So glad you could come to the foreign country of Alabama. It was a pleasure to meet you in real life. I no longer have to wonder if you are AI generated. And look up Michael D. O’Brien, Canadian author. He had all this machine world figured out long ago.
I think the goal of the machine is to give us what it thinks we want…as long as we stay on/in the web. Real life encounters are the antidote, and the best way to know you are, in fact, real.
The Buddhist meditation practice from the Dalai Lama says that we should “touch grass” to help ground ourselves back onto the planet. I find that going for a walk around the neighborhood twice a day and meeting neighbors and their dogs to be quite useful as well.
It was an honor to meet you Paul, and it was a great talk. All best on your travels in what used to be these United States, but now is merely an outpost on the edge of the Machine. I hope you make is back out relatively unscathed.
Loved your talk, Paul, and so glad you enjoyed the South. Have you read any Flannery O'Conner? She perfectly captures the essence of the Christ-haunted South.
As I told you Friday evening after your talk, I would be glad to provide a monastic contact on Mount Athos. My friend, although not a hermit, lives alone in a cave. His kelli also has two Holy Wells, one of them dry, and therein hangs a tale...
Thank you for sharing this talk here. I couldn't make it to Alabama so this was great. I've been struggling to reduce/eliminate the digital devices in my life, without much success. Your talk has given me new determination. I shut off the Smart Phone and Smart Watch just now, again. May they remain off as much as is possible.
So was it the fried catfish or the sweet tea that didn’t go your way? Or the combo?
Note that not all tea is served as sweet as some—the kind you can stand a spoon in, it’s so viscous. I myself prefer a much more moderately sweetened tea: and my experience is that it tends to get sweeter the farther east you go in the South. I could be wrong—but I’d love to hear other anecdotal evidence.
Catfish, fried, if it’s right, is one of the great Southern foods, especially when accompanied by a few ethereally light hush puppies. If they aren’t ethereally light, the cook is doing it wrong.
Come to Memphis and have some barbecue some time: my treat.
My hosts ordered unsweet tea, but they insisted I tried the sweet tea. Just to do the South properly. Too sweet for me! But actually the catfish was good, as were the hush puppies and the greens. There was just too much of it for me. And that's unusual!
We are leaving for Buffalo tomorrow morning to see you tomorrow night!! Can't wait!!! Thank you for all you write! And for taking so much time and energy to come to our country.
Good, Paul, very good if I may say so. I did not know about the Steve Jobs dark sense of humour.
It seems a long time ago when we listened to BBC Roy Plumley's original Desert Island Discs ... went on for decades but toward the end of the series Roy had as guest Wilfred Thesiger. I won't go on, but it was one of the best. Wilfred didn't like the idea of being alone on the island. He had never been alone on any of his travels in remote places ... always people. 'Struggle for a Human Future' is the title of a book by Jeremy Naydler.
I’m just taking the piss out of your audience. Behind the orange one are people, people, deplorables, displaced, demoralized, and much reviled. Bigotry.
Well, your assumption is incorrect. Spend a bit of time round here and you'll find that out. Quite a few Trump voters read me as it happens. My readers are a diverse bunch. Watch out for bigotry! ;-)
I'm going to break my 20 years of not voting for either party in presidential elections to vote for the Big Bad Orange Man in some faint hope of slowing the DC machine down.
Who is 'my audience', exactly? You are concerned (rightly) that people shouldn't make assumptions about Trump voters, but you're making assumptions here yourself. Perhaps about 'English intellectuals.' Maybe everybody should stop assuming and start talking to each other.
Incidentally, quite a lot of 'English intellectuals' have nothing to do with me anymore since I voted for Brexit, refused the covid jab and wrote several pieces defending populism, and indeed 'Trump supporters', back in the day. I've been writing about how globalisation screws ordinary people for 25 years. I'm not a Trump fan, but it's not hard to see his appeal for many people.
Thank you You are in my patheon of Substack greats: NS Lyon’s, Frank Wright, Curtis Yarvin, John Carter, Matt Tiabbi and you.
Trump‘s devilish insouciance pales in comparison to the violence being perpetrated against working people in the west. He is a high colonic for the operators and beneficiaries of the machine with an extra measure of shame for our professorate, they should know better.
