On a high-horse somewhere
#138 Somewhere is Denver...so high-bronco?
Some are saying that post-election we’ve seen a zeitgeist shift towards tradition. I have seen this a bit, but that’s not exactly what I’m going to touch on today, albeit there probably is some connection.
Some people have always embraced well crafted goods, things that are built to last. I think this is going mainstream. Unlike most things that leave their niche and get diluted, I actually think this is a good thing. I think.
Perhaps I’m painted by my worldview which has shifted this way over the last decade or so, but if I’m experiencing it, it can’t be entirely made up.
See (paraphrasing from a place of light understanding):
Maurice Merleau-Ponty: perception is subjective and shaped by personal and cultural experiences. For more, read Phenomenology of Perception.
William James: subjective experiences are the fundamental reality and primary means of understanding the world. For more, read The Principles of Psychology.
Edmund Husserl: personal experiences (lebenswelt) are authentic and meaningful ways of knowing reality. For more, read Ideas: General Introduction to Pure Phenomenology.
René Descartes: personal consciousness and thinking are the most certain proof of existence. For more, read Meditations on First Philosophy.
I haven’t read any of these so I might be taking them out of context. As you’ll see later, this is very hypocritical of me. At least they’re on my list though.
This shift started with a few things during the “bacon and kale” years, when those things were becoming so popular. We saw it with craft beer before anything else. An almost Japanese level of care for one’s craft, though it was viewed as “hipster”.
Along with the supposed move towards traditional values or whatever, I think this is coming along with a value for craftsmanship/manual labor. Here are some places it is becoming more and more popular (from my vantage point).
Coffee: This transformation has been a long time coming. Independent coffee roasters and various brewing methods have been gaining traction my whole adulthood. Think fresh beans, freshly grinded, specific method and water temp for the beans. Craft. The mainstream was mostly non-coffee lovers, who were being catered to by Starbucks and the like to pretend they like coffee when they really like milkshakes. Starbucks moving towards their original ethics make me hope more people will start drinking their coffee a little more coffee-oriented.
Clothing + Accessories: Built to last. With the shift towards workwear as a major fashion trend, people have been getting things that were built to last second hand and now aspire to not only buy things that will last a long time, but do the maintenance required to keep them lasting a long time. Many of us aren’t actually that handy and doing some maintenance connects you with the product and also lets you feel some sense of accomplishment. I know from recently re-waxing a coat. I expect to see a continuation of this through more high quality leather goods, denim, canvas, design in general. People are sick of their iPhones breaking; the rebound to the old Nokia bricks will be swift and strong. This is a metaphor, I mean it across the board. Fast fashion won’t go away, but maybe a good chunk of people will move towards a more minimalistic ownership pattern and reward craftsman with their dollars instead. Fewer but higher quality goods.
Design: Despite ownership minimalism increasing, I think the minimalist design will dwindle. Coffee shops took this to the extreme. We designed everything to be as bare as we could, I think people want some of that coziness back. Return of the tchotchkes. Also you see this on a macro level in public. People want detail. At home and in public spaces. I see on Twitter (X) all the time, accounts decrying the renovation of a well crafted old home into a modern white and gray box, the loss of details in public sculptures and architecture. Look, I get that there isn’t the same amount of wealth floating around to hire craftsman for shared spaces or train the next generation, but they’re still out there. We plain potato-chipified the world to be easy to sell, inoffensive, and sterile, but people are sick of it. I have a draft about my potato chip theory but I can’t verbalize it well enough yet. Short attempt; it’s basically that plain chips are what people bring to parties because it’s the easy choice, it’s nobody’s favorite, but it also doesn’t alienate anyone, except the healthy folks who don’t want chips at all. Maybe now I have to write this.
Reading: I think this one is more aspirational, since I don’t know if people actually are reading more. But I expect more people to read actual books as their increasing screen time tires them out. Maybe not. I’d still be happy if people were reading kindles and listening to audiobooks a bit more.
As a less object-oriented discussion, I think people will read more classics; literature/fiction, philosophy, and history.
In tandem I think we’ll see a stumbling of the self-help sub-category where they just re-package the classics into modern life advice with curse words. Those who just distill whole philosophies into a chapter or two and write it in modern parlance and throw in a few curse words.
It doesn’t really work. This is why authors and creators can continue repackaging the same existing wisdom, stories, and motifs and share them with new audiences as their own. It doesn’t sink in. And I think it might start being seen as inauthentic or with lesser respect*.
