Testing Theories and Storytelling

I go into three different topics this week. First, I discuss my debate with Curtis Yarvin from Friday on the question of democracy versus monarchy. I share some thoughts on the point of debates, impressions of who “won,” and what it was like meeting online rightists in person.

The second part of the monologue goes into Tucker’s trip to Moscow, which included his interview with Putin and visits to the metro and a supermarket. I discuss the ways in which criticism of US foreign policy is often motivated by hostility to American society more generally, and why this is a trap to avoid. For previous takes on the Putin interview, see here and here. I talk about how while the subway video arguably had a legitimate point about our urban dysfunction, the supermarket one shows the ways in which anti-Americanism can cloud people’s judgment. I suggest ways in which one can find a healthier balance that involves criticizing America’s flaws while not developing too negative a perspective or romanticizing states like Putin’s Russia.

Finally, I discuss Edward Luttwak’s recent piece on why Israel is winning in Gaza, and the split between PR realities and what is happening on the ground. As I previously predicted, Israel would fight to win, and it’s heartening to see that it is largely ignoring international criticism of the war effort.