Brainrot, Not Ideology
The assassination of Charlie Kirk shows how Discord, memes, and “online brainrot” may motivate disaffected youth more than ideology.
Claire Lehmann
· 5 min read
United States
A collection of 29 posts
The Murder of Iryna Zarutska
Why did this particular crime cut through the daily background noise of American violence?
Jukka Savolainen
· 7 min read
The Next Generation of Wokeness
Wokeness has not retreated—it has simply shapeshifted.
Claire Lehmann
· 10 min read
Repairing America’s Broken Civic Spirit: Lessons from David Gergen (1942–2025)
His ability to provide valued counsel to Presidents of both major parties originated from a deep love for his country tempered by decades of accumulated political wisdom.
Daniel Lelchuk
· 4 min read
America’s Grief Cycle: The Negotiation Phase
How Trump’s tariffs and foreign policy signal the third phase of US decline on the world stage.
Andrew Roberts
· 7 min read
The Strange Western Surrender
When dealing with the Chinese Communist Party, why does the West find it so difficult to learn the exhausting lessons of bitter experience?
Aaron Sarin
· 10 min read
It’s the Narrative, Stupid!
Every time there is a shooting, everybody turns to their narrative. We all want our stories to be vindicated, and we are perplexed if the expected pattern does not emerge.
Fred Litwin
· 7 min read
A Wretched Situation
The failure of the Secret Service to provide adequate protection to a standard-bearer for one of the major parties is the latest example of American breakdown.
Brian Stewart
· 6 min read
Nationalist Self-Hatred
The culture war alone cannot explain the civic rot on the populist Right.
Matt Johnson
· 18 min read
Cosmopolis or Bust?
In order to function, a cosmopolis must embrace both toleration and the rule of law.
Joel Kotkin
· 10 min read
Rediscovering the Meaning of Diversity: Lessons from Generation X
Gen X is young enough to take civil rights and integration for granted—but old enough to appreciate how much progress America has made
Monica Harris
· 11 min read
A Bus Tour of American Dystopia
Life on Dallas’ mass-transit system provides a window into the misery endured by America’s abandoned underclass.
Sam Forster
· 7 min read
Chaos at the End of History
Even in rights-based and law-bound democratic societies, people tend to find new things to struggle over.
Matt Johnson
· 28 min read
From Panic to Prudence
Lessons from past financial crises.
Robert F. Bruner
· 10 min read
Should the GOP Continue to Embrace Populism? Two Responses
Quillette readers Joe Benning and Charles N.W. Keckler give their responses.
Quillette
· 8 min read