Born in 1967, author Simon Elmer is an early Gen Xer. In this interview regarding the past few years, he says:
The endgame of all this is our children. I think our children are being brought up in a world where as they become adults, the values we have… freedom of speech and expression, of movement, of association, of ideas, of humanity with each other, of the human being as the ultimate foundational value of our society, of democracy, etc., etc., and transparency, of knowledge and investigation, they are not being brought up to value those. They are being brought up with completely different values. And the endgame of this is that the world they are going to be inhabiting is one which we wouldn’t recognize, and they won’t remember this world cause they’re too young. That’s why it’s very important that those of us who are old enough to remember what that freedom was, what that relative freedom was (freedom is always relative), that we not only fight this but that we continue to hold on to the documents, if you like, or the practices, the behaviors, of that freedom. It’s very important that with all the moments of resistance or noncompliance or civil disobedience that we can act, which can be individual ones, which can be collective ones, which can be social ones, that we are demonstrating to others, and to each other, and particularly to young people, these values, and to hold on to them.
Ideally this Substack contributes to the demonstration of those values! Elmer continues:
One of the things which was made forbidden, which still is forbidden, to speak about is these enormous changes. You know, I’m getting older now, and I’ve never seen changes like this in my life, or anything close to it. And yet we’re told we can’t discuss it. I have lost a number of friends, quite a lot of friends, over this because they refuse to discuss what is going on. So I think we need to claim our right, not just our right as citizens, but as thinking political beings, who have had our politics taken away from us, the right to discuss this…so I think the politics of friendship means not merely reclaiming our humanity but reclaiming the space in which we can get together and assert our right to discuss what is going on and say hold on, you’re not going to do this unless we give you some sort of consensus over this.
He finishes the interview by expressing his fear that the material he publishes online will eventually no longer be allowed and by proposing that we get away from the digital world and back to books, explaining that a physical object in your hand can’t be tampered with in the same way that writing in the digital sphere can be.
I wonder if libraries acquire many heterodox books? It would be an interesting study. Simon Elmer is right to wonder if speaking out about the changes will be allowed.
There is so much censorship by omission these days we don't even know is happening. Lately I've been following the "Twitter Files." Yesterday the topic was the "Virality Project" out of Stanford a sweeping, cross-platform effort to monitor billons of social media posts.
I listen to AMERICA THIS WEEK on Fridays, too. I sense a little bit of Sisyphean task between them. The description of the NGOs and Think Tanks on campuses as an OCTOPUS ORGY was hysterical. And WK is so dead-pan.
There is so much $$$ coming to universities on these topics. I see it in campus news. A lot of the people engaged in the disinformation work are contractors and aren't the slow slog faculty who are oblivious to the Think-Tanks or Institutes that are in plain sight.
I was hoping for at least a book review, not an interview. I almost never listen to podcasts and YouTube's. It takes way too much time and has very low bandwidth. Consequently, there's not enough to go on here to induce me to buy this book, and based on the last paragraph, probably a waste of time asking about it at my local library.
There is a link to the description of the book but unfortunately I can't find a review. It was also self-published, so to be fair to libraries, those two things usually disqualify a purchase. I am wondering if that library copy was a donation. Also the print version may already be out of print.
He is a very eloquent speaker so I imagine it's a good book but he did mention something about the politics of the publishing world these days. Probably difficult to get something like that published.
The first thing I did when I read your comment about libraries was to check to see who it was published by. I saw "Architects for Social Housing," but didn't know until your comment that it was self-published. I wonder if he tried to find a university press or whether self-publishing was his first choice. And of course you're right - how would a librarian even know of a self-pub'd book with no reviews?
I have been reading an Orwell biography. He had failed getting Animal Farm published because so many publishers (Like TS Eliot at Faber) thought it might hurt the war effort by pissing off Stalin. Orwell organized a loan to self-publish it, but just before he did so it was accepted by a 4th publisher (who held it until after the war).
I wonder if libraries acquire many heterodox books? It would be an interesting study. Simon Elmer is right to wonder if speaking out about the changes will be allowed.
There is so much censorship by omission these days we don't even know is happening. Lately I've been following the "Twitter Files." Yesterday the topic was the "Virality Project" out of Stanford a sweeping, cross-platform effort to monitor billons of social media posts.
https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/1636729166631432195
I just listened to Matt Taibbi and Walter Kirn discussing that on "America this Week." Disturbing. I am losing all respect for academia.
Kirn is a boomer but Matt Taibbi, Glenn Greenwald, Jimmy Dore, Meghan Daum, John McWhorter... all Xers.
I listen to AMERICA THIS WEEK on Fridays, too. I sense a little bit of Sisyphean task between them. The description of the NGOs and Think Tanks on campuses as an OCTOPUS ORGY was hysterical. And WK is so dead-pan.
There is so much $$$ coming to universities on these topics. I see it in campus news. A lot of the people engaged in the disinformation work are contractors and aren't the slow slog faculty who are oblivious to the Think-Tanks or Institutes that are in plain sight.
I love Walter Kirn!
It's on You Tube!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSwOiDzovk4
Had you heard of Simon Elmer? I haven't read his book but follow him on twitter.
No, but I am going to follow-up. I think the concern is growing.
https://twitter.com/SimonElmer2022
We could learn a lot about social housing from him. I see CA is now building tiny houses.
He thinks the housing crisis is manufactured, but I have only heard him briefly discuss his thoughts on that.
Also see my reply below about Elmer's book.
Wesley Yang-- another GenXer.
I was hoping for at least a book review, not an interview. I almost never listen to podcasts and YouTube's. It takes way too much time and has very low bandwidth. Consequently, there's not enough to go on here to induce me to buy this book, and based on the last paragraph, probably a waste of time asking about it at my local library.
There is a link to the description of the book but unfortunately I can't find a review. It was also self-published, so to be fair to libraries, those two things usually disqualify a purchase. I am wondering if that library copy was a donation. Also the print version may already be out of print.
He is a very eloquent speaker so I imagine it's a good book but he did mention something about the politics of the publishing world these days. Probably difficult to get something like that published.
The first thing I did when I read your comment about libraries was to check to see who it was published by. I saw "Architects for Social Housing," but didn't know until your comment that it was self-published. I wonder if he tried to find a university press or whether self-publishing was his first choice. And of course you're right - how would a librarian even know of a self-pub'd book with no reviews?
I have been reading an Orwell biography. He had failed getting Animal Farm published because so many publishers (Like TS Eliot at Faber) thought it might hurt the war effort by pissing off Stalin. Orwell organized a loan to self-publish it, but just before he did so it was accepted by a 4th publisher (who held it until after the war).
And he is also based in the UK, another hurdle.
I just found one review but not in a source librarians would typically use: https://dailysceptic.org/2022/12/11/woke-is-fascist-reflections-on-simon-elmers-new-book/
You must not fold much laundry!
Found a review: https://dailysceptic.org/2022/12/11/woke-is-fascist-reflections-on-simon-elmers-new-book/
Wow. I'm impressed. Thanks! Good review. I'm going to try to find a copy.
The book has 2 customer reviews on Amazon -- a 5 star and a 1 star.
The Heterodox Movement needs a printing press and backers.
Very true!! Books need to pass the “known publisher”, “has reviews” tests to be added to the collections
The mindless things I have to do can hurt me if I'm not paying attention.
OK, yes, admit some sox mismatched when I listen.
I actually have more time for podcasts than reading because I can listen while cleaning my house, cooking, driving, and hiking.