After Israel suffered atrocities that should have shocked the conscience of the entire world‚ 34 student groups at Harvard University inaugurated the academic year by cheering on Hamas’ savagery and blaming Israel for the terrorist attack it endured. Now the school year is ending with protesters camping out on campuses across the country‚ nominally to protest Israel’s response but‚ in reality‚ to call for the destruction of the Jewish state. These events bookend a year of virulent and disruptive protests that have laid bare the moral and intellectual corruption of America’s elite academic institutions and paralyzed their leaders. Americans already knew higher education leaned to the left. What many did not know is how many faculty‚ staff‚ and students are so committed to corrosive‚ anti-civilizational ideologies that they could not even pause to acknowledge victims of terror or condemn their attackers. This cannot all be explained by an imprudent or soft commitment to leniency. These institutions are what they want to be. As some unleashed their hatred of Israel‚ Jews‚ or both in the wake of October 7‚ large numbers of others applied the simplistic oppressor-oppressed‚ post-colonialist narrative they have imbibed during their time in our educational institutions and turned out to protest and disrupt their campuses. Meanwhile‚ most college and university presidents were dumbfounded. Perhaps they‚ like many Americans‚ did not know what some of their employees and students really thought. More likely‚ they knew but did not expect so many of them to say the quiet part out loud. Either way‚ they had to contend with a problem they had not faced when responding to past social and political events. They could denounce Hamas and stand with Israel but alienate a large contingent on their campuses‚ or they could appeal to principles of neutrality and freedom they had historically violated and incur the wrath of donors‚ alumni‚ politicians‚ and many others who would rightly smell the rank hypocrisy. As they fumbled their responses‚ they allowed disorder to spread across their campuses‚ mostly without consequence‚ even as Jewish students filed lawsuits and Title VI complaints reporting alleged incidents of anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination. Jews and others who believe laws have been broken should absolutely pursue legal action‚ but authorities can and should have readily dispersed many of the disruptions‚ including the current encampments‚ for violating content-neutral policies regarding time‚ place‚ and manner. Some administrators have acted and should be applauded for doing so. When students rushed into Pomona College President G. Gabrielle Starr’s office building a few weeks ago‚ she gave them 10 minutes to leave and then suspended the students and had them arrested. At Vanderbilt University‚ 27 protesters who forced their way into a building housing the chancellor’s office lasted less than 24 hours before the administration had them marched out by police‚ some in handcuffs. In the end‚ four students were arrested‚ three expelled‚ one suspended‚ and over 20 placed on probation. Chancellor Daniel Diermeier explained the school’s approach: “We clearly state the principles and rules that support our mission as a university. Then we enforce them.” This is precisely what campus leaders must do. Allowing students to break the rules with impunity or applying rules inconsistently leads them to push the limits further while opening leadership up to charges of hypocrisy when they discipline some offenders but not others. Even after the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania lost their jobs‚ too many others have failed to respond consistently and effectively to policy violations on their campuses. This can partly be explained by administrators’ historic antipathy toward disciplining their students. Unlike what happened at Pomona‚ when Princeton University students occupied President Christopher Eisgruber’s office for 33 hours in 2015‚ he responded by agreeing to address their demands and punishing no one. Is it any surprise that the students planning the encampment there told recruits not to expect serious consequences even though they knew they were breaking the rules&;#63; This cannot all be explained by an imprudent or soft commitment to leniency. Matters have clearly gotten out of hand. But these institutions are what they want to be. They screen for professors who are committed to the right causes using devices such as mandatory diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion statements‚ and they admit students who focus on activism instead of learning. A few years ago‚ Stanford University admitted a student whose application essay simply repeated #BlackLivesMatter 100 times. At Vanderbilt‚ one of the ringleaders was a known activist who was admitted on a “merit scholarship for activists and organizers‚” according to the Associated Press. Now campus administrators across the country are faced with a monster of their own creation in the form of unruly encampments that violate university policies and create a hostile environment not only for Jews‚ but also for students who simply want to attend class and learn. Some university presidents have shown leadership‚ calling in the police when they could not disband the encampments on their own‚ but too many others have failed to stand up for the rights of others at their institutions. At Columbia University‚ President Minouche Shafik called in the police‚ only to allow the students to set up camp again. Then she waffled and pleaded as the protesters held the university’s commencement hostage‚ and they repaid her by smashing windows and occupying Hamilton Hall. Shafik has finally done the right thing‚ calling in the police again and this time asking them to stay through graduation. But she should have nipped the whole thing in the bud at the start. She was lucky that the NYPD cleared out the protesters so flawlessly. At UCLA‚ administrators were slow to stop their campus from descending into violent chaos. Free expression includes the right to protest‚ but these encampments have gone beyond free speech and violated campus rules and the rights of others. It should have been an easy decision to shut them down and to make an example out of the disruptive students with suspension or expulsion. Instead‚ too many administrators have tolerated them and made things worse.

