Layperson's History: The Newsletter!

Alright, let's try this one more time.

Elections are a notoriously bad time for attempting to convince someone of an opposing viewpoint as most people are already locked in to their positions. Except for a small number of us, we’re just waiting for the moment to pull the lever and praying for the election ads to leave us, and our social media feeds, alone.

But now that we’re past that and waiting for the final throes of the Trump administration to expire, it’s a grea

t time to do some reflection and maybe consider some things differently with the benefit of hindsight and a moment to stop and breathe.

That’s where this newsletter comes in. When I made the handful of Layperson’s History videos this past summer, it was in part out of anguish over George Floyd’s death, but also in seeing many things that I have come to notice over the past few years as I have read American History more extensively. Now, I don’t expect everyone to have the interest and/or time to do all of the reading, but there are some clear themes that emerge if they can be framed the correct way and not anchored to our presuppositions. When we remain fixed to certain positions, despite contrary evidence, we build ever more complex entanglements of increasingly incongous ideas. Some buildings are in such poor repair, it’s better to tear the whole thing down and start over than trying to patch up a structure that is clearly collapsing.

I suppose the first question is, “why should you listen to me at all,” which is a fair question! It’s easy to cast a person into any readymade archetype when discussing politics, and while we generally recognize a person is more than their avatar, it’s easier to know and harder to do. I grew up around politics, my father was a high school civics teacher, and I spent my formative educational years in conservative circles. For most of my early adulthood, I was a first Christian conservative, and I held those beliefs sincerely. I argued passionately for many of the same positions I now rally against. I dabbled in libertarianism for a hot minute and fully considered that might be the best path for this nation, but eventually I left that behind as well.

So what changed? I had some questions, as we all do and as I explored my beliefs, their foundations, and weighed them against what I valued most, the answers to those questions became increasingly unsatisfactory, and I moved ever leftward. So, while I disagree with most conservative viewpoints, I understand them. I was a believer in them at one point and I understand the impulses that drive them, and as such, it is my goal to call people over to where I’m standing and look at various issues from where I stand, and to do so with fresh eyes.

I have some bedrock things that I do feel very firmly about, but I also have some things that I think are right, but might be closer to piping hot takes and I will try to denote those when possible. Even some hot takes can be useful as a thought exercise at least, and I hope you’ll humor me.

What should you expect from this newsletter? The goal right now is probably one per week, with each one containing a short essay on some combo of history, politics, race, and religion that I think is relevant to our current situation. I can’t guarantee I will be able to document everything, but I will link most sources I’ll draw from if you would like to read further, and can provide further links if you should question anything. I will also try to highlight a link or two of what I have read over the past week that I’ve found interesting.

Thanks for making it this far, and I hope you’ll hang around for a bit.

(Insert catchphrase)*

Brandon

Follow me on Twitter @3randn.

* It would be nice to have an excellent sign off phrase, but I’m drawing a blank here, so that’s TBD. Until then, I hope you’ll hit the subscribe button to keep up with A Layperson’s History.