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AKiwi  1d ago (alethios.substack.com)   850 thread views

With TracingWoodgrains - Journalism, Education Policy, and Political Change

alethios.substack.com

Hi folks,

Recorded this interview with Trace at Manifest last month. We talked about evolving cultural dynamics online, reforming the Democratic Party, and how small groups of people can have disproportionate influence on public policy. Also discussed is the impact of places like TheMotte, both as a crucible for ideas and as a training ground for future writers and leaders.

Given Trace's prominence and contentiousness here, I hope it might be of interest. Look forward to hearing what people think, and perhaps sparking some discussion. I've highlighted one point of disagreement I have with his ideas [thusly] in the transcript.

The video, Spotify/Apple Podcast links, and a full 'Patio11-style' transcript are all available here: https://alethios.substack.com/p/with-tracingwoodgrains-journalism

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It's an odd shill (edit- as in, advertisement/solicitation) that advertises on the Motte with a claim that the Motte is a subject of conversation, but links to an article transcript that doesn't include the word.

FWIW, he asked us if it would be okay to post this.

We said yes, and warned him he'd probably be getting flack from Trace-haters.

There are Trace haters here?

I don’t hate him, but anyone who ragequits a forum forever because people said mean things about them immediately loses respect from me.

Honestly, it wasn't even the rageout. Catharsis doesn't have to be pretty. It was more the gap... anti-moe? The gap/contradiction between his opening narrative pitch of 'hello respected friends, let me tell you of a guy who talks shit about the Motte' and then the flame out 'screw you guys, I hated you all anyway.' It's not like it was any sort of surprise or carefully guarded secret, but false friendship for the sake of shilling a substack of all things...

You know what gap moe means?

Man I had you pegged as a 50 year old Fox News boomer.

I don't know what gap moe means. Please explain.

A 50-year old is an X-er, not a boomer, and not even an especially old X-er. The boomers were their parents' generation.

I am adding 'Fox News boomer' to my list of pejoratives.

No it’s not a pejorative! The thoroughness of your empirical research is rarely observed among the brainrotted younger generation.

Man I had you pegged as a 50 year old Fox News boomer.

Dean not only knows what gap moe means, he's embodied it.

(Also I don't know what it means and this joke is based on a 2-minute google search.)

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