I waited in line alongside a woman with a cane wearing a cross necklace and a group of teenage boys in board shorts. A blind man was led along by two other gentlemen past a well-dressed lady in petite black heels and her suit-wearing date. A toddler held her daddy's hands as we entered into the arena and were met with the overwhelming smell of funnel cake. The Dickies Arena in Fort Worth can hold up to 14‚000 people. As I took my seat‚ bright screens in every direction advertised the upcoming entertainment: Disney On Ice‚ Dierks Bentley‚ Justin Timberlake. “So what brings you to the Jordan Peterson tour&;#63;” I asked the man next to me over the sound of classical music mingled with popcorn-munching that flowed through the air. If only I could only go back to my college theory courses‚ raise my scared little hand‚ and say‚ “That’s really fascinating that Nietzsche said 'God is dead‚’ but how does that hold up in the face of the Genesis account&;#63;” “I got some things I want to wrestle with God about‚” he said and gestured to the projection of the tour's title on the front screen: We Who Wrestle with God Tour. “And the best part is‚” he told me‚ “I 'cash flowed' the whole thing. No credit card.” He was an Uber driver who had worked extra hours to afford this night out because he thought‚ “I ought to do something for myself.” He’d found Jordan Peterson’s videos online and realized that “a lot of what he was talking about is the way I was raised.” A live musician took the stage. As he plucked the first notes on his guitar‚ my new friend next to me leaned over to my husband to say that he got off early and went to Buc-ee's before this. “This and Buc-ee's makes for the perfect day.” His easygoing demeanor and untucked polo shirt defied the typical nose-in-the-classics intellectual stereotype you might expect at an academic lecture. He had not brought his pocket &;quot;Poetics‚&;quot; nor did he try to assert his own intelligence with a nonchalant reference to one of Dostoevsky’s lesser-known works. He never said “penultimate‚” “epistemological‚&;quot; or &;quot;a priori.&;quot; Instead‚ he sipped his Diet Coke and tapped his foot along to the music As more and more people filled the arena‚ my husband leaned over to me and whispered‚ “We are all here to hear a man ponder.” We laughed at the idea. In a few months‚ Justin Timberlake would pack this same arena and bring the ladies to their knees with another rendition of &;quot;SexyBack.&;quot; But tonight‚ we were gathered to listen to a lecture about God from a Canadian psychologist. Jordan Peterson took the stage with the charisma of a soft-spoken elder trying to make a crucial decision for his tribe. His hands were pressed in front of his lips as he paced‚ speaking extemporaneously and pausing to think for a length of time that would make any professional speaker blush. The question at hand for the night’s lecture was‚ in essence‚ “Why God&;#63;” As Peterson mused aloud over women's attraction to men who can dance (a tangent well worth exploring‚ in my opinion) I had to ask myself‚ “Why are we all here&;#63;” What was it about this 61-year-old clinical psychologist and what he calls &;quot;the theater of thought&;quot; that had drawn Texans out in droves on a Monday night&;#63; Peterson's reputation is as a self-help guru. Even if his 90-minute presentation lacked the dramatic turns‚ the flashing lights‚ or the dopamine-releasing rituals that accompany most motivational speakers. Is that why we were there&;#63; Is that why I was there&;#63; Self-help&;#63; I thought about what the Uber driver had said: “I got some things I want to wrestle with God about.” Sure. But metaphorically speaking‚ right&;#63; This isn't really about &;quot;God.&;quot; Wrong‚ Mikayla. Wrong. I had helped my &;quot;self&;quot; quite enough‚ actually. I’d taken the latest personality tests‚ adopted some “Atomic Habits‚” gave up sugar‚ and tried cold showers. I worked out every day‚ did calming breathing exercises‚ and kept a tightly organized personal planner. But there are some things even a good Pilates session and the “power of positive thinking” can’t fix. I wasn’t there for self-help. I was there for God-help. Like the man sitting next to me‚ we weren't there for the high-falutin' thrill of mental gymnastics. We were there because we had some sh** to work out. The online portal to submit a question for Jordan featured a way to “upvote” different comments to push them to the top of the feed. Here are some of the questions people were asking: “What is the meaning of life and why should I care&;#63; “What is the most important verse in the Bible to live by&;#63;” “Was Jesus everything he claimed to be‚ per what we read in the Gospels&;#63;” “Is there any way to have an absolute moral structure apart from religion&;#63;’” ‘’’How do you forgive what seems like an unforgivable act&;#63;” One audience member wrote‚ “I struggle with my sexuality. I don't want this life for me. I'm a devoted‚ conservative-leaning Christian‚ I don't know what to do. What are your opinions&;#63;” He was there‚ like me‚ like the Uber driver to my right‚ to wrestle with God. Then there was the man to my left — my husband. It wasn't that long ago that he was a teenager disillusioned by the church and drawn to New Atheist leaders like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins. For many curious young people‚ New Atheism was the satisfyingly rebellious answer to religion's seeming inability to address the hard questions. Those same seekers‚ after some time and deeper thought‚ also found the proposal of a godless world to be unreasonable and hollow. What was a disillusioned atheist to do next&;#63; Enter Dr. Jordan Peterson‚ a man who has never publicly confessed adherence to any particular faith and yet travels the world teaching about Abraham and Moses to packed stadiums as if he’s Billy Graham. Why&;#63; As he said in the lecture that night‚ “We've come to a time when we have to understand what the stories our culture is predicated on actually mean.