Of the culture that is?
This post has me thinking . . . but I cannot see totally dropping out for three reasons.
First, there is some good stuff being produced that is easier to find if one is not a total drop out.
Second, as a teacher I would find it even harder to understand the cultural context of my students than I do. Understanding is at least somewhat important for communication. One does not have to be the weird teacher who tries student slang (my art teacher who said “groovy”) to do this.
Finally, and perhaps sadly, people make decisions based on pop culture (see Saturday Night Live and politics) and there is some reason to wish to anticipate the direction the wind is blowing.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
