Thoughts on Charlie Kirk + Manhood in the Making

• Two weeks before he was killed, I flew out to Phoenix and sat down with Charlie Kirk for a conversation on his podcast. Thoughts on Charlie; my post on X here

• Connecting the dots between the dark triad personality traits and politics

• The “1% rule” of social media explains so much about why the internet feels more toxic than real life

• Findings on the emotional recovery time for difficult life events like divorce, bankruptcy, and death of loved ones

• Young people in rich countries report more anxiety, depression, and meaninglessness than those in poorer countries.

• The paradox of prosperity

• Discussing the book Manhood in the Making by David D. Gilmore

• Thoughts on manhood as a social construct

• Manhood doesn’t just “happen.” Boys don’t wake up one morning transformed into men—they have to be pushed, mentored, and prodded into it

• Progressives assume men want power, conservatives assume they want responsibility—but most young men today want neither. Many are simply checked out

• Masculinity as a cultural defense against the urge to retreat into comfort

• We think men act strong but should be encouraged more to talk more about feeling scared when in fact men often feel scared and should be encouraged more to act strong

• The brutal rituals boys must undergo to attain the status of “man” in the high mountains of Melanesia, as well as other cultures