The West as a whole currently suffers from being governed by rotten, self-serving elites with little to no understanding of the reality of their countries or people. This is not a situation that is going to go on for much longer. The only real question is how it's going to break down, and what will replace it.
I sincerely hope you are right. I say the orange abomination is an equal and opposite reaction to their treachery.
I am more sanguine about it changing . My entire social Circle here in Toronto - man, women and child - are bigots as pertains the interests of Trump voters: baseline shitlibs, not elite. I don’t have a sense change is coming.
All 'populism' is that same reaction. The demonising of Trump and his voters is just part of the propaganda system. That's a separate question from whether he's a good man who would make a good president. I do think change is coming. My feeling is that we're living in 1913, or 1916, or 1929. I don't say this is a good thing. But I do say that this situation can't continue indefinitely. It's true that most people don't think this way. But as we saw with covid, most people will tend to follow the herd.
Yes, Trump is course and degrades society, guilt as charged, but a misdemeanour compared to their well mannered, learned betrayal: For treason they deserve more, Robespierre’s hot hand is well portioned to their crimes.
Happy Birthday, Paul! So glad you have enjoyed your trip to the US so far. Your talk on Friday evening was riveting. You must be tapping into something if you can get a crowd like that into a university theater on a fall football Friday night in Alabama!
Was a honor to meet you on Saturday, Paul. Come on back down south soon!
It was a pleasure to have you in Birmingham, Paul. I hope you will come back and visit us again sometime.
So glad you could come to the foreign country of Alabama. It was a pleasure to meet you in real life. I no longer have to wonder if you are AI generated. And look up Michael D. O’Brien, Canadian author. He had all this machine world figured out long ago.
Would an AI generate something like me? Possibly I suppose; controlled opposition, and all that.
I will check him out - thank you.
Michael O'Brien is an incredible author! He is a traditional Roman Catholic iconographer, who writes icons in a more Byzantine style.
His science fiction novel, "Voyage to Alpha Centauri," is almost prescient.
I think the goal of the machine is to give us what it thinks we want…as long as we stay on/in the web. Real life encounters are the antidote, and the best way to know you are, in fact, real.
The Buddhist meditation practice from the Dalai Lama says that we should “touch grass” to help ground ourselves back onto the planet. I find that going for a walk around the neighborhood twice a day and meeting neighbors and their dogs to be quite useful as well.
An AI Emmanual Goldstein!
It was an honor to meet you Paul, and it was a great talk. All best on your travels in what used to be these United States, but now is merely an outpost on the edge of the Machine. I hope you make is back out relatively unscathed.
Loved your talk, Paul, and so glad you enjoyed the South. Have you read any Flannery O'Conner? She perfectly captures the essence of the Christ-haunted South.
Flannery O’Conner! Studied her at Radcliffe College back in the 1960’s! Awesome writing ~ another Celtic voice.
As I told you Friday evening after your talk, I would be glad to provide a monastic contact on Mount Athos. My friend, although not a hermit, lives alone in a cave. His kelli also has two Holy Wells, one of them dry, and therein hangs a tale...
I would love that. You can contact me through my website at paulkingsnorth.net. Many thanks.
And Flannery O' Connor - yes indeed. Something of a genius I'd say.
Thank you for sharing this talk here. I couldn't make it to Alabama so this was great. I've been struggling to reduce/eliminate the digital devices in my life, without much success. Your talk has given me new determination. I shut off the Smart Phone and Smart Watch just now, again. May they remain off as much as is possible.
Gosh I wish I could have been there. Glad the trip has gone well so far. Safe travels on land and air.
So was it the fried catfish or the sweet tea that didn’t go your way? Or the combo?
Note that not all tea is served as sweet as some—the kind you can stand a spoon in, it’s so viscous. I myself prefer a much more moderately sweetened tea: and my experience is that it tends to get sweeter the farther east you go in the South. I could be wrong—but I’d love to hear other anecdotal evidence.
Catfish, fried, if it’s right, is one of the great Southern foods, especially when accompanied by a few ethereally light hush puppies. If they aren’t ethereally light, the cook is doing it wrong.
Come to Memphis and have some barbecue some time: my treat.
My hosts ordered unsweet tea, but they insisted I tried the sweet tea. Just to do the South properly. Too sweet for me! But actually the catfish was good, as were the hush puppies and the greens. There was just too much of it for me. And that's unusual!