&;quot; In his opinion‚ the Bible is that story‚ and with it‚ we've created “arguably the greatest culture on earth. … If you want to keep the culture‚ keep the story. If you want to keep the story‚ you have to keep God.” As I shuffled out of the arena with my chocolate-chip cookie wrapper‚ I heard a man behind me offer the pointed observation that Jordan‚ a somewhat religiously ambiguous man who had paced the stage in a suit jacket patterned with the faces of saints‚ “is more Christian than most Christians.” I thought about my husband again and the hours of conversations we’d had as he’d listened to Jordan Peterson’s lecture series on the book of Genesis. We had talked about Cain and Abel and the nature of evil‚ the power of words to speak life into existence‚ and the idea that men are created in the image of God. They were the conversations I’d been desperate to have since we’d met in college but never knew how to start. I suppose that’s one of the reasons I love Peterson‚ because he gave me the gift of those conversations — and not only with my husband‚ but with people everywhere. Even if Peterson hadn't claimed to take the Bible literally‚ he’d taken it seriously. He’d pursued the ancient writings with the vigor that the intellectual class typically reserved for Darwin and Freud. For me‚ his influence shattered the false separation of intellect and faith. If only I could only go back to my college theory courses‚ raise my scared little hand‚ and say‚ “That’s really fascinating that Nietzsche said 'God is dead‚’ but how does that hold up in the face of the Genesis account&;#63;” With the wind of Peterson’s high-level biblical analysis at my back‚ I would tell every professor that I would be bringing both my God and my reason into class‚ thank you very much. But there was no Jordan Peterson when I waded the godless waters of academia‚ not yet. Today there are “Jordan Petersons” popping up everywhere. They're blowing the dust off their old Bibles and saying‚ “Hey‚ before we throw all our norms and ethics down the memory hole‚ why don't we give this God guy a shot&;#63;” Honestly‚ what do we have to lose&;#63; Or‚ even more honestly‚ do we have any other options&;#63; If we had other options‚ would we still have men like Jordan Peterson&;#63; Or are men like him only forged in times like these&;#63; My husband and I had parked at a church down the street. As he opened the car door to let me in‚ I noticed the stream of fellow audience members passing under the steeple. The modest silver cross was only barely visible by the dim glow of streetlights. We drove home talking about God.

I’ll always appreciate the fact that my parents‚ two Yankees disillusioned by blue-state politics before it was cool‚ chose to raise us in the deep South. I might have been a bit of an outsider‚ but I got an insider’s education on Southern hospitality. That might be the greatest gift they ever gave me. As I grow older‚ I think there’s much more to “yes‚ ma’am” or table settings or a warm greeting than a perfunctory display of respect‚ though that’s seriously important in its own right. Civility in the form of routine‚ ritual‚ and tradition communicates that we recognize the essential dignity of our interlocutors individually and also inculcates‚ in hostess and guest‚ a sense of place – of belonging. This is the essence of hospitality – offering people a taste of home‚ of communion‚ a foretaste of heaven‚ in an otherwise chaotic and unfriendly world. You’ve gotta fight for your right to party&;#33; If I’m ever entertaining company during the warmer months‚ I rely almost exclusively on this salad. This is my adopted auntie’s recipe‚ adapted from the Junior League of Charleston‚ South Carolina’s cookbook‚ Charleston Receipts. It’s sweet‚ savory‚ refreshing‚ and beloved by everyone I’ve ever served. KEEP IN MIND: This recipe will serve a dinner party of eight. You’ll probably use two salad bowls. Adjust proportionally to your party size – this won’t keep. If you’re bringing it to a party‚ wait until you get there to dress the salad. I put the whole salad instructions first‚ and the candied pecan and lemon poppyseed dressing recipes follow. Enjoy&;#33;Salad ingredients 15 oz baby spinach &; spring mix greens blend (three bags of the Trader Joe’s variety) 2 lbs fresh strawberries‚ hulled and halved 18 oz fresh blueberries 1/2 lb bacon‚ cooked til crispy and crumbled 10 oz crumbled Bleu cheese 2 1/2 cups candied pecans (recipe follows) Lemon poppyseed dressing (recipe follows) Salad directionsIn your most beautiful and large salad bowls‚ layer greens‚ strawberries‚ blueberries‚ bacon crumbles‚ bleu cheese‚ and candied pecans. Chill until ready to serve. Serve drizzled and tossed with the poppy seed vinaigrette.Candied pecan ingredients 9 tablespoons brown sugar 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon fine sea salt pinch cayenne pepper (optional) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons water 3 teaspoons orange zest‚ optional 2 1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecan halves Candied pecan directions Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Add brown sugar‚ cinnamon‚ salt‚ cayenne‚ vanilla‚ water‚ and the orange zest (optional) to a medium skillet. Place the skillet over medium heat and cook‚ stirring often until the brown sugar melts into a bubbling sauce‚ about one minute.Stir in the pecans so that the brown sugar sauce coats them. Cook‚ stirring the entire time‚ until the pecans look candied and smell nutty‚ two to three minutes. As the nuts heat up in the pan‚ the sauce will slowly coat them and become shiny. Watch closely as the nuts cook so that they do not burn.Transfer the candied pecans to the prepared baking sheet and spread into one layer. Allow the pecans to cool down and harden completely and then break them up before serving.Lemon poppyseed dressing ingredients 2/3 cup maple syrup 1 cup lemon juice 4 teaspoons diced onion 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup olive oil 2 tablespoon poppy seeds Lemon poppyseed dressing directions Blend sugar‚ lemon juice‚ onion‚ Dijon mustard‚ and salt in a blender until smooth. Pour olive oil into the mixture gradually while the blender is running.Add poppy seeds and pulse blender a few times‚ just to mix seeds into the dressing.

