Powerful essay with video clips. It is all so sad and bewildering. The world i grew up in, the 1950s, 1960s, had plenty of flaws but more less most people followed or tried to follow the same set of rules. Now it is a disgusting free for all. Thank you for your time spent writing this and creating this Reflection on our fallen modern world. I have had a great life, with God, family, relationships, goals, failures, passions, and accomplishments and many things larger than myself, but I fear for the future for my grandchildren. It all seems so dark, empty and hollow now as it is presented to mankind through media and culture and education.
They've been trying to use deconstruction to wipe away the old and institute the new. The problem they didn't understand is that a people raised in a climate of deep cynicism and hostility towards dominant origin narratives will always be a lesser people, a stunted people, incapable of anything noble, wise or selfless.
Fear comes from satan. As Jesus says, “Have faith in God.” I have over 10 nieces and nephews and 3 children and I see God moving and working in all their and their friends’ lives. Yes, something good has absolutely been destroyed but God specializes in bringing good out of evil. (Genesis) He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Praise Him.
I think this article is spot-on. It sums up where idolatry has led society. I believe true artistry emanates a joy that's contagious and that others are drawn to. Our souls naturally gravitate towards beauty and truth. It's about time these disgusting "entertainers" are kicked to the curb.
I try to end my days with music and I can find the most obscure eclectic from 40s to 90s to suit any mood on YT. It's very refreshing to read comments from very young listeners who enjoy and appreciate good music when they hear it regardless of whether their friends do or not. There are also many young first time listeners reacting to older music and you can tell they're blown away. They've many times never heard real instruments being played and singers wo auto tune who have incredible voices. Maybe there's hope yet. 🤞I do hope music classes being taught in school can be revitalized and encouraged along w other Arts and Vocations.
As a long time bluegrass musician, I am astonished at the amount of young people embracing this music in the last 10 years. And,they are mind blowing good!
We raised our son to play the fiddle( he was playing GREAT by 5 years old) he rebelled against it in middle school because he was made fun of for playing “hillbilly music “. He tried to quit ( this was year 2000) we said “not till your 18”. So,he picked up guitar “to be cool”, and,began exploring other music. Joined jazz band in high school. Wrote marvelous,catchy rock tunes for his high school rock band,and,CAME BACK TO BLUEGRASS as an adult,because,so many people his age were now REALLY into it. He is one of the best guitar flat pickers I know, and,I know a lot..real handmade music, not auto tuned…good for the soul!
He eventually thanked us for not letting him quit,all those years ago 🎶💜
Please share (possibly in a future post) your thoughts of one more failed "Agency" determined to destroy Canada's National Sovereignty:
Blessings
Thanks for continuing to spread the word, even though (in this case) very painful at times.
From Byran Bridle, MD, Immunologist in Canada: (Dr. Bridle is an Associate Professor of Viral Immunology in the Department of Pathobiology at the University of Guelph.)
"The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's Bloodlust: Worshipping Policies While Ignoring Science
Their claim that killing ostriches was to 'ensure public health' contradicts common scientific sense"
Ostriches at a farm in British Columbia, Canada have been making headlines around the world for almost a year. That is because they were the focus of a huge battle that raged regarding what to do about the fact that swabs from two dead birds tested positive by PCR for avian influenza. I have deep, relevant expertise in this area based on my training in immunology and virology at the interface of human and animal health. I have conducted research with influenza viruses and I have published peer-reviewed scientific papers about influenza, both in humans and birds.
Egregiously, all the ostriches (well over 300) were just executed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency after the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear a stay of execution order. They had gunmen shoot the ostriches one by one as they were clustered inside a make-shift compound. These elegant, intelligent, very large birds had to witness their flockmates get executed while awaiting their turn. The outcome of this case raises concerns that Canadians should take seriously, or ignore at their peril. (full article continued at link)
Clearly another day where the Heavens cried out in pain seeing the darkness of human capacity.
Bluegrass is probably my favorite genre and has been for 5-10 years (I'm 70 now). Fantastic musicianship and honest lyrics. I thought about it as I read this essay, my corner of culture hasn't been polluted by the forces named here.
It certainly SEEMS like the majority of bluegrass pickers have avoided the “big time “…We don’t do it for the money or fame…,cuz,neither is likely to happen…
We have an inside joke amongst pals,….we all agree that after YEARS of honing our craft,we absolutely REFUSE to take any gig that costs us more than 50$ to play…sadly,that is more often the truth…
My pal was offered a gig at pay that wouldn’t cover the gas to get there. The manager said “ but,hey,y’all will get GREAT exposure “! My pal said””You know,people DIE from exposure “! Hahaha! That was sooo perfect..
Impressive! Congratulations for getting him to continue to play an instrument!
