The last section "On Certainty", resonates with me AND sums up my experience over the past almost 3(!!) years...."Certainty has become a point of pride for people, and a way to shame those who don’t have it." What a succinct way to say what I've felt for so long. You have a gift with words and your writing is appreciated!
Excellent article Heather. So sad that cities are destroyed like this. It’s great that you, Bret and the boys have been able to move to what sounds like a lovely place.
Year by year, month by month, heck even day by day I see things that makes me take Dr Edward Dutton's idea of "spiteful mutants" ever more seriously. The basic idea is that in pre-industrial societies half of all children born do not live to reproductive age where as in modern industrial societies only about 1% of those born do not reach the age of adulthood, of majority, of franchise and productivity. Which suggests, considering that possibly 85% of our genome codes for the brain that half of the people we share our space with are cognitively or emotionally impaired to some degree. That might be the root cause of why roughly half of us can't stand the other half to the extent of sanctioning, imprisoning or eliminating them. Why else would half the population embrace ideas that the other half considers insane? Dutton describes the problem but offers no solutions. Is the fall of civilization and with it the spiteful mutants our only hope as a species?
" half of the people we share our space with are cognitively or emotionally impaired to some degree." Everybody is "impaired to some degree" especially since those aspects of our humanness are largely subjective, arbitrarily defined, and fall on spectra that also often run in opposition to one another.
I don't doubt that at all. I know I'd probably fall in the impaired group that didn't make it out of the early stages :-)
Still, I think it's very much just human nature, and what we've seen many times before, regardless of birth and death rates. From Cain to now, man as God, and here we go again.
I wonder if I would have made it. I am autism spectrum and had to wear orthopedic shoes to correct my feet. Would my intelligence and robust immune system have even had a chance to manifest in a pre-industrial society?
Heather, powerful, truthful and validating exposé. Did not know you felt or were so strongly opposed to all the shenanigans in Portland. You really hold yourself in check on your podcast with Brett. Occasionally see sparks of anger pour forth from your lips. Usually brief without elaboration. My guess is the strategy to maintain a presence on YouTube. This article was concise, informative of the madness that has taken over parts of our society. People must realize they are small in number & funded by billionaires. The old saying, “Money talks.” Keep in mind, money also destroys itself. Hope this an evolutionary fact.
What is unfolding *right* now, with regard to FTX and the democrats and clinical trials and woke ideology (and on and on and on), is both shocking, and not surprising at all. It enrages me, and part of me wants to yell about.
But part of what I and we are doing in our podcast--and part of what I am doing in many of these written posts--is yes, being honest, but also working to be hearable by those who don't see it (yet), who aren't angry (yet), and who will be scared off by utter directness. Early after being demonetized by YouTube we were thinking about those censors, and being a bit careful, but now, that's not a primary concern. Rather, it's: what can we say and how can we say it so that we are both completely honest and can reach across boundaries that haven't yet been broached.
I am no longer registered as a Democrat, after a lifetime of being so. I am hardly alone in this.
The Republicans badly misplayed their hand going after reproductive rights. As such, a lot of people refused to vote at all.
Even so, the number of people I know who voted Republican for the first time this year is staggeringly high. Most of us who did so aren't Republicans, and don't agree with many of the planks in their platform, and yet what the Democrats stand for and are willing to do is increasingly insane. We need (at least) two functional parties, two "sides" that can truly hold each others' feet to the fire, and keep extremism from winning out. I don't think we have any functional parties in the United States at this point, but yes, I do think that the Democrats have lost their way even more remarkably than have the Republicans.
I have always maintained we need two opposing parties to find the flaws in each other's programs and come to a compromise each side can live with. We don't have that.
You don't take into account massive fraud with mail in ballots. The states that have better election processes and don't do mass mail ballots all experienced a red wave. The states that had problematic elections in 2020 with massive mail in ballots, ballot harvesting, no voter ID, and some with no signature or loose signature verification were able to prevent a blue wave in their states. Funny about that.
States should be responsible for deciding on abortion limits or abortion rights. It should never have been short circuited and gone to the Supreme Court. There is no right to abortion in the Constitution. Each state should debate it out and have their citizens decide. Florida chose 15 weeks, which seems sensible.
Well put about our parties, but the overruling of the right to abortion was not in the Republicans hand to play. SCOTUS is apolitical, and it was dropped into the mix of issues to deal with politically. Nonetheless it was well-worth its cost.
Having grown up in the countryside west of Portland, and now return at least twice yearly it is incredibly sad and frustrating to see this beautiful, cool, and weird city decline so radically. I wish you, Bret, and your sons all the best in the San Juans! As an unvaccinated, over 70 year old living and socializing with mostly vaccinated people the past two years have been emotionally quite challenging. Your essays and podcasts have been reassuring and informative. Thank you! Also, I would love to see you produce a “Resist Calmly” t-shirt.