People on the left and right use the term “girlboss” in wildly different ways. On the left‚ it’s a term of empowerment to praise women who have a take-charge attitude and successful careers. On the right‚ it serves as a derogatory term‚ suggesting that modern women pursue careers and materialism at the expense of what is considered the most important role — marriage and family.The right uses “girlboss” as a pejorative to push young women into family life. But what if the right's premise is off&;#63; What if women’s drive to become “girlbosses” stems not from undervaluing family life but rather from placing a high value on it&;#63; That for the single woman‚ working actually represents the best option she has amid the vacuum of spiritually‚ financially‚ emotionally‚ and physically fit modern men&;#63;The right admits the average modern person is in very poor shape spiritually‚ physically‚ and otherwise‚ while yelling at women that they just need to get married already.The online trad movement in the years roughly between 2020 and 2023 told women that girlbossing will leave them void of fulfillment and sad and alone in old age. It encouraged women to get out of the workforce‚ get married‚ focus on the home‚ make babies‚ and reduce their “masculine energy” — personality traits like assertiveness that‚ the right said‚ make one succeed in the workforce but sacrifice your feminine essence and sabotage your home life‚ relationships‚ and ultimate sense of fulfillment.Many formerly left-wing‚ now right-wing women did get married and have children. But a curious thing happened. They didn’t give up their “girlbossiness.” Many of them have podcasts‚ produce online content where they assert their opinions and dominance in the intellectual realm‚ and essentially run small media platforms. They exhibit the high executive functioning needed to both manage their online platforms and take care of their children and families. They are visibly productive‚ goal-oriented‚ and creative in and outside the home.So‚ what gives&;#63; Are they not still “girlbosses”&;#63; Does having a husband and child automatically make you not a girlboss&;#63; What even is a girlboss‚ anyway‚ if trads simultaneously decry and embody it&;#63; What should a woman be‚ anyway&;#63;Surveying the ruined landscapeThere are multiple things going on here. First‚ in the modern world‚ young women have few options except to move into the workforce. And second‚ even women with children seem to enjoy productive pursuits outside the purely domestic realm.We are a society devoid of masculinity rituals that test and shape men‚ and older generations have taken little interest in issuing guardrails on behavior that shape virtue. From porn to drugs to hookup culture‚ everywhere we are bombarded with a culture that says‚ “Live and let live.”As a result‚ the average man today is in bad shape‚ and women are outcompeting them in school and career. Young men are watching porn‚ underemployed‚ and wasting a lot of time in the digital realm on video games and s**tposting. Young women rightly intuit that working is often the lower-risk option to marriage.In my own life‚ my girlfriends and I have explored relationships with and subsequently left men who exhibited the following behaviors: sat in the basement for months on end refusing to get a job‚ consumed in excess of seven drinks a day‚ used porn to argue for an open relationship‚ punished us when we said no to premarital sex‚ and asked us to go to sex clubs. Lest you think women’s “picker is broken‚” ask any woman around you‚ and she will also have stories of men exhibiting similarly foul behavior — including those who claim to be Christians.Through this‚ women work to pay their bills. The right would call such a woman a heartless girlboss‚ vilifying her for keeping herself sheltered‚ safe‚ and fed in a world in which she cannot rely on the virtue of men. In some cases‚ the girlboss’ restraint in forming a family may be a virtue‚ as she is refusing to form families with untrustworthy men.Good men are hard to findThe entire right-wing take on this — that women seek materialist careerism over family life — is not‚ in my experience‚ aligned with reality. Careers are something women do while they wait for a good man. When those good men fail to materialize‚ the right yells at them for being “girlbosses.”But women are boy crazy from a young age. From the time we are teens‚ we are always looking for a good one. As the relationship-oriented sex‚ the idea that women just wholesale don't prioritize men and family does not track with reality.The reason marriage rates are low is that men are not marriage material — not the other way around. In addition‚ even women who have managed to get married to a good man and form a family have intellectual‚ productive‚ and social needs outside of childrearing and housekeeping alone.Female sexual selectivity gives women the power to demand that men meet a high standard before they’re given access to our lives and reproductive capacity. That means a properly oriented woman in the modern landscape may just end up being single. She finds herself in this state not because she desires it or cares too much about her career (except in very rare cases) but because marriage is a high-risk endeavor‚ and she has not met a man who meets the standards for a virtuous family life.The right simultaneously admits the average modern person is in very poor shape spiritually‚ physically‚ and otherwise‚ while yelling at women that they just need to get married already. While not every woman is a pinnacle of virtue — indeed‚ many are astray with liberal ideas — plenty of smart‚ hardworking‚ family-oriented women are being simultaneously bullied for taking care of themselves while swimming in a sea of rotten fish.In a society where old virtues are not mainstream‚ and there are no masculinity rituals to test and shape men‚ there will be single‚ working women. Conservatives wanting to win young women over need to drop the message that women are inherently lacking in virtue for merely taking care of themselves.And the right must recognize that even women who do marry still enjoy participating in the public sphere. Few conservative women want to enter marriages with men who expect them to close off all other paths to intellectual‚ social‚ and creative fulfillment. Young women are also not apt to join a movement carrying a message that essentially communicates‚ “Your productive and intellectual energy will be vilified by us‚ except when applied to one narrow sphere.”If conservatives want to win culture‚ perhaps it is time to point our eyes to what makes the “girlboss” and learn to shape a generation of virtuous men.

