“The culture that produced these manfluencers emerged from a tangle of subcultures that took shape at the dawn of the metrosexual. The pickup artist scene, led by figures like Mystery and Neil Strauss, treated masculinity as a game: Confidence could be rehearsed, women were goals to be unlocked, and clothes were tools for climbing the socio-sexual hierarchy. In parallel, MMA fighters such as Georges St-Pierre and Chuck Liddell offered a new masculine ideal—not muscle for spectacle, but functional strength hardened through raw combat. On YouTube and in early fitness forums, ex-soldiers, bodybuilders and amateur life coaches used their physiques as proof of transformation. David Goggins, Zyzz and Jocko Willink—fitness guys who doubled as motivational speakers—cast the body as both weapon and wisdom. Hustle culture took these ideas further. Tim Ferriss, known for his 4-Hour self-help books, wrote about cold plunges and productivity hacks. Joe Rogan eventually became the connective tissue between these subcultures. His podcast empire fused fitness, supplements, self-help and libertarian suspicion into a single worldview—one-half gym science, one-half cultural resistance. The Tate brothers took the raw material of that worldview and repackaged it with a harder ideological edge—blending fitness and hustle culture with anti-feminist backlash, nationalist grievance and a theatrical contempt for liberal norms. Not everyone in the alpha ecosystem shares their politics, but many embrace the same visual grammar. Ashton Hall, whose cold Saratoga water face plunge became a TikTok trend, uses similar imagery. Liver King followed a comparable formula, wrapping primal excess in a veneer of ancestral wisdom. Andy Frisella, creator of 75 Hard—a boot-camp-style program that promises toughness through discipline, dieting and discomfort—delivers YouTube sermons on sculpting abs and building wealth. These men may differ in tone, but they share an ideal: masculinity is under siege, and the only way forward is to optimize, aestheticize and dominate. For them, the body is a billboard for self-mastery, and slim-fit clothing is the wrapping that proves it.” (Derek Guy/Bloomberg)
“When Donald Trump took office in January 2017, he was greeted by massive demonstrations. Millions participated in women’s marches in Washington, DC, and elsewhere, with more protests to follow, giving rise to a resistance movement. We’re seeing a new one develop, with people mobilizing against Trump’s authoritarian agenda, complete with trade wars and culture wars, as well as Elon Musk’s dismantling of federal agencies. While everyday Americans are pushing back, some elite entities, in law and academia, have been responding to Trump’s radical agenda and demands with appeasement—which already looks like a losing strategy—as other institutions fight back. ‘Law Firms Made Deals With Trump. Now He Wants More From Them,’ declared The New York Times last week in a piece detailing how efforts to avoid retribution haven’t insulated firms ‘from his whims.’ Pretty clearly, appeasement in the face of executive orders and threats provides an opening for Trump to ask for more, just like any would-be autocrat might. According to the Times, Trump ‘has mused about having them help with his goal of reviving the coal industry.’ Ahh, just what every ambitious young associate has always dreamed of: doing pro bono work for Big Coal.” (Molly Jong-Fast/Vanity Fair)
“Just months after he became the head of the Catholic Church in 2013, Pope Francis condemned the ‘new tyranny’ of unfettered capitalism and the ‘idolatry of money.’ In an apostolic exhortation issued in the fall of that year, he argued, ‘As long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation and by attacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution will be found for the world’s problems or, for that matter, to any problems.’ The pope took a side in the debates about capitalism that had been sparked by Occupy Wall Street and other movements of the period—not just in his manifesto but in interviews, warning, ‘Today we are living in an unjust international system in which ‘King Money’ is at the center’ … As a spiritual leader with a mass following and an ability to speak to political and corporate elites, Pope Francis’s voice was heard where others were dismissed. It was well-noted, for instance, when he met with figures such as US Senator Bernie Sanders, who was welcomed at the Vatican for an audience during the Vermont senator’s 2016 presidential bid. The fact that Pope Francis embraced a critique of capitalism that came from progressive economists, dissident political figures, and activists in the streets—as opposed to accepting the apologias issued from the suites of the billionaire class—opened up the debate. No one expected the more radical economic elements of the economic vision of a religious leader, even so prominent a figure as Pope Francis, to be fully embraced by Wall Street or Washington—and that did not happen.” (John Nichols/The Nation)