We had our daughter playing Trumpet and she started in middle school then continued into HighSchool until she graduated! I don’t even know if she still has her trumpet or even plays anymore since she quit talking to me 4 yers ago, by her decision.
Look no further than medicine, where ObGyns worship killing the baby in the womb and Pediatricians celebrate the emotional and physical mutilation of children.
I believe that Pharma gained such total control over the textbooks, professors, medical boards, and legislation that they are themselves shocked at the magnitude of their evil. Those who murdered millions cannot admit this and the boards cannot course correct any more than Goebbels in February 1945. But the masses notice the chimney smoke. Things are happening.
The book, "The Fourth Turning," Strauss and Howe suggest that Millennials will be a hero generation. And if they fail to become one, we may not have a future. So my bet's on my grand-daughter, with her husband and three babies, and their intense desire to live a quiet, normal life. They've had the advantage of witnessing their seemingly happily married aunt and uncle move to LA, make too much money, take too many drugs, become involved in the orgies, and return home divorced, broke, emaciated, and jaded...with plastic surgery to forever remind them of "making it in the big city."
The Boomers in "The Fourth Turning" are deemed "Prophets," to guide Gen Z either to socialism or freedom. As a boomer, I've been fighting the majority of my generation for my entire life--the ones showing up at "No Kings" rallies wearing their Roe v. Wade buttons on their silly hats. After Clinton, W., and Obama, we finally have a boomer president, in the unlikely character of Donald Trump, trying to lead the country from the brink of socialism to one of liberty and independence. For the first time in my life, I find myself on the winning side and am fighting like hell for my Gen Z kids.
But that isn’t ALWAYS the answer! Especially with the churches I attended and they guilted you into tithing, which for me financially wasn’t an option!
Thats what I have discovered with 95% of the churches people attend now!
I do wonder if non-white Gen Z care. They don't know what they lost. Interesting writing in the American Conservative was about Post WW2 Japan, Japanese culture was somewhat erased, so that now, it's a different culture. So the kids are wondering, hey what is Japanese? Similar to Germany.
Uh no, it's the Millennials that are the Hero Generation in that model, parallel to the Greatest Generation in the last saeculum. Gen Z fit the Artist archetype, parallel to the Silent Generation.
You are correct! The edition I read was the first, and Gen Z weren't yet defined. Strauss and Howe made updates to the 2005 edition. My age range is correct -- the kids who are currently in their 20s, but they aren't defined as Gen Z. I will edit my comment accordingly.
Thank you. Beautifully and heart fully written, like a true and real human. Thank you for speaking your truth. I agree. But I don’t think we’re witnessing the end of humanity, instead I think we are witnessing the death throes of the dying agenda of evil. I believe with my whole heart that we are on the cusp of human revelation and revolution where we return to God, heal as a species and in turn heal our world. Call me an apocaloptimist! I believe that through the imploding of all the evil genres and structures out there that LOVE is rising up to heal it all. LOVE being the most powerful force in all of creation.
I love you! Once again thank you for an incredibly powerful and creative article. You hit it right on the head. ♥️
Elizabeth, I love Absurdistan, but this is so wrong: “Has anyone noticed any work of great art emerging from any Communist country? Russia used to produce the most transcendent music and literature the world has ever seen. Since 1917? Nothing. You cannot invert reality and produce anything of value.” Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Solzhenitsyn, Bulgakov — nothing??? And perhaps we differ here: artists are going to create great work whether of not they are under communism or go back to church. Okay, maybe they get sent to the Gulag. But that doesn't stop them. But forms of art go through a life span — even without woke we might be in a film vacuum. And I'm getting to read the best journalism now since the seventies on Substack. Who knew that would happen?
But those writers all opposed the regime and suffered terribly. They are the models for the rising talent Elizabeth refers to in her closing passages of this article.
Indeed. Bulgakov and Elizabeth express similar sentiments, that of the persistence of the human spirit in the face of despair (which, I’ve heard it said, is the worst sin of all.)
Yes, but they were the last gasp of the Russian soul expressed. I remember the thrill of discovering Prokoviev. They fought and they died for it. And who would dare after that? Since then….nothing has broken through that I know of. But I can’t know everything.
You're completely right about that. Poor Prokofiev: "Under the influence of western currents,I am guilty of formalism and atonality…which has led to the impoverishment and decline of music, one that is foreign to the Soviet people." It's an “apology” that for me is heartbreaking. And it shows the decline and fall of culture authoritarians. At least his tormentors knew a little twentieth century music theory. Today he'd have ti apologize for writing an aria a trans singer couldn't negotiate. Love Absurdistan. Thank you, Elizabeth.
