Dear subscribers,
We’re back from our summer break, ready to share new episodes (and blog posts), and wanted to send a quick personal update. But first things first…
You're awesome. When Vanessa and I started Uncertain Things, we did it out of an entirely selfish impulse: to try and make some sense to ourselves of the overwhelming mess around us. We didn't really consider anyone would be interested in regularly reading or listening to our work, let alone supporting it.
It honours and humbles us to realize that the questions which for us were (and still are) so burning and urgent seem to resonate with you; that our obstinate insistence on anti-partisanship and a cognitive dissonance-based discourse (laced with irony and the joys of aggressive disagreement) seems to make sense to you; that our chaotic, often haphazard production style isn't a total and utter turn off for you; that you're still with us after so many moons.
So first on this email's agenda is just to say: thank you!
Quick updates:
The fundamental question at the heart of Uncertain Things is how to face the apparent collapse of so much we care about — so much we used to take for granted — in our society (societies?). If you listen to our pod you've probably picked up on one recurring villain: our sense-making institutions. I may have ranted once or a billion times on air about the epistemological shitshow wreaked by our media habits, the decline of adverserial pedagogy (or debate culture) in academia, our societal addiction to reality-blurring euphemisms, and our pathological cultural alienation. Due to my obsession with these maladies, it was crucial for me to do my best to prevent Uncertain Things from becoming part of the problem. In part, that meant not producing episodes or articles for no other reason than satiating the insatiable content god. If we release an interview or a blog post, it's because we think it's worth your time and ours, because it meant something to us. Much content has been nixed by us that only barely exceeded the level of not-totally-mind-numbing.
But another principle to which we try (try, mind you!) to adhere is not letting the work on Uncertain Things drain us of our human time. It sounds idiotic to write, but, my god, it's easy to forget how much life matters. Life, as in, the people we love, the books we want to read, the real life arguments we want to have. Without these, we’re diminished, as people, as journalists, and as bumbling podcasters. When you do nothing but gaze into the abyss of politics and culture wars, you become its creature. So we took May off. First to mark Vanessa’s marriage. (!!) Then to spend time with family and friends (or in Vanessa’s case, to honeymoon with her ring bearer).
Tomorrow (Thursday), I’ll be recording a conversation with Andrew Heaton. We’ve spoken before and I’m thrilled to bring him on the pod. I’m also nervous (do I even remember which end of the mic I’m supposed to speak into? We’ll find out soon enough!).
But as our paid subscribers, we owe you a little more.
So first, Vanessa and I recorded a short and personal rumination about her wedding. (Thoughts about relationships, friendships, love, the absurd nonsense of tradition and why it can be so alluring despite… etc.) It’ll be a paid-members exclusive and we’d love your thoughts. The goal was to publish it immediately after the wedding, but then the Alito leak happened, and then the Buffalo shooting, and the Uvalde shooting. So… we decided to wait with it. But it’s coming, along with exclusive videos (including some weird and fun ones!)
Second, we wanted to remind you that we occasionally publish exclusive essays, jotted ideas, and impressionistic notes (from our talks with sources, guests, and other interesting folks) on our blog Inscrutable. As paid members, you automatically get the full access. If you want to be notified on all our posts, make sure you have the “inscrutable” email notifications turned on in your Substack setting.
Third, we wanted to hear from you what kind of perks you’d be interested in: AMAs? Submitting questions to upcoming guests? A secret handshake?
Lastly, thank you again for sticking around. It truly means the world to us and makes doing this blogcast more exciting than we imagined possible.
Yours,
Adaam (& Vanessa in absentia)
P.S. For our paid subscribers…