“The foundation of the business had been cracking apart for years. In 2016, Hollywood saw some of its worst ticket sales this century. The industry had changed: Audiences were staying at home more, franchises were becoming a financial necessity, and mid-budget films were vanishing. “The tide has moved against movies,” one analyst said. “They used to be the hub of what entertainment is, but that core has shifted to streaming and television.” In 2018, the film industry seemed to rebound financially, but television was beginning to feel the pain. In 2019, the pace at which Americans were abandoning traditional pay-for television increased by more than 70 percent, and more Americans paid for streaming services than subscribed to traditional cable television. Interviewed that year, Donna Langley, the head of Universal Studios, suggested optimistically that there had never been a better time for filmmaking. But the reality was something like the opposite. Mid-budget movies were vanishing, labor precarity was increasing, and the industry’s financial cracks were deepening. Then, 2020. Lockdown inflamed the “streaming wars” of the previous decade. During the pandemic, the largest streaming services increased their subscriber base by around 50 percent. Studios turned over rocks for content, streaming events and—unthinkable in a previous era—releasing blockbusters direct to home viewing. These were sugar highs for studios and viewers alike: a captive audience, plentiful selection. The pandemic, the political whiplash of Obama-Trump-Biden, the pileup of the #MeToo movement, the murder of George Floyd, and the nascent power of BLM—all coincided with an existing decline in the popularity of traditional mass entertainment and conspired to destabilize decision-making at the top. The multiple blows to the collective conscience and the collective pocketbook cleared out space for a moment of political reckoning. Over this period, there is no doubt that calls for more representation led to increased diversity in the industry. UCLA’s annual reports bear out near double-digit increases across streaming in women and BIPOC folks writing, directing, and starring in productions. But those changes were visible only on-screen or in the highest-profile creative positions, such as writers or directors. Behind the scenes, very little changed. The same ‘Studio Chief Summit’ where Langley was so sunny about industry disruption allowing movies ‘to find their way into the world’ featured the leads of those studios The Hollywood Reporter deemed the top seven production houses. Among five men and two women, all were white.” (Ana Marie Cox/TNR)
“The Elks, the Shriners, and the bowling leagues are too far gone to be mourned. Even our dining has become solitary if our cultural commentators are to be believed. Office communities breathe on life support, as do many churches. Face-to-face interaction of any kind, much less substantive conversation, is increasingly hard to come by. But who mourns the decline of philosophical conversation? It has virtually disappeared, even at colleges and universities, and its vigor is diminished even in its designated departments. Agnes Callard’s new book, Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophic Life, seeks to revive philosophical inquiry not only as a hobby or a decoration but as something central to a life worth living. Socrates is, as far as we know, the great inventor of the philosophical conversation, and his conversations, as recorded in Plato’s dialogues, stand as both models and invitations. As Callard sees it, shared inquiry into deep questions provides a solution to life’s most intractable difficulties. Paramount among those is the dangers of an unexamined life, a life where one has already begun to rely on thinking that has not yet been thought through. Callard coins the lovely catchphrase—’untimely questions’—for inquiries that get to the bottom of one’s life, to the principles I rely on as I live and act. Callard argues that, left to oneself, it is impossible to recognize one’s own wrongness. According to a paradox by philosopher G. E. Moore, it is logically impossible to believe that one is right and wrong at the same time.” (Zena Hitz/Law & Liberty)
“Sudanese people are eating leaves and charcoal to survive after fleeing an attack on a camp for displaced people near the city of el-Fasher, an aid agency has told the BBC. ‘The stories we've been hearing are truly horrific,’ Noah Taylor, the Norwegian Refugee Council's head of operations, told the BBC's Newsday programme. People are fleeing el-Fasher for Tawila, but are dying ‘on arrival,’ Mr Taylor added. He said that some were ‘dying of thirst,’ whilst making the 40km (25 mile)- journey from Zamzam camp in ‘blistering’ temperatures. ‘We've heard stories there are still bodies on the road between el-Fasher and Tawila. ‘We spoke to a family who told us of a girl who had walked on foot by herself from el-Fasher, was repeatedly raped along the journey, and then died of her wounds when she arrived in Tawila.’ El-Fasher is the last city in Sudan's western region of Darfur under the control of the army and its allies. Earlier this month, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked the nearby Zamzam camp, forcing tens of thousands to flee their makeshift shelters. Many Zamzam residents had been there for two decades, after escaping previous conflicts in Darfur. The RSF has been battling the army for the past two years in a war that has killed an estimated 150,000 people and forced some 13 million from their homes. Aid agencies say it is the world's worst humanitarian crisis.” (Cecelia Macauley/BBC)