Agreed. I had the same thoughts. It is true that under Stalin many great artists and composers were ended. But, much great work was accomplished and after Stalin’s death there was much more. The crude murderous thuggery of Stalin’s Soviet Union has ended and it seems to me that the seeds of great academic and artistic achievement remained under the burned crust. I have met people educated in USSR in 1970’s with strong moral, social, humanitarian ideals and have asked them the origins “inserted alongside transparent state worship ideology “. I conclude that society does actually slowly evolve towards better, but can be easily and quickly deliberately “shittified”.
Yes, Richard, you're right, — my point was only that there were great works written after 1917. And yes, they suffered as I mentioned. But I do think Prokofiev did greater work than Stravinsky after 1917. I recently wrote on my own Substack about the art refugees in LA who were so great for the city and for American art. Some of whom were still alive when I studied music with a protégé of Schoenberg.
I gave the very bright and talented son of a friend of mine a reference for USC Law School. He distinguished himself and is now a young associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Despite the man-killing hours he absolutely loves it. Great anecdote about how your dad got the firm off the ground back in the day!
You're right. But why did Czechoslovakia produce such brilliant art and literature under Communism and now is not. And China produced nearly nothing under Communism. An interesting book The Cultural Revolution Cookbook.
Today’s music I’ve said is mostly “music to commit suicide to.” It’s overall so joyless. Where is the celebration of love? It’s all so depressing. Jazz and Motown devolved into rap and hip-hop. Not an improvement.
There's plenty of great music out there, you just have to know where to look, and it's not that hard. As someone who see on average 100 shows per year I do not share the doom and gloom about music.
Maybe more of an opposition to the regime existed in Czech vs China? I guess it is hard to generalize. Oh hey sent your stack article to my best gf who grew up in LA when you did.
Really liked the Tropic of Cancer piece (more in my comment on it. ) Btw, speaking of entertainment law, my father brought the Ziffren brothers into the firm he ran, Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher. I adored Mickey Ziffren and wrote about her here https://pollysnewsletter.substack.com/p/whats-politics-got-to-do-with-friendship Can you give me the link to the piece in which you wrote about Lili Anolik and Eve Babitz?
Shostakovich and Prokofiev were also the names that came to mind when I read that line in Elizabeth’s article. Interestingly enough, they were both pupils of Glazunov at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory when Glazunov (director of the school at the time) was on his high horse about how communistic ideals were ruining music and education. Glazunov started getting so frequently attacked by professors and students for being a conservative in politics and music education, that he decided to bail on the communists and leave the country. He never returned.
I have so many questions for Glazunov at this point, but I truly wonder what Glazunov was seeing in music education that made him conclude that communism was the reason for the downgrade in musical ability and artistry. What did that look like on a practical level? What was his (or others’) definition of musical conservatism? What were teachers and students demanding at the time?
I bring this up, not as a rebuttal to your point, but as a supplement. Shostakovich and Prokofiev were likely deeply influenced by the moral approach of their teacher, both in striving for musical excellence and criticizing a system that dampened it. Furthermore, Prokofiev was born and studied before the censorship of the USSR, and lived many years abroad. He also taught Shostakovich. I would say both composers created “transcendent” music, to quote Elizabeth, and actually gained artistic inspiration due to living in a system of oppression. Would their level of artistry have been possible, however, without the groundwork and influence from a system outside of communism? Only speculation can confirm.
Thank you, Maya. You raise so many interesting points. My 90-year-old friend Barbara Bocher was the youngest ballerina for Balanchine, who she adored (her memoir The Cage details abuse from other people in the dance world). She is in great physical shape and I asked her about it. She says the Russian way of training — which Balanchine dance technique comes from — kept dancers from hurting themselves. Balanchine was loyal to Russian technique but had to get away to use it as he wanted to creatively.
Hey, out here 40 miles from the Twin Shitties all is well in the bedroom-farm communities; our 4 yr old grandson high-fived a guy in a Michael Myers outfit last night.
Things aren't dead except media overall. I listened to the entire Tucka-Fuentes podcast and immediately found my TwiX account full of the neocons ripping them. I found nothing really distasteful about the interview except the comments thereafter. They were rightly critical of the Israeli/American governments, not the American/Jewish People.
Freedom of speech. The 'establishment' isn't liking their walls being torn down and it is glorious.
He is a shock-jock like Howard Stern in the early 90s; I don't agree with everything anyone says, but I do pay very close attention to those that are cancelled by the 'proper people' like Ben Shapiro whose staff actually hired Fuentes and then disavowed him after asking questions about the Israeli-American 'relationship'.
I am sorry there is nobody in charge down there that has spent one day in the private sector where there is actual risk to decisions.
They used to be beautiful cities; I grew up in Roseville which is close enough to visit the cities on a regular basis. My company just moved its headquarters from MPLS to Dayton this year after 99 years!
I wish the good People of those areas would wisen up and fire their shitty councils! Those folks are evil; maybe Carter isn't so bad, but the MPLS city council is a complete, unserious joke.