The internet spreads out like a virus. As it becomes ubiquitous‚ so are its influences. The same slang is shared in all fifty states through the influence of social media‚ the same arguments are repeated online by people in disparate corners of faraway states‚ and gradually‚ the same manner of dress is adopted almost universally. The internet is a force of widespread cultural homogenization much in the same way that the spread of the English language via the British Empire was‚ only the internet is way more powerful.As the recent years of lockdowns have proven‚ we exist in an environment where you can work‚ eat‚ sleep‚ be entertained‚ and socialize without leaving your home. As the phone swallowed paper maps‚ calculators‚ cameras‚ and more‚ the internet has consumed ever greater portions of previously physical components of human life. Social media is used by many not to supplement but to replace physical social interactions. Amazon is soon to complete the bludgeoning death of brick-and-mortar retail. What human shape is being molded by a life lived in the frame of the internet&;#63; You will find plenty of differences between various subcultures on the internet. Political factions and subcultures online distinguish themselves by using niche memes to create exclusivity and barriers to entry. The USSR-enthusiast side of X does not use the same memes as the traditional Catholic side of X. However‚ this seeming uniqueness is deceiving as it rarely indicates genuine individual thought but rather represents conformity to a subset of culture. The very structure of online spaces promotes conformity of thought by identical mechanisms no matter which non-territory one belongs to. Striving for likesSay you have an X account. There is instant feedback of “likes” for posts‚ reflecting what others want to see and hear. Posts are not made in a vacuum; unlike a novelist writing quietly in the confines of his room‚ the X poster receives immediate reactions to his works. Every “like'' affirms his social worth and encourages similarly structured messages. He wants to chase that feeling‚ that little “zap” of pleasure upon seeing another notification. In seeking to repeat earlier successes‚ he posts similar content in a similar format‚ almost necessarily derived from identical thought patterns. As social beings‚ the drive to pursue approval from others is nothing new; however‚ the pervasive‚ incessant presence of the internet as a social reality is new. People are socially engaged and thus alter their thoughts in response to social pressures‚ even in the restroom‚ at red lights‚ sitting alone in bed‚ etc. Solitude is a receding territory‚ like a tectonic plate slowly chewed by the earth into magma‚ replaced by a panopticon we opt into. With originality comes risk and often a disappointment. More idiosyncratic beliefs are less likely to receive high praise from a great many people‚ as they are less likely to be relatable and shared. Cycles of affirmation compel the perpetuation of similar speech and opinion. To combat cognitive dissonance‚ the mind adopts the beliefs expressed in the public sphere as genuine. These pressures exist in nearly every conscious moment of the slouch-backed social media addict‚ an increasingly common human type. As the online world takes up more room in social space‚ the importance of conformity grows. Approval from others online becomes more critical to psychological well-being as social interaction is relegated to online spaces. Facebook‚ X‚ and Instagram become outlets for a stream of consciousness cultivated by the compulsion to be liked. Dependence on approval from your online peers restricts possibilities of thought. Political influencers‚ like the trite conservative pundits or the shrill overbearing liberal pundits‚ would risk their livelihoods by changing their opinions in fundamental ways. The average person is increasingly under pressure‚ similar to the pundit class. Regular users of social media risk losing acceptance in their online communities‚ however niche‚ by straying too far from what is considered acceptable opinion in their spaces. This is the construction of human psychological hives‚ the reduction of human beings to bees all too content to trade individual thought for community acceptance. This is due to incentive structures created by an online social world with instant feedback loops of rejection and approval. Not only is the hive ever-present‚ but the signals are instantaneous‚ which makes for quick training. Pavlov trained dogs to salivate upon ringing a bell by pairing that stimulus with food presentation and fitting the notification symbol across nearly all social media platforms to be shaped like a bell. Negative comments‚ praise‚ likes‚ and all of this feedback are available the second it happens‚ making for more effective cognitive training. The “bell” rings exactly when one receives social feedback. This makes for powerful psychological associations that change one’s thinking‚ one’s cognitive behavior. Beliefs expressed for the underlying purpose of obtaining approval come to be genuinely held‚ and little joy comes from questioning beliefs required for acceptance within a community. Consequently‚ there is an adoption of a particular frame of thought that is not of your own making. This environment is increasingly replacing the physical world in terms of where the majority of social interaction takes place‚ and this has dire consequences for the stability of people’s relationships with others and themselves. Digital community shironosov/Getty It used to be that a community was located in a physical place composed of a patchwork of people belonging to a particular setting. The social environments in which pre-internet people grew up were rooted in commonalities that extended‚ root-like into the earth‚ beyond a shared interest in a product