Great piece, Julian. I’ve noticed a lot of the same parallels between the logic of queer theory (and other related strains of critical social justice) and the structure of social media. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that these ideologies first rose to cultural dominance at the same time that social media became ubiquitous.
I do think, however, that the logic behind queer theory—to always oppose social structures that hinder one’s individual self-expression—is baked into the individualist ethos of liberalism. Our myopic commitment to the radical individualist conception of liberalism (rather than the version the founders based America on, where individual freedom was balanced against institutional constraints) seems to me to be what’s ultimately responsible for the problems at the root of both queer theory and Twitter. In other words, I think the best chance we have to save liberalism from these illiberal ideas is to admit that liberal individualism is not enough to ground a durable social order.
I have! I actually cited that book in an earlier version of my Aporia essay, but ultimately decided to cut since it was already over 4000 words.
Another great one that I ended up reading after finishing the piece is T.S. Eliot’s Christianity and Culture. It’s more specifically related to religion (as you might guess), but he touches on a lot of the same themes involving liberalism and our need for something more to supplement it.
I took all of Sunday off from social media. It wasn't a full digital Sabbath (I still checked email/texts and played a video game), but it still felt both difficult and incredible. Definitely will do more often, maybe every weekend.
Great piece, Julian. I’ve noticed a lot of the same parallels between the logic of queer theory (and other related strains of critical social justice) and the structure of social media. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that these ideologies first rose to cultural dominance at the same time that social media became ubiquitous.
I do think, however, that the logic behind queer theory—to always oppose social structures that hinder one’s individual self-expression—is baked into the individualist ethos of liberalism. Our myopic commitment to the radical individualist conception of liberalism (rather than the version the founders based America on, where individual freedom was balanced against institutional constraints) seems to me to be what’s ultimately responsible for the problems at the root of both queer theory and Twitter. In other words, I think the best chance we have to save liberalism from these illiberal ideas is to admit that liberal individualism is not enough to ground a durable social order.
I love this idea! And your Aporia essay!
Have you ever read C.S. Lewis' The Abolition of Man? He talks about a lot of the concepts you're writing about in your piece :)
I have! I actually cited that book in an earlier version of my Aporia essay, but ultimately decided to cut since it was already over 4000 words.
Another great one that I ended up reading after finishing the piece is T.S. Eliot’s Christianity and Culture. It’s more specifically related to religion (as you might guess), but he touches on a lot of the same themes involving liberalism and our need for something more to supplement it.
I took all of Sunday off from social media. It wasn't a full digital Sabbath (I still checked email/texts and played a video game), but it still felt both difficult and incredible. Definitely will do more often, maybe every weekend.