@dan
I have seen the YIMBY future and it works--and it's being led by a blue-collar, populist, ex-drill sergeant in a city in Maine you've probably never heard of.
The YIMBYest City in America
In an effort to grow its population, the small, blue-collar city of Auburn, Maine has been pursuing a people-first approach and building more housing. This effort has brought political leaders of all stripes together and shown that even in a deeply purple community, politics can work.
discoursemagazine.com
I wrote about how elite competition in America has shifted its nexus from *within* elites to *between* elites, and what it means for the future. "When elite competition was primarily intramural, elites were institutional preservationists, which meant that most people barely noticed when individual elites were replaced within the institution. Inter-elite competition means more institutional destruction... which means far less social stability." There is a Straussian reading, of course...
Inter-Elite Competition and Institutional Destruction
The fight for status in America has shifted. Formerly, individual elites competed for high-status positions within a single elite group. But now, different elite groups compete against each other, with possibly dramatic consequences for society. When elite competition was primarily intramural, elites wanted to preserve existing institutions, with themselves at the top. But the new inter-elite competition will lead to more institutional destruction and therefore far less social stability.
discoursemagazine.com
Pace the article @jake posted last week, Nolan Gray interviews Alain Bertaud for CityLab about why starting new cities is hard to do and seldom done well.
The Problem With Building a New City From Scratch
California needs to ease its housing crunch, but establishing brand-new cities isn’t the best way to do it, says urban planner Alain Bertaud. “The trouble is: Who wants to be first?”
bloomberg.com
A nuanced take from Genuine Canuck Janet Bufton on the Canadian truckers and overreaction by the government.
Canada's Freedom Convoy Is Undermining the Cause of Freedom
Its delusions and tactics have infuriated ordinary Canadians who also wanted an end to excessive pandemic restrictions
theunpopulist.substack.com
"I’ve come to think that Bowie’s hotchpotch philosophy has plenty to contribute to the liberalism that is currently being proselytized by most liberals. It was at once comedic, confident and supremely sexy—anarchically anti-essentialist and deliciously subversive. And at a time when liberalism is increasingly equated with thin skins and self-absorbed elitism on the one side, and loneliness and social fracture on the other, I think progressives could do worse than pay attention to Bowie now."
Rebel Rebel
Throughout his career, David Bowie collected and wore many different identities. Long before the internet and social media, he was creating art by assembling and interpreting his experiences. His form of truth may have been inauthentic, insincere and carefully constructed—“assembled from interpretations,” you might say—but ultimately it still felt supremely honest.\
discoursemagazine.com
I reviewed Tim Mak's book "Misfire: Inside the Downfall of the NRA" and meditated a bit on why so many once-principled organizations have decided to go all-in on the culture war.
How the NRA Forgot Its Roots and Joined the Culture War
A new book, “Misfire: Inside the Downfall of the NRA,” shows how one powerful organization allowed itself to be pulled away from its principles and dragged into the culture war. That's something we’ve seen in recent years with many organizations as well as entire sectors—from the American Civil Liberties Union to the news media.
discoursemagazine.com