line‚ a fetish‚ or ideological commitments. You were from a place‚ and that place mattered because all of the people you talked to‚ hung out with‚ fought with‚ or dated were also from that same place. In such physical spaces‚ one’s history with others matters in a way that doesn’t exist online. The memories of time spent with people in physical spaces are tangible to the mind; such memories evoke the senses and possess more feeling‚ so one’s history and reputation in an actual community are not so fragile as one wrong opinion away from being shattered. The story is different today. In the modern context‚ there is little stable foundation for community acceptance and moral certainty. Mainstream views held by many in 2000 (for example‚ that marriage is strictly between a man and a woman) become deadly to even touch in a matter of a few years. The foundations of online social and moral acceptance are built of sand. People must update their opinions consistently to maintain their standing within their online communities. With each revision of belief‚ there is less resistance to further alteration; convictions risk becoming scribbles on an Etch A Sketch that are liable to be erased at a moment’s notice. Histories and prior interactions with others matter less for maintaining one’s reputation in the face of controversy because online interactions still lack the impression of reality despite how dramatically they shape us. One does not think about the little profile picture spouting his opinions in written format in the same way that one does a human being in the flesh. Also‚ unlike in an actual community‚ one’s actions‚ temperament‚ and all the inexpressible traits that make a person's substance are largely irrelevant. What is real is what is posted online‚ primarily just selective expression. It’s not what you do; it's what you say that matters in the modern “community.” Acceptance‚ then‚ in an online world‚ to a great extent‚ means agreement. The spread of sycophancy is like a virus. And you’re trained to love it as a drone in a hive.

Snake oil gets a bad rap. Today‚ we use the term as a catch-all pejorative for any fraudulent‚ untested medicine or supplement. But the original snake oil — brought to the States in the 1800s by Chinese railroad workers — actually worked. Before snake oil was 'snake oil'Derived from the Chinese water snake and rich in omega-3 acids‚ it was effective in treating arthritis and bursitis. The workers would apply the oil on their joints after a hard day's work‚ often sharing this remedy with their American counterparts. As the reputation of Chinese snake oil spread‚ local entrepreneurs sought to create their own versions. Lacking a supply of Chinese water snakes‚ they turned to rattlesnakes. Lacking any evidence of rattlesnake oil's healing properties‚ they turned to marketing. The &;quot;snake oil salesman&;quot; was born. Organ meat royaltyThe Neil Armstrong of this space was a man by the name of Clark Stanley‚ also known as the Rattlesnake King. The ex-cowboy claimed that he had discovered the medicinal properties of rattlesnake oil from Hopi healers. But his new oil‚ totally devoid of any medicinal properties‚ was utterly useless and unable to cure any ailments. Fast forward to today‚ and instead of the Rattlesnake King‚ we have the Liver King‚ a fraud of epic proportions. For the uninitiated‚ the Liver King is Brian Johnson‚ not to be confused with the other biohacking Bryan Johnson (you know‚ the guy who swaps blood with his son for kicks). So-named because of his advocacy for raw liver as a cure for certain medical conditions‚ the bearded behemoth didn't let the lack of scientific verification of his claims keep him from amassing a huge‚ cult-like following.The money was pretty good‚ too‚ especially after he launched his line of &;quot;Ancestral Supplements‚&;quot; which reportedly reached upward of $100 million in annual revenue.But the fall soon came. After months of vociferous denial‚ Johnson eventually confessed to what anyone with a functioning brain already knew. It wasn't so much the organ meat that gave him his impressively ripped physique as it was the anabolic steroids. Not all of the charlatans within the biohacking community — an eclectic mix of muscular meatheads and soft-spoken academics — are as easy to spot. Resvera-trollWhich brings us to David Sinclair.In 2003‚ the biologist shot to fame for his work on resveratrol‚ a polyphenol found in certain plants and fruits. Perhaps‚ he suggested‚ resveratrol could reverse aging in humans. Ever since‚ he has been banging on about the many ways in which this polyphenol can help humans add years to their lives.It can’t. It’s all a lie.You see‚ the problem with Sinclair is that he has a nasty habit of using the results of studies carried out on mice‚ rats‚ worms and even yeast‚ and then sneakily assuming these results apply to humans.If you happen to be a rodent‚ for example‚ resveratrol can work wonders‚ relieving you of depression and even changing your physiological makeup for the better. If you happen to be a human‚ however (as Sinclair's employer Harvard has pointed out)‚ resveratrol offers zero health benefits — absolutely none.A decade ago‚ scientists at John Hopkins University School of Medicine carried out a comprehensive study‚ gathering information from approximately 800 individuals aged 65 and above‚ all of whom consumed a diet naturally rich in resveratrol. The objective was simple: to determine the levels of metabolized resveratrol present in the participants' urine‚ with the expectation of observing higher levels among those who were in better health. Surprisingly‚ a significant correlation between consumption of the polyphenol and good health was entirely absent. The study revealed no connection between resveratrol levels and lower occurrence of heart disease‚ cancer‚ or mortality. In