Douglas Murray, a journalist and author for The Spectator, offers sharp insights into today's chaotic media landscape. He explores body positivity's betrayal by Victoria's Secret and debates whether we've reached peak wokeness. The conversation also dives into rising conspiratorial thinking, critiques performative empathy, and the intricacies of decision-making in modern life. Murray challenges cultural norms, discussing the complexities of dating influenced by political identifiers, and reflects on society's changing narratives around truth and personal responsibility.
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Victoria's Secret Reversal
Victoria's Secret reversed their inclusivity strategy, returning to "hot" models after declining sales.
This highlights the commercial importance of conventional attractiveness in advertising.
insights INSIGHT
Performative Empathy
Performative empathy prioritizes short-term positive displays over long-term well-being.
This leads to harmful choices being celebrated and responsible voices being labeled as bigoted.
insights INSIGHT
Truth Disagreement
People struggle to agree on truth due to deranging events like the pandemic and contested elections.
Social media exacerbates this by allowing personalized versions of events and eroding the value of truth.
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In this book, Douglas Murray investigates the dangers of 'woke' culture and the rise of identity politics. He examines the most controversial issues of the current era, including sexuality, gender, technology, and race, and critiques the Marxist foundations of modern social justice movements. Murray argues that modern attitudes towards these issues have been distorted by a sense of victimhood and the negative impact of political correctness. The book is divided into sections dealing with different forms of identity politics and includes interludes on the impact of technology and the need to relearn the ability to forgive in an increasingly online culture. Murray's work has received both praise and criticism, with some reviewers appreciating his bravery and others criticizing his approach as provocative and divisive.
The strange death of Europe
Douglas Murray
In 'The Strange Death of Europe,' Douglas Murray argues that European civilization is under threat due to two primary factors: the mass migration of new peoples into Europe and the continent's low birth rates, combined with a loss of faith in its beliefs, traditions, and legitimacy. Murray contends that Europe's exhaustion from its historical burdens, its post-Christian and post-modern identity crisis, and its inability to defend its values are leading to a cultural and demographic transformation that may result in the end of Europe as it has historically existed. The book is characterized by its polarizing reception, with some praising its insightful reporting and others criticizing its perceived xenophobic and paranoid tone[1][3][5].
The Bench
Duchess of Sussex
The Bench is a children's book written by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, inspired by her husband Prince Harry and their son Archie. It explores the bond between fathers and sons through a mother's eyes, featuring illustrations by Christian Robinson that celebrate diversity and family love. The book aims to capture the warmth and joy of family relationships in a modern context.
Douglas Murray is a journalist, author and associate editor of The Spectator.
As the turmoil of global events dominates the media, it can feel as though the world is spiralling into chaos. If we can't agree on what's happening, how can we make sense of the world? What's the solution in a post-truth world?
Expect to learn how Victoria’s Secret betrayed the body positivity movement, why people are struggling to agree on what's true anymore, how the “Gays for Gaza” movement will get on, whether we are past peak wokeness, why there is such a huge increase in conspiratorial thinking, what the most recent South Park episode has to say about our culture and much more...
Modern Wisdom 
