The Rant Before Christmas

When a country turns evil.

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It’s Christmas Eve, and what’s more germane to the holiday season than some lengthy rambling about authoritarianism? Of course, today’s Ruminant is a little more nuanced than that. It also digs into how political states emerge in the first place, why Russia is becoming a “really crappy” country, and how to distinguish between valid criticism of American foreign policy toward Ukraine and toadying to Vladimir Putin. On the lighter side, Jonah also answers a few questions that arose after the week’s earlier episode with the Fair Jessica. We wish you all a wonderful holiday!

Show Notes:

– The Fair Jessica’s Remnant return

– Zelensky’s speech to Congress

– Julia Davis’ Russian Media Monitor

– Jonah: “Authoritarianism’s Bad Year”

– Francis Fukuyama’s The Origins of Political Order
– How Putin’s war became a catastrophe for Russia

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Comments (16)
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  1. Isleshire

    Please, please, no year in review. I really dislike those, and right now, they are everywhere! Argh!

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    Ben Connelly

    Increasingly the post-liberal stuff seems based on self-serving and rather narrow philosophical and historical premises. I wonder whether there’s more of art and less of substance, more of wordery and less actual there there. Maybe it’s just about getting one’s name out there and taking advantage of vibes in the hopes that one is in charge, or at least enriched, in the future.

    I think Taleb is brilliant but he can be an acerbic and disagreeable guy. I think the market’s (and other self-regulating systems in liberalism) ability to punish failure is much more important than its ability to reward virtue. A system based on trial and error and removing the errors from the game while taking full advantage of (and building on) successes (which often have more to do with serendipity than skill or hard work) is basically the only way humans have figured out how to do much of anything.

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    Taylor L

    Another quality episode of the flagship podcast. Of special interest to me was the discussion of China's place on the authoritarian timeline from a macro-cultural point of view. These are the kinds of topics that I think Jonah is especially good at considering and what help make the Remnant unique among the other podcasts of The Dispatch. I would personally like to hear more discussion, from Jonah individually or in concert with a learned guest, about the 50,000 foot view of the heavy hitting nations and how they are faring compared to themselves historically and other nations that adopted similar forms of government, cultural norms, or economic models. How different is modern Russia from the Soviet Union or its predecessors? Is the Taliban a uniquely awful theocratic model or were the Christian theocracies of centuries past similarly backwards? Is Chinese authoritarianism an advancement in the art of tyranny or does it merely look different because of modern tech? What are the differences between European "Westernism" and American "Westernism" and what should be preserved or discarded from either model?

    Anyway, thanks to Jonah for the dedication to your craft and trying to help us understand the world a little better.

    Cheers to a new year.

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    Andreas Wolf

    Great podcast!
    I was mulling over why you and other supporters of liberalism call the free market "capitalism". Any reason that the Ole Karl Marx gets to tell us how to call an economic system that preserves the rights of the individual? And that we must use a term steeped in his class warfare?

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  5. Payette

    Very thoughtful, Jonah. And too mild to really be a rant.

    In the comments someone brought up the ads. I'm not fond of them. But if that's the price of The Dispatch's fiscal health, it's okay. If raising subscription fees would obviate the need for ads, that might be okay as an alternative

    In any case, have a good winter season, Jonah, and may 2023 be kinder.

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    Tracie

    Posted by someone based in Ukraine.
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CmhmxXXtN4o/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
    (Cartoon. Nothing graphic.)

    Truly puts things in perspective. Been very cold in Chicago. Most of us have the option of going inside.

    Have a Happy New Year.

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    TheMatMan

    Thanks Jonah. Interesting as always. Sounds like your 2022 was my 2019. For all our sakes, I hope your 2023 is better than my 2020...

    I had a coworker speak somewhat favorably of Friedman last week. Any reasonably modern reviews/criticisms I could consume countering the China for a Day concept without needing to read entire books? Besides just pointing at China's station come the 3rd that is.

    And last, no ads this podcast, where Advisory Opinions might have 4. I'm yet to see any response to myself or others on the ad question. Are they here to stay? Is there any plan to offer ad free versions for subscribers? I literally cancelled my subscription in November as a sort of protest, and I informed the staff as to why. I'm on the free month offer right now. I find the ads intrusive and off-putting as I'm already paying The Dispatch. I'd happily kick in a bit more every year to be without them. If the economics don't work, at least let us know. I know I'm not the only who has asked in the comments section.

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    Pastorfbt

    Your observations about the flexibility of (classically) liberal societies as versus the brittleness of authoritarian societies have particular relevance as we watch and wonder at the abrupt about-face regarding Covid policies in China.
    I deliberately avoided the overused Hemingway quote about bankruptcy.

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    Marc Frischhertz

    Where is the Christian Right on the horrors of what Russia is doing? The silence is deafening. Any consideration I gave to returning to a Christian church has been completely removed by the moral failure of their refusal to defend what is right and just

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      Thomas Grimmer

      I'm not a Christian, but I feel compelled to point out there are many stripes of Christianity.

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    2. Pohl

      It would be a shame to let the moral failures of others deprive you of enjoying the fruits to be found by following any impetus you have towards the faith. Your statement suggests there’s a non-Right option at least. The Christians in Ukraine themselves, for instance.

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  10. Loriensmith

    Christmas Eve Eve- also known in our family as Christmas Adam. Because Adam was before Eve.

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    1. Ackemma1

      We say that, too!

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      Pastorfbt

      Or, as otherwise related, God looked at Adam and thought, "I can do better than that".😉

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