I will not set foot in these corrupt cities ever again if I don't have to. Heck, I won't even go the VA by the airport anymore which is too bad because it is a serious facility.
I live in Minnesconsin and mourn the Twin Cities, former site of many of our pleasure trips, but not after 2020. My son went to a concert there last year, and within an hour, on Harriet St., his car was stolen. What the hell has happened?
Street music cannot be applauded enough. Even if it stinks and is all off key and makes you wince, actual performances by actual people are life-giving.
During the Covid-19 days of isolation, a group of merry jazz and hip hop musicians travelled from neighborhood to neighborhood, playing to encourage emotional health. A lovely thing.
Our million dollar library addition made the front door entrance area into the dvd section before you even see one book. The library has almost zero of the classics. It recently put up on its billboard "The Death Cafe" for those wanting to talk about where they are headed soon and just coincidentally the sign went up right before Halloween. After complaints they took it down. Lots and lots more people showing up at their town government meetings. They've had about enough. If you talk to local officials they are open to concerns that seemed far fetched before. Even the extreme woke are shifting. Our schools keep losing kids to private as I'm sure many are but the real reasons hidden from the parents and tax payers. Our local arts centre got a big donation (buyout) and then the smut entertainment seeped in with the modern holiday version called "Nut Cracked." A transgender star ready to entertain the kiddos for Christmas. It is everywhere and being rejected everywhere.
You have perfectly described why I go to one film every two or three years, and have done so since the 90s. I listen to opera and classical music. I think the last "contemporary" novelist I read was Milan Kundera. Otherwise I stick to cozy mysteries where good always prevails. Our culture has become toxic and I am happy when I see young people rejecting it. I hope Gen X fulfills the promise it is exhibiting at this time.
Even my beloved classical station has started playing blah, woke (the composers fit a DEI profile) or popular pieces like Disney and Harry Potter soundtracks I guess to attract a new audience.
But Christ still rules and his Light shows through the dark, as with the new movie Matt Talbot: Urban Mystic, created by Bill Rose, my sister's son-in-law.
Matt Talbot overcame addiction. He was AA's Twelve Steps before they existed. This film about his struggle and triumph is what Hollywood once produced but, as you show, no longer can as it has surrendered completely to its Luciferian ruler and, therefore, is no longer creative.
By these portents, authors of wholesome fiction ought to be noticing an uptick. Woohoo. It's quiet over here, folks. Is anyone breaking through the clutter? If so, please explain how you're doing it.
Beautifully put, EN. I started realising where we were heading abbout thirty years ago and set out to explain it. The result is this novel. I'd be very happy to send you a free copy, but here's a link for reference.
I’ve mostly watched South Korean dramas for the last 8 years or so (as have my 96 year old mom and best friend) because of the character and plot development and control of profanity, violence and sex. Until recently, in a 16 hour long episode series you would only get one kiss! No throwing each other against a wall, ripping off clothes and eating faces. For 2 decades now in American series you know from the beginning the blue eyed blond is the villain. Thank you for putting this together for us. It’s scary just how evil it’s gotten. The Bible tells us that in the end times a great deception will come on the world so that “if possible, even the elect (true Christians) will be deceived.” John Rich’s encouragement to pray for discernment is so wise!
Powerful essay with video clips. It is all so sad and bewildering. The world i grew up in, the 1950s, 1960s, had plenty of flaws but more less most people followed or tried to follow the same set of rules. Now it is a disgusting free for all. Thank you for your time spent writing this and creating this Reflection on our fallen modern world. I have had a great life, with God, family, relationships, goals, failures, passions, and accomplishments and many things larger than myself, but I fear for the future for my grandchildren. It all seems so dark, empty and hollow now as it is presented to mankind through media and culture and education.
They've been trying to use deconstruction to wipe away the old and institute the new. The problem they didn't understand is that a people raised in a climate of deep cynicism and hostility towards dominant origin narratives will always be a lesser people, a stunted people, incapable of anything noble, wise or selfless.
As long as those people remain blind to their machinations
Fear comes from satan. As Jesus says, “Have faith in God.” I have over 10 nieces and nephews and 3 children and I see God moving and working in all their and their friends’ lives. Yes, something good has absolutely been destroyed but God specializes in bringing good out of evil. (Genesis) He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Praise Him.
Amen!!!!
Disgusting free-for-all: "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Judges 21:25
I think this article is spot-on. It sums up where idolatry has led society. I believe true artistry emanates a joy that's contagious and that others are drawn to. Our souls naturally gravitate towards beauty and truth. It's about time these disgusting "entertainers" are kicked to the curb.
Thank you for “our souls naturally gravitate towards beauty and truth”. We are light beings and drawn to the light.
