That essay on "It's a Wonderful Life" really resonated with me. I think it explains why both of the 1948 Best Picture contenders (the winner was Best Years of Our Lives) drill so deeply into this question of men's usefulness and meaning and are so timeless.
Aaron, I’m surprised you didn’t spell this out, but the point about paternity leave seems to tie well into your larger theme that no one (aside from the manosphere) can express concern about men in ourselves. The idea of giving men some time off for our own sake would never occur to them naturally; even when it looks like that might be what they’re doing, we dig a little deeper and find that it inevitably turns out to be a ploy to help women at our expense.
The link to “I Want to Live” in my mind, is priceless and timeless. As a 69 year old watching many men I admire come to the end of their lives, it is a reminder that we ought not to live for ourselves but for something greater.
Great to see WSJ taking an interest in boy's schools. Your newsletter has helped me see that many people are realizing the magnitude of what we've lost in giving up single-gender spaces.
A colleague and I started a men's only summer retreat in Rome focused on learning secrets of persuasion and oratory from the ancient Romans ( costofglory.com/retreat ) and we take great encouragement from your regular missives.
Merry Christmas, to Aaron and all the other subscribers - keep doing good work!
Consumerism is "mainly defensive". Indeed. When you're alienated from community and close relationships you need to have everything and it better be the latest and greatest version.
I've noticed that, at least at the popular "twitter discourse" level, I see a lot of critiques of "Capitalism" that point out the problems of consumerist mentality and culture. The underlying assumption being that somehow free-market economy necessarily creates such a culture. Those of us who advocate for a free market should be careful not to be suckered into defending consumer culture as such. This is particularly true for Christians, who believe we cannot serve both God and Mammon.
That essay on "It's a Wonderful Life" really resonated with me. I think it explains why both of the 1948 Best Picture contenders (the winner was Best Years of Our Lives) drill so deeply into this question of men's usefulness and meaning and are so timeless.
The Unitarian article can be read via Google cache:
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:https://ft.com/content/ec58bccb-668b-445f-ba7c-824297eb885d
Thanks Aaron, merry Christmas to you and yours, brother.
Aaron, I’m surprised you didn’t spell this out, but the point about paternity leave seems to tie well into your larger theme that no one (aside from the manosphere) can express concern about men in ourselves. The idea of giving men some time off for our own sake would never occur to them naturally; even when it looks like that might be what they’re doing, we dig a little deeper and find that it inevitably turns out to be a ploy to help women at our expense.
The link to “I Want to Live” in my mind, is priceless and timeless. As a 69 year old watching many men I admire come to the end of their lives, it is a reminder that we ought not to live for ourselves but for something greater.
Great to see WSJ taking an interest in boy's schools. Your newsletter has helped me see that many people are realizing the magnitude of what we've lost in giving up single-gender spaces.
A colleague and I started a men's only summer retreat in Rome focused on learning secrets of persuasion and oratory from the ancient Romans ( costofglory.com/retreat ) and we take great encouragement from your regular missives.
Merry Christmas, to Aaron and all the other subscribers - keep doing good work!
Consumerism is "mainly defensive". Indeed. When you're alienated from community and close relationships you need to have everything and it better be the latest and greatest version.
I've noticed that, at least at the popular "twitter discourse" level, I see a lot of critiques of "Capitalism" that point out the problems of consumerist mentality and culture. The underlying assumption being that somehow free-market economy necessarily creates such a culture. Those of us who advocate for a free market should be careful not to be suckered into defending consumer culture as such. This is particularly true for Christians, who believe we cannot serve both God and Mammon.
The Century of the Self is a true classic and a must watch. Thanks Aaron for recommending it! Happy Christmastide