At it’s core, it’s is a good concept. Many people don’t have the time or ability to research and read the books with staying power — the thoughts of wise men thousands of years ago that have served as the education for the worlds’ leaders for just as long, so naturally they would be better served having access to them. But the reason those lessons used to stick around were because people grappled with the language and the delivery. You don’t need to pay attention anymore, you can skim, or highlight the whole page, and you won’t remember most of it.
People will read 10 books on stoicism that are just shitty versions of Meditations by Marcus Aurelias. Just read the original. Interpret it yourself and internalize it, don’t have someone else do it for you. You won’t learn it that way. Didn’t you learn that when your friend did your homework and then you didn’t know when you got to the test? That’s what I thought.
Reading the classics was the standard “nobleman” education of the past, but it was predicated on actually reading and researching. So much so that they learned different languages to read the books, which didn’t have widespread translations either. (Maybe at the time somebody dwelled on how translating books was a travesty and took away from the experience. Some people still say this e.g. one can’t appreciate Don Quixote read in anything but the original Spanish).
In both instances, another writer is tainting the original idea or they’re taking the extract of the real thing. It’s the same as drinking juice from concentrate. It’s not as good. Same as people buying replicas for clothing or furniture (trying to tie this all together, failing miserably). It’s surface level, it’s not real, the quality is lower. If you want to fool people into thinking it’s real, it might work without inspection. But life brings inspections and deeper connections, don’t get caught talking out of your ass saying you’ve done something when you haven’t. Be honest. That’s one of the oldest pieces of wisdom around, don’t need any interpretation for that.
If the goal is to gather a few quotes and ideas to drop at parties, to have a little checklist to go to, go ahead, take the shortcut, not my problem. Visit the country but stay in the touristy section. I don’t condone it, but it’s your life.
The audience following the true instruction, reading classics, and taking the effort slowly to improve, they’re getting the real juice.
Reading compilations saves you time and effort, BUT IT IS THE TIME AND EFFORT not strictly the content, that really matters.
This is akin to the old “schools should teach how to think not what to think” bit.
Summaries are good as samplers, to choose which routes to explore. Like looking at pictures of national parks to decide where to go and then going versus being content vaguely knowing what is at each one. Read to get a basic summary, try it, read some more, try to figure out what you were good and bad at initially, try again. Repeat ad infinitum.
Sorry for that long winded sidetrack…
Putting in the work makes the thing worth it. It makes not only the actual outcome better, but your experience better. You have joy [verbing] the [noun']. My favorite imaginary hardcore band name (many groups have that pattern).
Maybe I should make a verb the noun playlist!
*I also saw something about skinniness no longer being a status symbol as Ozempic and the like make it accessible to everyone. This shouldn’t rebound and make fat a luxury , since that will still be easy for people. Hopefully it leads to a focus on health and athleticism as the desired "archetype.
Conjecture
Does this mean we’ll see a boost in manual cars? Manually wound watches? People doing their own oil? My guess is it will go as far as getting things that can be maintained easily by oneself or hired out for relatively cheap. Meaning yes I think manual cars and watches will have more style aura, but I don’t expect to see groups of teens on driveways working on cars like they did in the olden days.
People will seek possessions with stories attached to them, with artisans who they know their names. Long SHOP 0.00%↑ for helping people support micro brands and creators. Toby below, not Daniel.
If we as a society play this right, we’ll get back to where we started with merit that can be demonstrated, where you can’t put on a costume. That means health and fitness are valued. Creative effort and success are valued and shown off to express the appreciation and mindset of the creator, rather than getting something that’s trendy or similar to a famous thing.
Maybe this is some kind of hyper-individualistic view where no one has the same taste and looks unique. This should be true. Then in-groups i.e. goths, emos, punks, whatever will dress and act according to themes rather than copying one another — which is what influencers try to get you to do online.
You might not agree. You might think I’m a hypocrite, which is true sometimes, I’m no shining beacon of this ethos. I fall victim to trends and cheap deals all the time. But I’m trying not to. Likewise, I’ll never tell you to go buy stuff. Less is more. But if you come across some used stuff that’s in good condition and is built to last, you can start taking baby steps. That’s what I’m doing. Shout out to the thrift store Aldens making me a boot guy. Lol.
Oh and start donating and getting rid of stuff you don’t use. Don’t be a pack rat.
I’m done pontificating. I feel like this was a little judgmental of an issue, and I apologize. Even if it was fun to write. Not fun to proofread since I’m not always sure I agree with myself or think I worded something correctly. It’s ok we’re shipping this. Imperfect creation is better than retention in one’s mind.
