The Unabomber, EarthFirst, the Monkeywrench Gang, and the constant hum of humiliation in 2023. How to live in a shitstorm without getting covered in shit. Poem: “The Conditional,” by Ada Limón.
It is always so refreshing to hear you rant about the TRUTH of how fucked up things are. I live in Nashville and most people have their head up their ass around here (if anyone reading this is from here, hit me up and please prove me pleasantly wrong!). I feel so fucking alienated and isolated, and I’m a therapist trying to connect with people every day of the week. I can’t tell you how liberating it feels when I tune into uncle Chris (nickname my good friend and I made for you) and feel immediately seen and heard. It’s wild because you’ve never met met, but you’re pointing directly at the truth, and that hits the same target because the truth is so universally intimate. SO glad I’m on the Substack finally because it’s so refreshing to know there are other people who feel the same way. Chris, thanks for being and creating one of the only authentic, undeniably positive fucking things about the Internet.
Hey Chris, I find it interesting to see how you and the deceased man whose house you're working on are similar. You both believe the shit will hit the fan. You both are preparing for that. But I've heard you say you're looking to create a community that would help each other out as the shit is hitting. He seemed to be more of a lone wolf type. Also, I would assume you're under no illusion that you won't eventually go down with the ship. What are your thoughts on that? Do you think it's worth all the effort you're putting into it? Please don't take my comment as critical in any way, I'm just awkward with expressing my ideas.
Well, what we're doing isn't really a lot of effort. We're just learning to garden, buy food locally, and inviting friends to come do the same. So it's not like we're investing tons of energy into something that might not happen. It's already happening. And yes, of course, I know this won't change the course of history or do much to stave off the coming shitstorm, but planting trees is fun and satisfying, even if I know I'll never sit in their shade.
This episode resonated with me a lot as I've also gone through some questioning/disillusionment in the last years of whether "activism" (to use it as an umbrella term) is about trying to make an impact (politically, environmentally, socially), or is it about rather trying to satisfy our own _individual_ need to feel as though we're doing something meaningful/purposeful, to feel as though there's still a reason to get out of bed in the morning and work towards something even though we know it's fucked. I think at some point I understood that most of my efforts were never really going to change much, but I kinda concluded that if I transparently acknowledged to myself that my own ego/well-being/my sense of belonging/my sense of purpose/orientation was at the driver of the "activism" (which has looked different at different stages of my life), then it somehow enabled me to show up differently, to perhaps even openly say out loud to myself "this probably won't change much, but at least it's an enjoyable way to spend my years on earth", and to make sense of what the hell this life is about.
Maybe some of it is also about feeling as though we're belonging to a group we identify with (or that we want to be seen as being identified with...). Especially in our early 20s when we're leaving the nuclear family and going out into the big wide world, that sense of belonging to a (sub-)culture or activist circle can feel so welcoming, nourishing even.
To be fair, Kennedy didn’t say the cell phone radiation crosses the blood brain barrier. He said that it “Opened up” the blood brain barrier. Which I take to mean it makes it more permeable. Not saying he’s right, but kind of an important distinction.
Hey Chris, there is a song in Spanish titled '¿Qué estoy haciendo aquí? (What am I doing here?) - by famous Spanish singer Joaquin Sabina (one of my favorites). I assume you have hear of him in your time in España.I love the song, and it is in a reggae rhythm.
Your last couple of episodes have brought that song to my head a lot, because it relates to the things you have mentioned about life and living in a world that is going nuts and people living lives that they don't want, about greed, and about loneliness. Brush off you Spanish and check it out. Venga, que la música está buena!
You can always look up the lyrics and translate them. But it would be awesome that you played it in one of your intros.
I’m not pro immortality chasing billionaires but just curious about the psychology of them so wanted to ask if you think there are exceptions for the case of someone chasing immortality that understands he will never achieve it and simply enjoys the act of chasing it. This analogy might not work here but I’m genuinely trying to understand so correct me if I’m wrong but is it like yelling at a short kid playing basketball with the tall kids telling him he’s stupid for playing and that he will never win? When in reality there could be two types of those kids: (1)the frustrated kid in denial or (2)the kid that knows he will never win but just enjoys playing the game; in which case the first kid probably needs to hear that guy yelling but the second kid would just respond and say “I know I won’t win man! I just like to play!” Thoughts?
