Christine Rosen is the best kind of opinion writer — one we love to disagree with. Senior fellow at AEI, senior writer at Commentary magazine, and co-host of the Commentary podcast, Christine joined us for a conversation ostensibly about trauma, a word/concept that is proliferating in art and life (and getting dangerously diluted in the process). However, this fun conversation sprawled over much contentious ground: history in public discourse, eugenics, human nature, the doomsaying of liberal media, the arrested development of conservative media, Mar-a-Lago, and the mutually assured destruction of marriage.

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On the agenda:

-On history, humility, and human nature [4:45-12:56]

-The Atlantic, panic porn, and conservative media [12:57-34:15]

-Mar a Lago raid and our eroding trust [34:16-40:52]

-Defining trauma down [40:53-1:11:12]

-Losing the trauma plot [1:11:13-1:21:16]

-On marriage, kids, and mutually assured destruction [1:21:17-1:30:18]

-Blindspots [1:30:19-1:32:12]

Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com.