I try to end my days with music and I can find the most obscure eclectic from 40s to 90s to suit any mood on YT. It's very refreshing to read comments from very young listeners who enjoy and appreciate good music when they hear it regardless of whether their friends do or not. There are also many young first time listeners reacting to older music and you can tell they're blown away. They've many times never heard real instruments being played and singers wo auto tune who have incredible voices. Maybe there's hope yet. 🤞I do hope music classes being taught in school can be revitalized and encouraged along w other Arts and Vocations.
As a long time bluegrass musician, I am astonished at the amount of young people embracing this music in the last 10 years. And,they are mind blowing good!
We raised our son to play the fiddle( he was playing GREAT by 5 years old) he rebelled against it in middle school because he was made fun of for playing “hillbilly music “. He tried to quit ( this was year 2000) we said “not till your 18”. So,he picked up guitar “to be cool”, and,began exploring other music. Joined jazz band in high school. Wrote marvelous,catchy rock tunes for his high school rock band,and,CAME BACK TO BLUEGRASS as an adult,because,so many people his age were now REALLY into it. He is one of the best guitar flat pickers I know, and,I know a lot..real handmade music, not auto tuned…good for the soul!
He eventually thanked us for not letting him quit,all those years ago 🎶💜
!
Hillbilly music came out of the Scottish borders and is a true freedom fighters music,
Elizabeth,
Please share (possibly in a future post) your thoughts of one more failed "Agency" determined to destroy Canada's National Sovereignty:
Blessings
Thanks for continuing to spread the word, even though (in this case) very painful at times.
From Byran Bridle, MD, Immunologist in Canada: (Dr. Bridle is an Associate Professor of Viral Immunology in the Department of Pathobiology at the University of Guelph.)
https://viralimmunologist.substack.com/
"The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's Bloodlust: Worshipping Policies While Ignoring Science
Their claim that killing ostriches was to 'ensure public health' contradicts common scientific sense"
Ostriches at a farm in British Columbia, Canada have been making headlines around the world for almost a year. That is because they were the focus of a huge battle that raged regarding what to do about the fact that swabs from two dead birds tested positive by PCR for avian influenza. I have deep, relevant expertise in this area based on my training in immunology and virology at the interface of human and animal health. I have conducted research with influenza viruses and I have published peer-reviewed scientific papers about influenza, both in humans and birds.
Egregiously, all the ostriches (well over 300) were just executed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency after the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear a stay of execution order. They had gunmen shoot the ostriches one by one as they were clustered inside a make-shift compound. These elegant, intelligent, very large birds had to witness their flockmates get executed while awaiting their turn. The outcome of this case raises concerns that Canadians should take seriously, or ignore at their peril. (full article continued at link)
Clearly another day where the Heavens cried out in pain seeing the darkness of human capacity.
Good for you! And your son! Makes my heart swell!!
Awww,very nice…💜🪕🎻
Bluegrass is probably my favorite genre and has been for 5-10 years (I'm 70 now). Fantastic musicianship and honest lyrics. I thought about it as I read this essay, my corner of culture hasn't been polluted by the forces named here.
It certainly SEEMS like the majority of bluegrass pickers have avoided the “big time “…We don’t do it for the money or fame…,cuz,neither is likely to happen…
We have an inside joke amongst pals,….we all agree that after YEARS of honing our craft,we absolutely REFUSE to take any gig that costs us more than 50$ to play…sadly,that is more often the truth…
My pal was offered a gig at pay that wouldn’t cover the gas to get there. The manager said “ but,hey,y’all will get GREAT exposure “! My pal said””You know,people DIE from exposure “! Hahaha! That was sooo perfect..
I’m happy to hear you are a fan!🎶🎻🪕
Impressive! Congratulations for getting him to continue to play an instrument!
We had our daughter playing Trumpet and she started in middle school then continued into HighSchool until she graduated! I don’t even know if she still has her trumpet or even plays anymore since she quit talking to me 4 yers ago, by her decision.
Thank you.
I hope you and your daughter work it out…
Thank You! I appreciate your kind sentiment.
That is so awesome!
That is very kind of you to say! Thank you.🎶
Look no further than medicine, where ObGyns worship killing the baby in the womb and Pediatricians celebrate the emotional and physical mutilation of children.
And Canadian doctors glorifying MAiD.
The childhood vaccine schedule that ballooned from 13 to over 70 jabs!!! Madness!!
I believe that Pharma gained such total control over the textbooks, professors, medical boards, and legislation that they are themselves shocked at the magnitude of their evil. Those who murdered millions cannot admit this and the boards cannot course correct any more than Goebbels in February 1945. But the masses notice the chimney smoke. Things are happening.
The book, "The Fourth Turning," Strauss and Howe suggest that Millennials will be a hero generation. And if they fail to become one, we may not have a future. So my bet's on my grand-daughter, with her husband and three babies, and their intense desire to live a quiet, normal life. They've had the advantage of witnessing their seemingly happily married aunt and uncle move to LA, make too much money, take too many drugs, become involved in the orgies, and return home divorced, broke, emaciated, and jaded...with plastic surgery to forever remind them of "making it in the big city."