short‚ although previous animal and cell studies had suggested potential benefits of resveratrol‚ the assumptions about its effects on humans proved to be both premature and painfully wrong.Nevertheless‚ Sinclair to this day would have you believe that resveratrol is just one of many elixirs that you should be consuming on a regular basis.And not just any old resveratol. Like any good snake oil salesman in modern day America‚ Sinclair also offers a selection of his own exorbitantly priced supplements. Among these products is Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN)‚ a nucleotide that he claims addresses age-related weight gain. Yet again‚ however‚ the science disagrees. NMN works great in nonhuman animals but not so much in actual humans. A few good biohackers&;#63;The biohacking community is full of disingenuous hucksters‚ from the aforementioned Brian Johnson to the other aforementioned Bryan Johnson‚ a man who sells sexed up‚ overpriced olive oil to gullible fools. Then‚ there is Dave Asprey‚ the &;quot;father&;quot; of biohacking‚ who sells &;quot;bulletproof&;quot; coffee. Will consumption of this expensive brew help you live longer&;#63; Not on your life. All of these smooth-talking placebo peddlers are capitalizing on our fear of death‚ fully cognizant of the fact that there are millions of people around the world who are willing to spend as much money as it takes to avoid going six feet under.In truth‚ there are very few respectable individuals within the biohacking space. People like Dr. Peter Attia and Gary Brecka‚ the man who saved Dana White’s life‚ are perhaps two of the more credible individuals. But even they will tell you that when it comes to a happy and healthy life‚ it's hard to beat a sensible diet‚ regular exercise‚ and a solid sleep routine. Anyone pushing more than that deserves a healthy heaping dose of skepticism.

This election year‚ illegal immigration has jumped to the very top of the list of voters’ most important issues. If you watch the news‚ you might not be surprised by that — because of chaos at the border‚ record-breaking numbers of border crossings under Joe Biden‚ and high-profile crimes committed by people who shouldn’t be here in the first place. Nearly three-quarters of voters oppose extending the child tax credit to illegal immigrants‚ including 81% of independents and most Democrats. But there’s an extra little twist of the knife this tax season — and it’s one you probably didn’t even notice when filling out your 1040. Every year‚ billions of dollars are taken out of your tax returns and put into the pockets of illegal aliens in the form of child tax credits. If you just spent an April night at your kitchen table‚ making sure you follow the letter of the law to do your duty as an American taxpayer‚ that’s not a comforting thought. And it matters more than just for today. That tax credit affects the number on the bottom of your tax form today — because taxpayers‚ every single one of us‚ are paying for it — and it matters to tomorrow’s taxpayers who are going to be on the hook for a whole lot more. Frankly‚ the price tag today is bad enough. Just for illegal aliens‚ America dedicates about $2.7 billion a year to cover the cost of the child tax credit. That’s about half the size of the entire budget for the Food and Drug Administration and more than twice the budget of the entire National Weather Service. If you still don’t think $2.7 billion sounds like “real money” to taxpayers‚ consider this: The IRS collected a total of $5.8 billion from Vermont in 2022 — an entire U.S. state. And it could be just a drop in the bucket if leftists get their way. In 2017‚ Congress significantly tightened — but did not eliminate — this loophole as part of the Trump tax cuts. The 2017 restrictions are set to expire after 2025‚ and Democrats have proposed repealing them altogether. Meanwhile‚ a proposal currently before the U.S. Senate would expand the child tax credit without closing the loophole that still allows illegal immigrants to claim it. The polling on the issue couldn’t be clearer. Nearly three-quarters of voters oppose allowing the child tax credit to go to illegal immigrants‚ including 81% of independents and even most Democrats. Those overwhelming numbers should be eye-opening to any Democrat worried about this November. Of course‚ the child tax credit has paid off for them at the ballot box before. As recently as 2021‚ Democrats held a 13-point lead on the generic ballot among voters who received child tax credit checks in 2021. Those monthly checks‚ you recall‚ were pushed through Congress as part of President Biden's $1.8 trillion spending package that helped spur inflation to record highs. But that lead disappeared as soon as the checks themselves did: Republicans held a six-point lead with the same group by April 2022. The truth is that policymakers should care about much more than just the next election. The children we list as tax “dependents” today are the tax filers of tomorrow‚ and they’re going to be paying a higher and higher price every year the government gets bigger. If the federal government did the right thing today and ended this tax perk for illegal immigrants‚ it would save taxpayers $25 billion over the next 10 years‚ according to the Congressional Budget Office. That’s a lot more than just Vermont — that’s a combined total higher than the amount 14 states sent to Washington in 2022. It’s a special kind of out of touch to think that much money “doesn’t matter” to the people who must pay for it — those of us who signed our name at the bottom of the check we mailed off on April 15. The reality is that illegal immigration is a top issue for voters in 2024‚ and inflation is still right behind it. It’s time to end the child tax credit for those who are here illegally — for today’s taxpayers and tomorrow’s.

