Collin G Brooke
@cgbrooke
I’m a rhetoric professor in upstate NY.
Collin G Brooke
cgbrooke.substack.com
Supposedly mature adults with no sense of scale or proportionality.”
Jason Pargin • I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom
“Each new generation, indeed every new human being as he inserts himself between an infinite past and an infinite future, must discover and ploddingly pave it anew.”
Jenny Odell • Dear Future, Here’s the One Lesson I Want to Pass on to You
But there remains also the truth that every end in history necessarily contains a new beginning; this beginning is the promise, the only “message” which the end can ever produce. Beginning, before it becomes a historical event, is the supreme capacity of man; politically, it is identical with man’s freedom. Initium ut esset homo creatus est— “that
... See moreTo exorcise a human problem, you must use a touch of naming magic.
Henry Oliver • Notes Towards an Applied Literature
“If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” — George Orwell
It has become increasingly possible to give almost continuous access to politicians—or that's the illusion. Think of our phones, these totemic objects we all carry—the intimacy of sitting in bed with the screen close to your face, watching a politician record a video or a livestream of themselves with their own phone. That's different from sitting
... See moreI think we are trained, particularly on the left, to be critical of performance. And I feel we should be more honest in acknowledging that performance is crucial to politics. It doesn't mean it's the only factor––that policy or other factors don't matter. But it is a defining feature.
Conor Friedersdorf • The Charisma-vs.-Charm Election
There is a sort of magic that we are losing. If you introduce viewers to your private life, you lose the magic of distance that is core to charisma, this stardust you can never touch. There is a difference between being a godlike character and the illusion of a guy you can have a beer with. The sheer amount of access makes it less exciting.