there to rep the brand. Sometimes that means highlighting good stuff for your candidate—“The Iowa numbers show that he’s crushing it!” Or: “Our guy just passed a bill to help veterans who got sick from burn pits.”
But most of the time, being an internet supporter means running cover for your team. It means minimizing mistakes, or positing alternative facts to explain away problems. Not to put too find a point on it: Being an internet supporter means conducting yourself as if you were a paid employee of the candidate.
Because if you don’t—if you concede that he or she did something bad—then it diminishes the fundamental nature of your support, which is not a vote, but a posture.
Zoe Si’s cartoons are just wonderful!
Saturday - May 27
Have I mentioned lately how tired I am of the right-wing obsession with labeling everything which makes white suburbanites uncomfortable “critical race theory”? Look, I know what CRT is and what it isn’t. Back in 2013 or so when Barack Obama was exposed as a college-age supporter of CRT-creator Derrick Bell, I read several of Bell’s books to learn what this variant of hard leftism actually was. And it’s not at all the oversimplification peddled by charlatans like Christopher Rufo - who has actually admitted that he’s intentionally expanded the definition.
Sunday - May 28
This seems a very intriguing thesis:
I recently watched a very interesting podcast, and read a related article, about a new theory of Alzheimer’s. Although I don’t agree fully with the scientists’ conclusion, this was the final piece of the jigsaw for my own ideas around dementia, which I have been working on for some time. I can now summarize my own concept with the following proposal:
Some forms of dementia/Alzheimer’s are the outcome of the triggering of an ancient hibernation circuit in humans due to specific chronic stressors in modern life, namely chronic loneliness, isolation/separation, abandonment and loss/grief.
James M. Dorsey continues to be one of my favorite analysts of the Middle East and the broader Muslim world - such a sharp thinker filled with valuable insights.
Sherman Alexie continues to be the best poet on Substack I have yet do discover. I don’t anticipate finding someone better.
What about you? Any writers I should check out or posts that really stood out for you?
Thank you David. That's very gracious