The Boomers in "The Fourth Turning" are deemed "Prophets," to guide Gen Z either to socialism or freedom. As a boomer, I've been fighting the majority of my generation for my entire life--the ones showing up at "No Kings" rallies wearing their Roe v. Wade buttons on their silly hats. After Clinton, W., and Obama, we finally have a boomer president, in the unlikely character of Donald Trump, trying to lead the country from the brink of socialism to one of liberty and independence. For the first time in my life, I find myself on the winning side and am fighting like hell for my Gen Z kids.
Amen bro...well stated. There are good boomers too!
There is a definite faith resurgence. Younger people are flocking back to Churches.
But that isn’t ALWAYS the answer! Especially with the churches I attended and they guilted you into tithing, which for me financially wasn’t an option!
Thats what I have discovered with 95% of the churches people attend now!
Great book, if a little deep for me.
I do wonder if non-white Gen Z care. They don't know what they lost. Interesting writing in the American Conservative was about Post WW2 Japan, Japanese culture was somewhat erased, so that now, it's a different culture. So the kids are wondering, hey what is Japanese? Similar to Germany.
Uh no, it's the Millennials that are the Hero Generation in that model, parallel to the Greatest Generation in the last saeculum. Gen Z fit the Artist archetype, parallel to the Silent Generation.
You are correct! The edition I read was the first, and Gen Z weren't yet defined. Strauss and Howe made updates to the 2005 edition. My age range is correct -- the kids who are currently in their 20s, but they aren't defined as Gen Z. I will edit my comment accordingly.
Thank you. Beautifully and heart fully written, like a true and real human. Thank you for speaking your truth. I agree. But I don’t think we’re witnessing the end of humanity, instead I think we are witnessing the death throes of the dying agenda of evil. I believe with my whole heart that we are on the cusp of human revelation and revolution where we return to God, heal as a species and in turn heal our world. Call me an apocaloptimist! I believe that through the imploding of all the evil genres and structures out there that LOVE is rising up to heal it all. LOVE being the most powerful force in all of creation.
I love you! Once again thank you for an incredibly powerful and creative article. You hit it right on the head. ♥️
I can't tell you how much I hope you're right.
Elizabeth, I love Absurdistan, but this is so wrong: “Has anyone noticed any work of great art emerging from any Communist country? Russia used to produce the most transcendent music and literature the world has ever seen. Since 1917? Nothing. You cannot invert reality and produce anything of value.” Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Solzhenitsyn, Bulgakov — nothing??? And perhaps we differ here: artists are going to create great work whether of not they are under communism or go back to church. Okay, maybe they get sent to the Gulag. But that doesn't stop them. But forms of art go through a life span — even without woke we might be in a film vacuum. And I'm getting to read the best journalism now since the seventies on Substack. Who knew that would happen?
But those writers all opposed the regime and suffered terribly. They are the models for the rising talent Elizabeth refers to in her closing passages of this article.
Indeed. Bulgakov and Elizabeth express similar sentiments, that of the persistence of the human spirit in the face of despair (which, I’ve heard it said, is the worst sin of all.)
Yes, but they were the last gasp of the Russian soul expressed. I remember the thrill of discovering Prokoviev. They fought and they died for it. And who would dare after that? Since then….nothing has broken through that I know of. But I can’t know everything.
You're completely right about that. Poor Prokofiev: "Under the influence of western currents,I am guilty of formalism and atonality…which has led to the impoverishment and decline of music, one that is foreign to the Soviet people." It's an “apology” that for me is heartbreaking. And it shows the decline and fall of culture authoritarians. At least his tormentors knew a little twentieth century music theory. Today he'd have ti apologize for writing an aria a trans singer couldn't negotiate. Love Absurdistan. Thank you, Elizabeth.
Agreed. I had the same thoughts. It is true that under Stalin many great artists and composers were ended. But, much great work was accomplished and after Stalin’s death there was much more. The crude murderous thuggery of Stalin’s Soviet Union has ended and it seems to me that the seeds of great academic and artistic achievement remained under the burned crust. I have met people educated in USSR in 1970’s with strong moral, social, humanitarian ideals and have asked them the origins “inserted alongside transparent state worship ideology “. I conclude that society does actually slowly evolve towards better, but can be easily and quickly deliberately “shittified”.
Yes, Richard, you're right, — my point was only that there were great works written after 1917. And yes, they suffered as I mentioned. But I do think Prokofiev did greater work than Stravinsky after 1917. I recently wrote on my own Substack about the art refugees in LA who were so great for the city and for American art. Some of whom were still alive when I studied music with a protégé of Schoenberg.