Hey Cole. Your basketball analogy is a good one, and I'm sure there's some of that. But I think billionaires probably need to think about something beyond their own immediate desires occasionally. I know it's an unpopular notion among that crowd, but maybe giving back to humanity rather than rocket rides and vanity projects? Or maybe they justify this nonsense by saying, "Sure, I may not live forever, but this research will eventually help others."
Personally, I think they just get to a point where they don't want to lose everything they've managed to accrue (money, power, prestige), so as long as they're winning, the game can't end!
But I'm all for having fun playing a game you know you can't win. Seems to me, that's pretty much an apt metaphor for life itself.
I found it hard to take seriously until I heard some old friends who were usually apolitical throwing around some of this same language. I am around Chris’s age and was very involved in Central American peace movement in the mid 1980s. I was only one of my high school cohort that got involved. Now like Chris mentioned in the ROMA I think I am a bit jaded. But it cracks me up to
hear folks who I know that didn’t give much of a hoot about the US funding death squads in Guatemala and El Salvador and then tacitly supported the Gulf Wars (W had an 85% approval rating at one point) talking like some people in this article and going on now about the military industrial complex. Never used to bother them before. Shit keeps getting weirder.
I would love to get Chris’s take on this VF article as he is “Out West” and has a sharp eye for social/cultural phenomena. And see what you all think.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which used to be called "Earth First's navy", has gone from being branded as eco-terrorists to being reality tv stars. They now often work at the invitation of governments to fight poachers (although this seems to have led to a schism in the organization). I guess its the opposite of the old adage "you either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain."
Great job, Chris. Keeping a calm and level head despite all the alarmist apocalyptic rhetoric is my main priority. We can’t control outcomes or people. We can only control ourselves and accept that nobody is perfect.
It is always so refreshing to hear you rant about the TRUTH of how fucked up things are. I live in Nashville and most people have their head up their ass around here (if anyone reading this is from here, hit me up and please prove me pleasantly wrong!). I feel so fucking alienated and isolated, and I’m a therapist trying to connect with people every day of the week. I can’t tell you how liberating it feels when I tune into uncle Chris (nickname my good friend and I made for you) and feel immediately seen and heard. It’s wild because you’ve never met met, but you’re pointing directly at the truth, and that hits the same target because the truth is so universally intimate. SO glad I’m on the Substack finally because it’s so refreshing to know there are other people who feel the same way. Chris, thanks for being and creating one of the only authentic, undeniably positive fucking things about the Internet.
Thanks, Jaden. Glad you're here.
Yeah man this ROMA was a great one. I dig when you let it rip. Sometimes I need to hear someone that’s as fed up with this crap as I am. 🤙
Hey Chris, I find it interesting to see how you and the deceased man whose house you're working on are similar. You both believe the shit will hit the fan. You both are preparing for that. But I've heard you say you're looking to create a community that would help each other out as the shit is hitting. He seemed to be more of a lone wolf type. Also, I would assume you're under no illusion that you won't eventually go down with the ship. What are your thoughts on that? Do you think it's worth all the effort you're putting into it? Please don't take my comment as critical in any way, I'm just awkward with expressing my ideas.
Well, what we're doing isn't really a lot of effort. We're just learning to garden, buy food locally, and inviting friends to come do the same. So it's not like we're investing tons of energy into something that might not happen. It's already happening. And yes, of course, I know this won't change the course of history or do much to stave off the coming shitstorm, but planting trees is fun and satisfying, even if I know I'll never sit in their shade.
This episode resonated with me a lot as I've also gone through some questioning/disillusionment in the last years of whether "activism" (to use it as an umbrella term) is about trying to make an impact (politically, environmentally, socially), or is it about rather trying to satisfy our own _individual_ need to feel as though we're doing something meaningful/purposeful, to feel as though there's still a reason to get out of bed in the morning and work towards something even though we know it's fucked. I think at some point I understood that most of my efforts were never really going to change much, but I kinda concluded that if I transparently acknowledged to myself that my own ego/well-being/my sense of belonging/my sense of purpose/orientation was at the driver of the "activism" (which has looked different at different stages of my life), then it somehow enabled me to show up differently, to perhaps even openly say out loud to myself "this probably won't change much, but at least it's an enjoyable way to spend my years on earth", and to make sense of what the hell this life is about.
