Brilliant. Don’t let AOC gaslight anyone that Woke 1.0 was crazy because it is still smoldering, ready to burn everything down with Woke 2.0 if the DNC/DSA ever seizes national power again. The Smithsonian should curate an exhibit on the woke era so we never forget: https://yuribezmenov.substack.com/p/woke-smithsonian-museum-exhibit
"There’s overlap between what happened to Arday and what happened with youth gender medicine. Arday was affirmed, celebrated for his identity above all. Hundreds of thousands of young people in America have had their gender identities, and sense of being born in the wrong body or sex category, affirmed; they were celebrated for their identity above all."
Stella O'Malley said a few weeks ago that trans ideology represents the clearest lens through which we see the disintegration of Western society. And you're more than right to draw this parallel here in the Arday case. And it makes me sick to see all the performative gestures to shake off the white guilt having an unfortunate effect -- the radicalization of young white Gen Z men who've been told for years that they were toxic and less than because of their skin color. And now, some of them are actually leaning into the prejudice. Strange, unnerving times.
While it is difficult to argue with the obvious faults of "Woke 1" they pale in comparison to the egregious incompetence, brutality, greed, sloppiness, intellectual fraud, and fecklessness of the right in all levels of institutions but most especially in governance. The right can crow about hounding Mr. Arday to his death, and yes he was an inveterate liar and fabulist, but at the same time they celebrate the elevation of a convicted rapist, pedophile, and money laundering fraud into the White House. Let's have some priorities here.
It's true. This story is less important than the destruction of the world at the hands of Trump, and seemingly Netanyahu. Yet, my point in discussing this subject is that Democrats can't just laugh off what they did wrong that led to Trump's rise. They have to admit it so they can stop repeating it. I guess I should add that, too. Thank you for the comment.
I think we can hold more than one thought in our heads at the same time.
There are millions of us who loathe Trump and his criminal cabal with every fiber of our being. That doesn't mean we can't also recognize and hold to account the idiocies and abuses committed by our own tribe. In fact, integrity requires us to do so.
This is another in a seemingly endless series of commentaries on Arday’s death that magically absolve him of any responsibility for anything. He was a grifter, a flaming shameless liar and con man who viciously attacked anyone who tried to expose his fraud, then abandoned his wife and children when exposure happened anyway. A truly evil and contemptible person. The guilt of media and academia in no way excuses him—false dilemma. They’re both deeply guilty.
While most of the attention has focused on Cambridge, the media, etc. propelling Jason's mythical self to this tragic end, I am curious about the psychology of Jason.
What compels someone to become a fabulist? A compulsive liar? Since this identity he created was false, were allies egging him on in this miraculous identity he created?
(I can't help but think of sudden new trans identities and the allies who encourage them.)
Yeah, that's a really good point. What was going on with him?! Why did he do that? But I wonder that about the other plagiarists, too, and other serial liars, people who weave a web of words that end up trapping them. (That is a gross sentence, sorry.)
What compels someone to become a fabulist? Good question. I'm not sure we can answer except to say, "human nature" (I'm only half kidding).
Graeme Wood has written an excellent column about this in The Atlantic, opening with a reference to Ibsen's play, "The Wild Duck." Free link, no paywall:
'Jason Arday’s Final Self-Delusion
Elevating a fraud is shameful. Exposing one isn’t.'
P. S. I also heard Juana Summer's interview with Shaun Harper on "All Things Considered" last night, and as I often do these days, I was rolling my eyes and sneering the whole time.
They completely ignored the fact that Arday had spent years lying and that he had sicced a powerful law firm on a legit journalist. The entire interview was about plagiarism, which he also committed and which they treated as a negligible offense, pegging the whole thing on, of course, racism.
It was journalistic malpractice, frankly; but then NPR does a lot of that these days.
Such an excellent, comprehensive essay, Lisa. So many great excerptable bits. Have restacked.
Many of us TERFs have also been pointing out the similarities between the cult of "trans" and the Jason Arday case. Affirming delusions can never end well.
With all the handwringing and mudslinging about Arday's death (Ibram X. Kendi, no surprise, called it a "lynching," an obnoxious and entirely false comparison), I can't help but be reminded of all the people who lost their careers, reputations, and sometimes lives thanks to the woke mob. And these people, unlike Arday, didn't lie, didn't confabulate, and didn't threaten others. As just one example, Richard Bilkszto of Canada. There are many more:
Brilliant. Don’t let AOC gaslight anyone that Woke 1.0 was crazy because it is still smoldering, ready to burn everything down with Woke 2.0 if the DNC/DSA ever seizes national power again. The Smithsonian should curate an exhibit on the woke era so we never forget: https://yuribezmenov.substack.com/p/woke-smithsonian-museum-exhibit
That's really an excellent idea, Yuri. I love it.