Sorry—I thought that first article included Eve Babitz—this is the one that does—with more LA law firm gossip: https://open.substack.com/pub/chriscoffman/p/a-song-of-innocence-and-experience?
I gave the very bright and talented son of a friend of mine a reference for USC Law School. He distinguished himself and is now a young associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Despite the man-killing hours he absolutely loves it. Great anecdote about how your dad got the firm off the ground back in the day!
Agree she might want amend that a bit in terms of the year but I get the broader point.
You're right. But why did Czechoslovakia produce such brilliant art and literature under Communism and now is not. And China produced nearly nothing under Communism. An interesting book The Cultural Revolution Cookbook.
Today’s music I’ve said is mostly “music to commit suicide to.” It’s overall so joyless. Where is the celebration of love? It’s all so depressing. Jazz and Motown devolved into rap and hip-hop. Not an improvement.
lol.
There's plenty of great music out there, you just have to know where to look, and it's not that hard. As someone who see on average 100 shows per year I do not share the doom and gloom about music.
Maybe more of an opposition to the regime existed in Czech vs China? I guess it is hard to generalize. Oh hey sent your stack article to my best gf who grew up in LA when you did.
What you please provide the link to your article about the expats in LA?
Here it is: https://pollysnewsletter.substack.com/p/a-la-recherche-of-altadena-and-la
Thank you—I’ll check it out!
Really liked the Tropic of Cancer piece (more in my comment on it. ) Btw, speaking of entertainment law, my father brought the Ziffren brothers into the firm he ran, Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher. I adored Mickey Ziffren and wrote about her here https://pollysnewsletter.substack.com/p/whats-politics-got-to-do-with-friendship Can you give me the link to the piece in which you wrote about Lili Anolik and Eve Babitz?
Shostakovich and Prokofiev were also the names that came to mind when I read that line in Elizabeth’s article. Interestingly enough, they were both pupils of Glazunov at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory when Glazunov (director of the school at the time) was on his high horse about how communistic ideals were ruining music and education. Glazunov started getting so frequently attacked by professors and students for being a conservative in politics and music education, that he decided to bail on the communists and leave the country. He never returned.
I have so many questions for Glazunov at this point, but I truly wonder what Glazunov was seeing in music education that made him conclude that communism was the reason for the downgrade in musical ability and artistry. What did that look like on a practical level? What was his (or others’) definition of musical conservatism? What were teachers and students demanding at the time?
I bring this up, not as a rebuttal to your point, but as a supplement. Shostakovich and Prokofiev were likely deeply influenced by the moral approach of their teacher, both in striving for musical excellence and criticizing a system that dampened it. Furthermore, Prokofiev was born and studied before the censorship of the USSR, and lived many years abroad. He also taught Shostakovich. I would say both composers created “transcendent” music, to quote Elizabeth, and actually gained artistic inspiration due to living in a system of oppression. Would their level of artistry have been possible, however, without the groundwork and influence from a system outside of communism? Only speculation can confirm.
Thank you, Maya. You raise so many interesting points. My 90-year-old friend Barbara Bocher was the youngest ballerina for Balanchine, who she adored (her memoir The Cage details abuse from other people in the dance world). She is in great physical shape and I asked her about it. She says the Russian way of training — which Balanchine dance technique comes from — kept dancers from hurting themselves. Balanchine was loyal to Russian technique but had to get away to use it as he wanted to creatively.
Hey, out here 40 miles from the Twin Shitties all is well in the bedroom-farm communities; our 4 yr old grandson high-fived a guy in a Michael Myers outfit last night.
Things aren't dead except media overall. I listened to the entire Tucka-Fuentes podcast and immediately found my TwiX account full of the neocons ripping them. I found nothing really distasteful about the interview except the comments thereafter. They were rightly critical of the Israeli/American governments, not the American/Jewish People.
Freedom of speech. The 'establishment' isn't liking their walls being torn down and it is glorious.
I just listened to it and found nothing objectionable….he is young, he is allowed to make mistakes and jokes that are misplaced.
He is a shock-jock like Howard Stern in the early 90s; I don't agree with everything anyone says, but I do pay very close attention to those that are cancelled by the 'proper people' like Ben Shapiro whose staff actually hired Fuentes and then disavowed him after asking questions about the Israeli-American 'relationship'.
Thanks! I live in Minneapolis which is now a dark place & am comforted to hear that, away from the darkness, sane & healthy life carries on.
I also enjoyed the Tucker/Fuentes interview. We need to hear both sides.
I am sorry there is nobody in charge down there that has spent one day in the private sector where there is actual risk to decisions.
They used to be beautiful cities; I grew up in Roseville which is close enough to visit the cities on a regular basis. My company just moved its headquarters from MPLS to Dayton this year after 99 years!