It's always a breath of fresh air when reading your articles. This one is probably my favorite so far. Its amazing to see how quickly things have degenerated throughout the country but am thankful for warriors like you and Bret that continue to seek truth.
I grew up in the southern part of Oregon - in a more rural setting but traveled to Portland on occasion. I even competed in a statewide academic competition there as a high school senior. It was to me the most beautiful city. We used to think of Eugene as weird and Portland was the adult in the room. Boy how that has changed. I did not even allow my kids to apply to the Oregon universities sadly. Thank you for the essay Heather.
Well, well, well, so people voted for this. They supported the city council and mayor and there horrible decisions. It was the sequel to The Crucible with a twist. It was obvious what would happen to anyone but a person suffering from terminal optimism. If you fight CRAZY with compassion this i what you get, and you get it good and hard.
A beautifully written break-up letter with Portland, coupled with depressing clarity on the state of our collective existence. It took three tries to get through it - akin to putting my head under the covers to delay the inevitable alarm ring. Thank you, Dr. Heying, for your insight and voice of reason in these troubling times.
It is indeed disheartening and even offensive to have to look upon the symptoms of a dis-eased culture, and "a decrepit motorhome in front of an historic multi-million-dollar property" (not sure why the extension cord appeared so additionally morbid) is certainly one of them. But it is still, like all that increasingly plagues the cities and towns, a symptom, and not the disease itself.
BTW, which owner is most affected by the declining value of their property? Depends on how you define value, I suppose.
In Microsoft Edge, there is a capital letter A (with a couple of little curved markings radiating from it that I guess are supposed to signify sound waves) to the right of the address bar that when activated allows (apparently) any article, including yours (I tried it), to be read aloud by a voice of one's choosing.
Perhaps this is what Emmylou333 refers to, although it worked ok, other than the odd cadence and tonelessness, when I tried it on your article. I use it often while I'm doing other things in the house, though it lacks (so far) humanness. Is this why you disallow it? (Interesting that is an option for an online author. Medium is the message? :-)
The last section "On Certainty", resonates with me AND sums up my experience over the past almost 3(!!) years...."Certainty has become a point of pride for people, and a way to shame those who don’t have it." What a succinct way to say what I've felt for so long. You have a gift with words and your writing is appreciated!
Excellent article Heather. So sad that cities are destroyed like this. It’s great that you, Bret and the boys have been able to move to what sounds like a lovely place.
Year by year, month by month, heck even day by day I see things that makes me take Dr Edward Dutton's idea of "spiteful mutants" ever more seriously. The basic idea is that in pre-industrial societies half of all children born do not live to reproductive age where as in modern industrial societies only about 1% of those born do not reach the age of adulthood, of majority, of franchise and productivity. Which suggests, considering that possibly 85% of our genome codes for the brain that half of the people we share our space with are cognitively or emotionally impaired to some degree. That might be the root cause of why roughly half of us can't stand the other half to the extent of sanctioning, imprisoning or eliminating them. Why else would half the population embrace ideas that the other half considers insane? Dutton describes the problem but offers no solutions. Is the fall of civilization and with it the spiteful mutants our only hope as a species?
" half of the people we share our space with are cognitively or emotionally impaired to some degree." Everybody is "impaired to some degree" especially since those aspects of our humanness are largely subjective, arbitrarily defined, and fall on spectra that also often run in opposition to one another.
I don't doubt that at all. I know I'd probably fall in the impaired group that didn't make it out of the early stages :-)
Still, I think it's very much just human nature, and what we've seen many times before, regardless of birth and death rates. From Cain to now, man as God, and here we go again.
I wonder if I would have made it. I am autism spectrum and had to wear orthopedic shoes to correct my feet. Would my intelligence and robust immune system have even had a chance to manifest in a pre-industrial society?
Heather, powerful, truthful and validating exposé. Did not know you felt or were so strongly opposed to all the shenanigans in Portland. You really hold yourself in check on your podcast with Brett. Occasionally see sparks of anger pour forth from your lips. Usually brief without elaboration. My guess is the strategy to maintain a presence on YouTube. This article was concise, informative of the madness that has taken over parts of our society. People must realize they are small in number & funded by billionaires. The old saying, “Money talks.” Keep in mind, money also destroys itself. Hope this an evolutionary fact.
What is unfolding *right* now, with regard to FTX and the democrats and clinical trials and woke ideology (and on and on and on), is both shocking, and not surprising at all. It enrages me, and part of me wants to yell about.
But part of what I and we are doing in our podcast--and part of what I am doing in many of these written posts--is yes, being honest, but also working to be hearable by those who don't see it (yet), who aren't angry (yet), and who will be scared off by utter directness. Early after being demonetized by YouTube we were thinking about those censors, and being a bit careful, but now, that's not a primary concern. Rather, it's: what can we say and how can we say it so that we are both completely honest and can reach across boundaries that haven't yet been broached.
