Not everything fits into red vs. blue
The most dangerous temptation in writing + the purpose of life (Issue #327)
When someone is labeled “liberal” or “conservative,” what does that actually tell you? In American media, these terms don’t describe beliefs. They signal identity. And that shorthand often obscures more than it reveals.
History and politics writer reflects on the death of Pope Francis and how quickly American outlets tried to slot him into a category. Was he a progressive pope or a conservative one? Neither label quite fits. Francis opposed abortion and same-sex marriage, but also condemned capitalist greed, defended migrants, and advocated for environmental protection. Dillard argues that forcing him into a red-or-blue framework doesn’t clarify his beliefs. It reduces Catholic doctrine to a familiar script, making a global religious leader legible to an American audience by rewriting him in our own image.
This kind of flattening shows up again in how the media covers world leaders. Dillard critiques the reflex to describe Jair Bolsonaro as “the Trump of Brazil,” Boris Johnson as “Trump with a British accent,” and Emmanuel Macron as “the French Obama.” These comparisons are seductive because they require no new understanding. They reduce distinct political histories to archetypes in our domestic drama.
PhD candidate explores why binary thinking persists so stubbornly. Part of the reason is cognitive: we’re naturally drawn to opposites and easy categories. But it’s also structural. Social media platforms are designed to reward fast, polarized responses. Like or ignore. Believe or dismiss. Support or oppose. Lubin points to LinkedIn’s reaction buttons, and music algorithms that sort users by race, taste, or assumed politics. What starts as a tool for convenience becomes a system of constraint. The more streamlined the interface, the harder it becomes to think beyond the choices we’re offered.
It’s not just that binary thinking polarizes; it narrows how we understand the world. What if the most honest answers don’t fit at all?
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💬 Good quotes
- “One of the most dangerous temptations in writing (and in software and painting) is to keep something that isn’t right, just because it contains a few good bits or cost you a lot of effort.” —Paul Graham
- “If there is a secret to life, I think it might be to keep quitting things until you find something you can’t quit.” —
- “Conscious unavailability isn’t about arrogance or indifference. It’s about reclaiming your energy, time, and peace.” —
A dose of practical wisdom
The purpose of life is not happiness, it’s usefulness. ()
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