Happy Birthday and safe travels.
We are leaving for Buffalo tomorrow morning to see you tomorrow night!! Can't wait!!! Thank you for all you write! And for taking so much time and energy to come to our country.
Happy birthday Paul!
Happy birthday, Paul! Many more years! Our birthdays are only a week apart 😊
I'm sorry to have missed hearing you in person in Birmingham. Hopefully, I'll be able to rectify that in the near future!
And fried catfish and sweet tea go hand in hand!
Good, Paul, very good if I may say so. I did not know about the Steve Jobs dark sense of humour.
It seems a long time ago when we listened to BBC Roy Plumley's original Desert Island Discs ... went on for decades but toward the end of the series Roy had as guest Wilfred Thesiger. I won't go on, but it was one of the best. Wilfred didn't like the idea of being alone on the island. He had never been alone on any of his travels in remote places ... always people. 'Struggle for a Human Future' is the title of a book by Jeremy Naydler.
An English intellectual speaking to Trump country. Fantastic. Were they abominations? Were they clutching their guns as they listen to you?
Strangely enough, everyone I met was very lovely.
I’m just taking the piss out of your audience. Behind the orange one are people, people, deplorables, displaced, demoralized, and much reviled. Bigotry.
Not sure which audience you have in mind there.
Your audience. I assume they’re the types that laugh at Trump supporters.
Well, your assumption is incorrect. Spend a bit of time round here and you'll find that out. Quite a few Trump voters read me as it happens. My readers are a diverse bunch. Watch out for bigotry! ;-)
I doubt you could know that, but I understand the sentiment. Sorry to be a jerk.
I'm going to break my 20 years of not voting for either party in presidential elections to vote for the Big Bad Orange Man in some faint hope of slowing the DC machine down.
Alabama is synonymous with ignorance: yes? Wouldn’t that ring true for your audience?
I listen to your speech I thought it was wonderful.
Behind the orange menace are people, people who have been betrayed.
Who is 'my audience', exactly? You are concerned (rightly) that people shouldn't make assumptions about Trump voters, but you're making assumptions here yourself. Perhaps about 'English intellectuals.' Maybe everybody should stop assuming and start talking to each other.
You are correct.
Incidentally, quite a lot of 'English intellectuals' have nothing to do with me anymore since I voted for Brexit, refused the covid jab and wrote several pieces defending populism, and indeed 'Trump supporters', back in the day. I've been writing about how globalisation screws ordinary people for 25 years. I'm not a Trump fan, but it's not hard to see his appeal for many people.
Thank you for that, I know you are an honest man.
Thank you You are in my patheon of Substack greats: NS Lyon’s, Frank Wright, Curtis Yarvin, John Carter, Matt Tiabbi and you.
Trump‘s devilish insouciance pales in comparison to the violence being perpetrated against working people in the west. He is a high colonic for the operators and beneficiaries of the machine with an extra measure of shame for our professorate, they should know better.
The West as a whole currently suffers from being governed by rotten, self-serving elites with little to no understanding of the reality of their countries or people. This is not a situation that is going to go on for much longer. The only real question is how it's going to break down, and what will replace it.
I sincerely hope you are right. I say the orange abomination is an equal and opposite reaction to their treachery.
I am more sanguine about it changing . My entire social Circle here in Toronto - man, women and child - are bigots as pertains the interests of Trump voters: baseline shitlibs, not elite. I don’t have a sense change is coming.
All 'populism' is that same reaction. The demonising of Trump and his voters is just part of the propaganda system. That's a separate question from whether he's a good man who would make a good president. I do think change is coming. My feeling is that we're living in 1913, or 1916, or 1929. I don't say this is a good thing. But I do say that this situation can't continue indefinitely. It's true that most people don't think this way. But as we saw with covid, most people will tend to follow the herd.
Yes, Trump is course and degrades society, guilt as charged, but a misdemeanour compared to their well mannered, learned betrayal: For treason they deserve more, Robespierre’s hot hand is well portioned to their crimes.
I feel like I’m monopolizing your time. Best wishes and keep up the good work. I will be reading you and learning much.
Happy Birthday, Paul! So glad you have enjoyed your trip to the US so far. Your talk on Friday evening was riveting. You must be tapping into something if you can get a crowd like that into a university theater on a fall football Friday night in Alabama!