Oh yeah. Keep voting for Democrats.
I am no longer registered as a Democrat, after a lifetime of being so. I am hardly alone in this.
The Republicans badly misplayed their hand going after reproductive rights. As such, a lot of people refused to vote at all.
Even so, the number of people I know who voted Republican for the first time this year is staggeringly high. Most of us who did so aren't Republicans, and don't agree with many of the planks in their platform, and yet what the Democrats stand for and are willing to do is increasingly insane. We need (at least) two functional parties, two "sides" that can truly hold each others' feet to the fire, and keep extremism from winning out. I don't think we have any functional parties in the United States at this point, but yes, I do think that the Democrats have lost their way even more remarkably than have the Republicans.
I have always maintained we need two opposing parties to find the flaws in each other's programs and come to a compromise each side can live with. We don't have that.
You don't take into account massive fraud with mail in ballots. The states that have better election processes and don't do mass mail ballots all experienced a red wave. The states that had problematic elections in 2020 with massive mail in ballots, ballot harvesting, no voter ID, and some with no signature or loose signature verification were able to prevent a blue wave in their states. Funny about that.
States should be responsible for deciding on abortion limits or abortion rights. It should never have been short circuited and gone to the Supreme Court. There is no right to abortion in the Constitution. Each state should debate it out and have their citizens decide. Florida chose 15 weeks, which seems sensible.
Well put about our parties, but the overruling of the right to abortion was not in the Republicans hand to play. SCOTUS is apolitical, and it was dropped into the mix of issues to deal with politically. Nonetheless it was well-worth its cost.
Having grown up in the countryside west of Portland, and now return at least twice yearly it is incredibly sad and frustrating to see this beautiful, cool, and weird city decline so radically. I wish you, Bret, and your sons all the best in the San Juans! As an unvaccinated, over 70 year old living and socializing with mostly vaccinated people the past two years have been emotionally quite challenging. Your essays and podcasts have been reassuring and informative. Thank you! Also, I would love to see you produce a “Resist Calmly” t-shirt.
God I love when you get snarky…
And they will tell you, each and everyone of those people, that they are on the reich side of history.
It's always a breath of fresh air when reading your articles. This one is probably my favorite so far. Its amazing to see how quickly things have degenerated throughout the country but am thankful for warriors like you and Bret that continue to seek truth.
I grew up in the southern part of Oregon - in a more rural setting but traveled to Portland on occasion. I even competed in a statewide academic competition there as a high school senior. It was to me the most beautiful city. We used to think of Eugene as weird and Portland was the adult in the room. Boy how that has changed. I did not even allow my kids to apply to the Oregon universities sadly. Thank you for the essay Heather.
Well, well, well, so people voted for this. They supported the city council and mayor and there horrible decisions. It was the sequel to The Crucible with a twist. It was obvious what would happen to anyone but a person suffering from terminal optimism. If you fight CRAZY with compassion this i what you get, and you get it good and hard.
Despite all the bullshit, I still love Portland too.
Having visited last month though I can confirm it's sank to new lows.
A beautifully written break-up letter with Portland, coupled with depressing clarity on the state of our collective existence. It took three tries to get through it - akin to putting my head under the covers to delay the inevitable alarm ring. Thank you, Dr. Heying, for your insight and voice of reason in these troubling times.
It is indeed disheartening and even offensive to have to look upon the symptoms of a dis-eased culture, and "a decrepit motorhome in front of an historic multi-million-dollar property" (not sure why the extension cord appeared so additionally morbid) is certainly one of them. But it is still, like all that increasingly plagues the cities and towns, a symptom, and not the disease itself.
BTW, which owner is most affected by the declining value of their property? Depends on how you define value, I suppose.
Love your article. But the computer reading it is awful. Will read in the future 🙃
Please explain what you mean by this! I did not allow a computer reading of the article; where is that an option for you?
There was an option on my email to Read or Listen. I replied yesterday but don’t know where it went.
Did my reply disappear.?
Sorry meant for Heather
From Substack email it had a listen option. I sent a screenshot of it replying to your email. Hope you got it
In Microsoft Edge, there is a capital letter A (with a couple of little curved markings radiating from it that I guess are supposed to signify sound waves) to the right of the address bar that when activated allows (apparently) any article, including yours (I tried it), to be read aloud by a voice of one's choosing.
Perhaps this is what Emmylou333 refers to, although it worked ok, other than the odd cadence and tonelessness, when I tried it on your article. I use it often while I'm doing other things in the house, though it lacks (so far) humanness. Is this why you disallow it? (Interesting that is an option for an online author. Medium is the message? :-)