Hey, Claire. I was reading John Gray's latest (https://unherd.com/2020/01/the-rise-of-identitarian-liberalism/), and I wondered what your perspective is on the mania for woke/identity politics, especially from your experience living abroad. Is this a peculiarly American phenomenon, or is it equally prevalent among affluent European twenty-somethings as well? Is it just a passing trend, a cyclical annoyance, or do you think it signifies something deeper about liberalism in general?
On a different note, did you ever get the exercise ball you wanted? I fully support you using my subscription to fund the purchase if need be. After years of exercise at home, I finally joined a gym for the first time at the age of 46, and I'm kicking myself for not having done it sooner, so I'd be honored to support a fellow Gen-Xer in the fight against personal entropy.
My wife would like to contribute a bit to this comment, so I'll pass the laptop to her now:
1. Does this mean we don't get the unabridged essay for the sociology and economics of press-on nails? Because I'm totally here for that.
2. Is there a procrastination group I can join? I'm tops at the whole 'research in lieu of work' thing. I want to find a safe and supportive space for this tendency. Also, did you know that someone has done a lot of research on the best height for the heels of weightlifting shoes based on your height, grip, and femur ratios? I can send you links if you'd like.
3. Top beauty hack: John Frieda Clear Shine Gloss. Basically a hair serum that makes your hair as soft and shiny as a freshly bathed golden retriever. Don't tell your friends you use it, just roll up on their frizzy winter hair and pretend you woke up looking like this.
Some miscelleneous thoughts. Because I'm procrastinating....
The thing that's wasting my time is football. Or, rather, withdrawal from it. The season has reached the stage where I hafta wait two whole weeks for a single game. And then it's all over. Total, complete, frozen turkey withdrawal. No more football after the Super Bowl for *months*. It's gonna be a long, cold summer. Under the boardwalk, down by the sea just doesn't cut it.
And editing a story. Talk about boring. Jeez. I already know how it comes out.
Oh, and looking for answers to questions about journalism ethics....
"AOC has been criticized for many things, but never for looking ratty."
Well, of course not. Conservatives aren't sexist. Besides, calling Ocasio-Cortez ratty-looking would insult innocent rats. And Bernie.
Oh, and what kind of cheap wine gets served in plastic cups--the kind sold in wax-lined cardboard boxes? Certainly not anything from the Mosel Valley or Tauber Valley. (And: the best looking stick-on nails I saw in this whole piece were those on the finger tips in that image of the cheap vino in the plastic cup.)
Hi Claire, thank you so much for this installment of your newsletter: I opened it hoping to procrastinate from a bit of work I really need to get done this afternoon, and was unexpectedly delighted by the discussion of press-on nails. I am of the perhaps very narrow demographic of man that has no particular inhibitions about wearing painted nails, but is incredibly shy about actually ever going to the nail salon. Perhaps this is the solution I need to finally live my manicured dream?
Hey, Claire. I was reading John Gray's latest (https://unherd.com/2020/01/the-rise-of-identitarian-liberalism/), and I wondered what your perspective is on the mania for woke/identity politics, especially from your experience living abroad. Is this a peculiarly American phenomenon, or is it equally prevalent among affluent European twenty-somethings as well? Is it just a passing trend, a cyclical annoyance, or do you think it signifies something deeper about liberalism in general?
On a different note, did you ever get the exercise ball you wanted? I fully support you using my subscription to fund the purchase if need be. After years of exercise at home, I finally joined a gym for the first time at the age of 46, and I'm kicking myself for not having done it sooner, so I'd be honored to support a fellow Gen-Xer in the fight against personal entropy.
My wife would like to contribute a bit to this comment, so I'll pass the laptop to her now:
1. Does this mean we don't get the unabridged essay for the sociology and economics of press-on nails? Because I'm totally here for that.
2. Is there a procrastination group I can join? I'm tops at the whole 'research in lieu of work' thing. I want to find a safe and supportive space for this tendency. Also, did you know that someone has done a lot of research on the best height for the heels of weightlifting shoes based on your height, grip, and femur ratios? I can send you links if you'd like.
3. Top beauty hack: John Frieda Clear Shine Gloss. Basically a hair serum that makes your hair as soft and shiny as a freshly bathed golden retriever. Don't tell your friends you use it, just roll up on their frizzy winter hair and pretend you woke up looking like this.
Some miscelleneous thoughts. Because I'm procrastinating....
The thing that's wasting my time is football. Or, rather, withdrawal from it. The season has reached the stage where I hafta wait two whole weeks for a single game. And then it's all over. Total, complete, frozen turkey withdrawal. No more football after the Super Bowl for *months*. It's gonna be a long, cold summer. Under the boardwalk, down by the sea just doesn't cut it.
And editing a story. Talk about boring. Jeez. I already know how it comes out.
Oh, and looking for answers to questions about journalism ethics....
For true procrastination, though, take up the trumpet. Here's an example of what you could spend your time doing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk6kmnnzCfI Or, if you want a real challenge, get your own guitar--a real one--and learn flamenco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c7JHsDyv2w
"AOC has been criticized for many things, but never for looking ratty."
Well, of course not. Conservatives aren't sexist. Besides, calling Ocasio-Cortez ratty-looking would insult innocent rats. And Bernie.
Oh, and what kind of cheap wine gets served in plastic cups--the kind sold in wax-lined cardboard boxes? Certainly not anything from the Mosel Valley or Tauber Valley. (And: the best looking stick-on nails I saw in this whole piece were those on the finger tips in that image of the cheap vino in the plastic cup.)
Eric Hines
Hi Claire, thank you so much for this installment of your newsletter: I opened it hoping to procrastinate from a bit of work I really need to get done this afternoon, and was unexpectedly delighted by the discussion of press-on nails. I am of the perhaps very narrow demographic of man that has no particular inhibitions about wearing painted nails, but is incredibly shy about actually ever going to the nail salon. Perhaps this is the solution I need to finally live my manicured dream?