“Every Monday, Maurine Gentis, a retired teacher, waits for a delivery from Meals on Wheels South Texas. ‘The meals help stretch my budget,’ Ms. Gentis, 77, said. Living alone and in a wheelchair, she appreciates having someone look in on her regularly. The same group, a nonprofit, delivers books from the library and dry food for her cat. But Ms. Gentis is anxious about what lies ahead. The small government agency responsible for overseeing programs like Meals on Wheels is being dismantled as part of the Trump administration’s overhaul of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Roughly half its staff has been let go in recent layoffs and all of its 10 regional offices are closed, according to several employees who lost their jobs. ‘I’m just kind of worried that the whole thing might go down the drain, too,’ Ms. Gentis said. In President Trump’s quest to end what he termed ‘illegal and immoral discrimination programs,’ one of his executive orders promoted cracking down on federal efforts to improve accessibility and representation for those with disabilities, with agencies flagging words like ‘accessible’ and ‘disability’ as potentially problematic. Certain research studies are no longer being funded, and many government health employees specializing in disability issues have been fired.” (Reed Ableson/NYT)
“Construction projects can lead to incredible archaeological discoveries, and the excavation site Sizewell C has proved to be quite fruitful. Located on the coast of Suffolk, England, the area is a developing nuclear power site. Sizewell C’s archaeology partner, Oxford Cotswold Archaeology (OCA), is working hard to preserve the history of the area. Previously, the team unearthed treasures that included World War II artifacts and an Iron Age axel. And the site just keeps on giving. Just this past January, archaeologists found a hoard of 11th-century coins in near-perfect condition. The 321 silver coins were carefully wrapped in cloth and lead in a way that resembled a Cornish pasty—which, consequently, earned the find its nickname. ‘The Pasty, as it was immediately and affectionately named for obvious reasons, was a true privilege to find,’ Andrew Pegg, OCA archaeologist and discoverer of the coins, said in a statement … The coins in the bundle were minted between 1036 and 1044, dating back to the reigns of Harold I, Harthacnut, and Edward the Confessor. This particular time was one of uncertainty—wealthier individuals closely associated with the previous ruler were often exiled, or (after Edward the Confessor’s coronation) had their belongings confiscated. The owner likely buried their stash for safekeeping, but failed to return to retrieve it. Researchers suggest that the owner may have died before digging up the hoard, or was simply unable to locate it again … ‘I was shaking when I first unearthed it, seeing a single coin edge peeking at me,’ Pegg said. ‘A perfect archaeological time capsule.’” (Emma Frederickson/Popular Mechanics)
“‘Deputies are stopping Hispanic drivers for minor, unprovable traffic violations like veering left of center, then handing them over to Border Patrol agents who are sometimes already at the scene.’ In one documented case after another, Syracuse.com reporters Michelle Breidenbach and Rylee Kirk build a compelling case that local cops in upstate New York are working in tandem with federal agents to stop Latinos on the roads, often on flimsy grounds, as part of a sweep to deport undocumented immigrants. In the cases they cited, the arrested people had no other outstanding crimes or charges, except for entering the US illegally. ‘Just driving while brown or just speaking with an accent should not be the basis for a stop, should not be the basis for detention,’ said Jose Perez, a local immigration lawyer. Or as the sister of an arrested Honduran man told the reporters, ‘You just sort of know that going out, you can be followed just for being Hispanic.’” (Bill Grueskin/CJR)
“In shelters across New York, migrant children sit in front of computer and TV screens, appearing virtually in real court proceedings. They swivel in chairs, walk in circles and play with their hair — while immigration judges address them on the screens in front of them. ‘The reason we’re here is because the government of the United States wants you to leave the United States,’ Judge Ubaid ul-Haq, presiding from a courtroom on Varick Street, told a group of about a dozen children on a recent morning on Webex. ‘It’s my job to figure out if you have to leave,’ ul-Haq continued. ‘It’s also my job to figure out if you should stay.’ The parties included a 7-year-old boy, wearing a shirt emblazoned with a pizza cartoon, who spun a toy windmill while the judge spoke. There was an 8-year-old girl and her 4-year-old sister, in a tie-dye shirt, who squeezed a pink plushy toy and stuffed it into her sleeve. None of the children were accompanied by parents or attorneys, only shelter workers who helped them log on to the hearing. Immigrant advocates and lawyers say an increasing number of migrant children are making immigration court appearances without the assistance of attorneys, which they say will lead to more children getting deported. The Trump administration on March 21 terminated part of a $200 million contract that funds attorneys and other legal services for unaccompanied children. Those are children who arrive without parents or legal guardians — and typically instead come with aunts, uncles or older siblings, according to immigration attorneys.” (Arya Sundaram/Gothamist)
