Author Ryan Holiday slammed Trump’s daughter for reducing Stoicism to a bauble, showing along the way how nonpolitical influencers can find their anti-authoritarian voice.
Philosophy be damned. I really don’t care about the brain masturbation going on here. And I don’t have the time or inclination to try to understand your point. And really, do you think I care what goes on in Ivanka’s soulless little mind?
Everything Ivanka Trump says is entirely performative and part of her brand. Any serious person is best to avoid her thoughts. Stoic philosophy is historically interesting, but its relevance to current times is very questionable. It’s very easy to see that the Trumps whose natural environment of purple prose as contained in the tabloid press can move into the purple world of caesarism.
The MAGA and manosphere infatuation with Stoicism has always struck me more as something of a fashion. It's really popular for them to wear their Stoicism, but when it comes to actually practicing it, their dedication drops off the cliff. I'd say it's much the same syndrome as you see with MAGA Evangelicals, and MAGA Christians generally. They righteously thump their Bibles while betraying all the red ink they contain.
When you have a movement based on grievance, your movement cannot authentically claim allegiance to the tenets of Stoicism. If you have a movement based on revenge, Jesus probably would disown you.
One of the most insidious and upsetting aspects of todays political "discourse" is the way that every single word, phrase, quotation, or philosophy associated with enlightenment thought is looted and melted down for prestige while discarding all associated meaning.
Also, quick editorial fix:
"Holiday gave a personal speech about the horror of seeing unmasked agents..."
Should be "masked agents", and Substack should have a better way to report these things.
Philosophy be damned. I really don’t care about the brain masturbation going on here. And I don’t have the time or inclination to try to understand your point. And really, do you think I care what goes on in Ivanka’s soulless little mind?
Everything Ivanka Trump says is entirely performative and part of her brand. Any serious person is best to avoid her thoughts. Stoic philosophy is historically interesting, but its relevance to current times is very questionable. It’s very easy to see that the Trumps whose natural environment of purple prose as contained in the tabloid press can move into the purple world of caesarism.
The MAGA and manosphere infatuation with Stoicism has always struck me more as something of a fashion. It's really popular for them to wear their Stoicism, but when it comes to actually practicing it, their dedication drops off the cliff. I'd say it's much the same syndrome as you see with MAGA Evangelicals, and MAGA Christians generally. They righteously thump their Bibles while betraying all the red ink they contain.
When you have a movement based on grievance, your movement cannot authentically claim allegiance to the tenets of Stoicism. If you have a movement based on revenge, Jesus probably would disown you.
One of the most insidious and upsetting aspects of todays political "discourse" is the way that every single word, phrase, quotation, or philosophy associated with enlightenment thought is looted and melted down for prestige while discarding all associated meaning.
Also, quick editorial fix:
"Holiday gave a personal speech about the horror of seeing unmasked agents..."
Should be "masked agents", and Substack should have a better way to report these things.