"There’s overlap between what happened to Arday and what happened with youth gender medicine. Arday was affirmed, celebrated for his identity above all. Hundreds of thousands of young people in America have had their gender identities, and sense of being born in the wrong body or sex category, affirmed; they were celebrated for their identity above all."
Stella O'Malley said a few weeks ago that trans ideology represents the clearest lens through which we see the disintegration of Western society. And you're more than right to draw this parallel here in the Arday case. And it makes me sick to see all the performative gestures to shake off the white guilt having an unfortunate effect -- the radicalization of young white Gen Z men who've been told for years that they were toxic and less than because of their skin color. And now, some of them are actually leaning into the prejudice. Strange, unnerving times.
While it is difficult to argue with the obvious faults of "Woke 1" they pale in comparison to the egregious incompetence, brutality, greed, sloppiness, intellectual fraud, and fecklessness of the right in all levels of institutions but most especially in governance. The right can crow about hounding Mr. Arday to his death, and yes he was an inveterate liar and fabulist, but at the same time they celebrate the elevation of a convicted rapist, pedophile, and money laundering fraud into the White House. Let's have some priorities here.
It's true. This story is less important than the destruction of the world at the hands of Trump, and seemingly Netanyahu. Yet, my point in discussing this subject is that Democrats can't just laugh off what they did wrong that led to Trump's rise. They have to admit it so they can stop repeating it. I guess I should add that, too. Thank you for the comment.
I think we can hold more than one thought in our heads at the same time.
There are millions of us who loathe Trump and his criminal cabal with every fiber of our being. That doesn't mean we can't also recognize and hold to account the idiocies and abuses committed by our own tribe. In fact, integrity requires us to do so.
This is another in a seemingly endless series of commentaries on Arday’s death that magically absolve him of any responsibility for anything. He was a grifter, a flaming shameless liar and con man who viciously attacked anyone who tried to expose his fraud, then abandoned his wife and children when exposure happened anyway. A truly evil and contemptible person. The guilt of media and academia in no way excuses him—false dilemma. They’re both deeply guilty.
That's a good point. I didn't include enough about him being responsible for his own deceit. I'll add!
While most of the attention has focused on Cambridge, the media, etc. propelling Jason's mythical self to this tragic end, I am curious about the psychology of Jason.
What compels someone to become a fabulist? A compulsive liar? Since this identity he created was false, were allies egging him on in this miraculous identity he created?
(I can't help but think of sudden new trans identities and the allies who encourage them.)
Yeah, that's a really good point. What was going on with him?! Why did he do that? But I wonder that about the other plagiarists, too, and other serial liars, people who weave a web of words that end up trapping them. (That is a gross sentence, sorry.)
What compels someone to become a fabulist? Good question. I'm not sure we can answer except to say, "human nature" (I'm only half kidding).
Graeme Wood has written an excellent column about this in The Atlantic, opening with a reference to Ibsen's play, "The Wild Duck." Free link, no paywall:
'Jason Arday’s Final Self-Delusion
Elevating a fraud is shameful. Exposing one isn’t.'
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/08/jason-arday-death-lies-delusion/688311/?gift=9RwifpI09-I5Bel92pfgI2y-sN1bLkeyPFQ9AwaYDKw&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
P. S. I also heard Juana Summer's interview with Shaun Harper on "All Things Considered" last night, and as I often do these days, I was rolling my eyes and sneering the whole time.
They completely ignored the fact that Arday had spent years lying and that he had sicced a powerful law firm on a legit journalist. The entire interview was about plagiarism, which he also committed and which they treated as a negligible offense, pegging the whole thing on, of course, racism.
It was journalistic malpractice, frankly; but then NPR does a lot of that these days.
Such an excellent, comprehensive essay, Lisa. So many great excerptable bits. Have restacked.
Many of us TERFs have also been pointing out the similarities between the cult of "trans" and the Jason Arday case. Affirming delusions can never end well.
With all the handwringing and mudslinging about Arday's death (Ibram X. Kendi, no surprise, called it a "lynching," an obnoxious and entirely false comparison), I can't help but be reminded of all the people who lost their careers, reputations, and sometimes lives thanks to the woke mob. And these people, unlike Arday, didn't lie, didn't confabulate, and didn't threaten others. As just one example, Richard Bilkszto of Canada. There are many more:
https://www.richardbilkszto.ca/about-richard