Last week‚ flamethrowing robo-dogs became the newest draft pick for the military-industrial complex. Now‚ I love dogs. I am proudly a “dog person.” Hopefully‚ my dog buddies will be waiting for me in heaven. But I don’t know how to feel about Throwflame’s weaponized dog‚ Thermonator. With the push of a button for the plasma arc ignition‚ the murder mutt starts marching in a perfect cadence. This quarter-gallon of canned Mt. Vesuvius is undoubtedly capable of far more than we even realize‚ but who needs to be a worrywart about the prospect of automated doom&;#63; Think of it as a kind of video game. A great one about the collapse of human civilization or imprisonment of sentient robot soldiers: These diesel-fueled canine machines are as heartless as any death-ready contraption. I’m told they don’t currently provide decapitation or fatal electricity‚ but I suspect that it’s only a matter of time before these geniuses have that light-bulb moment. In the meantime‚ we can only dream. Additionally‚ we have confirmed that our inevitable dystopia will have lots of fire. For $9‚420‚ you can sample the horrendous technological weaponry that is coming to enslave us and our children. Probably for generations&;#33; If you’re looking for the ARC flamethrower without the pup friend‚ it starts at $699‚ but where’s the fun (and terror) in that&;#63; The Robot Dog With A Flamethrower | Thermonator www.youtube.com Suspend‚ for a moment‚ the primal fear of seeing man’s best friend weaponized into a robotic flamethrowing maniac. If you can get over that image‚ this little side road on the voyage to a brighter future is a little easier to gulp down. This weaponized scorch-pup has all sorts of uses‚ like warfare‚ combat‚ espionage‚ torture‚ and genocide. We have been slowly making ourselves redundant with engineering machinery and software increasingly capable of outsmarting and outperforming us. But sure‚ why not&;#63; Why shouldn’t we construct a flamethrowing robot dog capable of sprinting at literal breakneck speeds within the blink of an eye&;#63; Don’t let its mechanical death eyes frighten you. Or better yet‚ scoot back far enough that you can’t see them — the flame has a 30-foot max firing range anyway. Careful not to pet the Thermonator’s seamless 6061-T6 aluminum body. It could be warm from the flamethrowing. This quarter-gallon of canned Mt. Vesuvius is undoubtedly capable of far more than we even realize‚ but who needs to be a worrywart about the prospect of automated doom&;#63; The specs on the robot dog are similar to Boston Dynamics iterations of robo-dogs‚ beginning with Big Dog‚ a giant four-legged robot that looks like a massive nightmare flea but is more closely linked to the beloved and popular robotic dog named Spot. The Throwflame version more closely resembles Boston Dynamics' LittleDog‚ which ought not to need an explanation. Then‚ in 2016‚ Boston Dynamics released a robot unlike any of its others: It was vaguely human: The Agile Anthropomorphic Robot &;quot;Atlas&;quot; is a six-foot (183 cm) bipedal humanoid robot‚ based on Boston Dynamics' earlier PETMAN humanoid robot‚ and designed for a variety of search and rescue tasks. Meet Sparkles | Boston Dynamics www.youtube.com Although ultimately‚ we may find the most guidance from YouTube‚ the top comment of the promo for the flamethrowing robo-pup: &;quot;Just as the founding fathers intended.&;quot; Thankfully‚ these robots can’t start a revolution. Not yet‚ at least&;#33;

What are the new Dragon Adventures codes&;#63; From the very first moment you climb atop your starting dragon‚ this Roblox game has you fly around looking for treasure. The most valuable of these are the many dragon eggs scattered around the land‚ as hatching them will give you new friends. Of course‚ plenty of similar Roblox experiences are available‚ ranging from expansive open world RPG games to farming simulators where you take care of animals. If you like tending to the needs of cute creatures‚ we have plenty of Pet Simulator 99 codes to help you get free gems or Elemental Dungeons codes if you want more action-based fantasy fun. Continue reading Dragon Adventures codes May 2024 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games‚ Roblox promo codes‚ Roblox music codes