Maybe some of it is also about feeling as though we're belonging to a group we identify with (or that we want to be seen as being identified with...). Especially in our early 20s when we're leaving the nuclear family and going out into the big wide world, that sense of belonging to a (sub-)culture or activist circle can feel so welcoming, nourishing even.
Skim milk is more deadly than heavy cream
Don’t trust anyone who isn’t angry 😤
I thought my line for picking up Asian chicks would have got a few laughs-Hey-you look familiar
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Xu0GPo7GkPk&feature=shareb
https://youtube.com/watch?v=6z1ZpYcyku4&feature=shareb
To be fair, Kennedy didn’t say the cell phone radiation crosses the blood brain barrier. He said that it “Opened up” the blood brain barrier. Which I take to mean it makes it more permeable. Not saying he’s right, but kind of an important distinction.
Yes, you're right. He said it breaks down the barrier so that all kinds of toxins can get past it.
Hey Chris, there is a song in Spanish titled '¿Qué estoy haciendo aquí? (What am I doing here?) - by famous Spanish singer Joaquin Sabina (one of my favorites). I assume you have hear of him in your time in España.I love the song, and it is in a reggae rhythm.
Your last couple of episodes have brought that song to my head a lot, because it relates to the things you have mentioned about life and living in a world that is going nuts and people living lives that they don't want, about greed, and about loneliness. Brush off you Spanish and check it out. Venga, que la música está buena!
You can always look up the lyrics and translate them. But it would be awesome that you played it in one of your intros.
Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/6sMK5NZtcziMoEwKXBlQOL?si=CzZ7Hx-YQpKpd1mToAmtEg&context=spotify%3Atrack%3A6sMK5NZtcziMoEwKXBlQOL
Saludos!
A useful, nuanced take on,"It is what it is" that makes the cliche less annoying. Cheers, this one's gonna remain and hum.
I’m not pro immortality chasing billionaires but just curious about the psychology of them so wanted to ask if you think there are exceptions for the case of someone chasing immortality that understands he will never achieve it and simply enjoys the act of chasing it. This analogy might not work here but I’m genuinely trying to understand so correct me if I’m wrong but is it like yelling at a short kid playing basketball with the tall kids telling him he’s stupid for playing and that he will never win? When in reality there could be two types of those kids: (1)the frustrated kid in denial or (2)the kid that knows he will never win but just enjoys playing the game; in which case the first kid probably needs to hear that guy yelling but the second kid would just respond and say “I know I won’t win man! I just like to play!” Thoughts?
Hey Cole. Your basketball analogy is a good one, and I'm sure there's some of that. But I think billionaires probably need to think about something beyond their own immediate desires occasionally. I know it's an unpopular notion among that crowd, but maybe giving back to humanity rather than rocket rides and vanity projects? Or maybe they justify this nonsense by saying, "Sure, I may not live forever, but this research will eventually help others."
Personally, I think they just get to a point where they don't want to lose everything they've managed to accrue (money, power, prestige), so as long as they're winning, the game can't end!
But I'm all for having fun playing a game you know you can't win. Seems to me, that's pretty much an apt metaphor for life itself.
Did you all see the Vanity Fair piece about the “new/alt right out West”?
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/02/new-right-civil-war
I found it hard to take seriously until I heard some old friends who were usually apolitical throwing around some of this same language. I am around Chris’s age and was very involved in Central American peace movement in the mid 1980s. I was only one of my high school cohort that got involved. Now like Chris mentioned in the ROMA I think I am a bit jaded. But it cracks me up to
hear folks who I know that didn’t give much of a hoot about the US funding death squads in Guatemala and El Salvador and then tacitly supported the Gulf Wars (W had an 85% approval rating at one point) talking like some people in this article and going on now about the military industrial complex. Never used to bother them before. Shit keeps getting weirder.
I would love to get Chris’s take on this VF article as he is “Out West” and has a sharp eye for social/cultural phenomena. And see what you all think.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which used to be called "Earth First's navy", has gone from being branded as eco-terrorists to being reality tv stars. They now often work at the invitation of governments to fight poachers (although this seems to have led to a schism in the organization). I guess its the opposite of the old adage "you either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain."
Good point!
Great job, Chris. Keeping a calm and level head despite all the alarmist apocalyptic rhetoric is my main priority. We can’t control outcomes or people. We can only control ourselves and accept that nobody is perfect.