I wish the good People of those areas would wisen up and fire their shitty councils! Those folks are evil; maybe Carter isn't so bad, but the MPLS city council is a complete, unserious joke.
I will not set foot in these corrupt cities ever again if I don't have to. Heck, I won't even go the VA by the airport anymore which is too bad because it is a serious facility.
I live in Minnesconsin and mourn the Twin Cities, former site of many of our pleasure trips, but not after 2020. My son went to a concert there last year, and within an hour, on Harriet St., his car was stolen. What the hell has happened?
Leftism. There hasn't been political balance there since the 60s. The last republican mayor was 1961.
The new way live music is happening is at microbreweries, weddings, and vineyards every weekend, by musicians like Billy and the Curley Brothers.
https://www.instagram.com/billyandthecurleybrothers/
They are my sons and work hard as sound, audio, and vibration engineers during the week and as hard as musicians making people happy on the weekend.
They played outdoors for young parents with children during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
There is always a way around evil if you are a Christian.
Street music cannot be applauded enough. Even if it stinks and is all off key and makes you wince, actual performances by actual people are life-giving.
During the Covid-19 days of isolation, a group of merry jazz and hip hop musicians travelled from neighborhood to neighborhood, playing to encourage emotional health. A lovely thing.
This is heartening!
Our million dollar library addition made the front door entrance area into the dvd section before you even see one book. The library has almost zero of the classics. It recently put up on its billboard "The Death Cafe" for those wanting to talk about where they are headed soon and just coincidentally the sign went up right before Halloween. After complaints they took it down. Lots and lots more people showing up at their town government meetings. They've had about enough. If you talk to local officials they are open to concerns that seemed far fetched before. Even the extreme woke are shifting. Our schools keep losing kids to private as I'm sure many are but the real reasons hidden from the parents and tax payers. Our local arts centre got a big donation (buyout) and then the smut entertainment seeped in with the modern holiday version called "Nut Cracked." A transgender star ready to entertain the kiddos for Christmas. It is everywhere and being rejected everywhere.
I'm in awe again of your brilliant writing, Elizabeth. And I must get you on my podcast. Thanks!
Thankyou very much Elizabeth. Note that Chinese billionaires are promoting transgenderism in the US.
You have perfectly described why I go to one film every two or three years, and have done so since the 90s. I listen to opera and classical music. I think the last "contemporary" novelist I read was Milan Kundera. Otherwise I stick to cozy mysteries where good always prevails. Our culture has become toxic and I am happy when I see young people rejecting it. I hope Gen X fulfills the promise it is exhibiting at this time.
Even my beloved classical station has started playing blah, woke (the composers fit a DEI profile) or popular pieces like Disney and Harry Potter soundtracks I guess to attract a new audience.
One word: Spotify. Two words: Apple Music.
True that.
But Christ still rules and his Light shows through the dark, as with the new movie Matt Talbot: Urban Mystic, created by Bill Rose, my sister's son-in-law.
Matt Talbot overcame addiction. He was AA's Twelve Steps before they existed. This film about his struggle and triumph is what Hollywood once produced but, as you show, no longer can as it has surrendered completely to its Luciferian ruler and, therefore, is no longer creative.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37379065/
https://joyfulfilms.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrtBRHKp9P4
Bill Rose is the new film industry in the American Golden Age.
Saw that movie in a showing near Philadelphia recently - very moving.
By these portents, authors of wholesome fiction ought to be noticing an uptick. Woohoo. It's quiet over here, folks. Is anyone breaking through the clutter? If so, please explain how you're doing it.
Beautifully put, EN. I started realising where we were heading abbout thirty years ago and set out to explain it. The result is this novel. I'd be very happy to send you a free copy, but here's a link for reference.
https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Causes-Richard-Nichols-ebook/dp/B0893M6PQF/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=lost+causes+richard+nichols&qid=1618187048&sr=8-1
I’ve mostly watched South Korean dramas for the last 8 years or so (as have my 96 year old mom and best friend) because of the character and plot development and control of profanity, violence and sex. Until recently, in a 16 hour long episode series you would only get one kiss! No throwing each other against a wall, ripping off clothes and eating faces. For 2 decades now in American series you know from the beginning the blue eyed blond is the villain. Thank you for putting this together for us. It’s scary just how evil it’s gotten. The Bible tells us that in the end times a great deception will come on the world so that “if possible, even the elect (true Christians) will be deceived.” John Rich’s encouragement to pray for discernment is so wise!
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Me too! THAT WINTER THE WIND BLOWS -- 13 episodes before even a kiss! It was glorious!
I watched them too. Now Im watching Turkish tv series. There are no sex scenes, althogh it’s implied, and usually not until a couple is engaged.
Fabulous ones that can be found on YouTube with English subtitles are: Kurt Seyit and Shura (true story) and Endless Love.