All things must pass. I grew up on RS, and Creem, and a bit of Spin magazine too, but other reading began to crowd it out, just as podcasts have crowded out my music listening. Thankfully, driving is where I do the bulk of my listening. 

I think the business model has killed a lot of publications, as there's just a lot of free content online. Not that it's all quality stuff, and that's an understatement. I have dipped my toe in substack but haven't lingered. It does sound like some adventurous, well reasoned stuff is there, surely running the spectrum from vile to absolutely essential reading. But one can only read so much, a little human interaction is still required. 

I've made a concerted effort to listen to more conservative views, usually via podcasts, and in some cases, I'm not as liberal as I once was but I surely tick most of the boxes on the left, and I can't imagine ever doing otherwise. Looking back, I was naturally influenced by the views of my parents and I came of age when certain issues were to me, black and white, like civil rights, gay rights, women's rights in general including the right to have an abortion, the environment, the separation of church and state, healthcare for all,  labor rights, etc. Having succeeded on those fronts, to a large degree, though I acknowledge the Roe reversal and the decline of organized labor, I'm not as likely to always stick with the left on issues that more recently emerged. For example, I'm not open borders, though my heart goes out to these folks, and we surely have to do more to assist them and the countries they come from. And I realize that I am here through good luck. I did nothing to deserve being born here, during this time, and to the parents I had.  I'm reminded of David Frum's quote, if liberals don't enforce borders, fascists will. Similarly, we lost the second amendment fight, but perhaps we can make inroads with future bans on military style weapons, but with millions of these out there, I think the genie has left the bottle. On policing, I lost my lifelong friend because I didn't not sign on to abolishing the police and supporting the burning of buildings in the wake of the tragedy of George Floyd. Don't get me wrong, I abhor dirty cops, but the Democrats cannot be the anti-law enforcement party. We have to acknowledge and support the ones who can do this most crucial and challenging job. In public education, I've taught for almost 20 years and have always been a union member. I do think it's too hard to get rid of bad teachers and I do think there's certainly room for charter schools, provided there is fair oversight.  Lastly, the out of wedlock birth issue has me leaving many of my liberal friends. Children born in such situations are far more likely to have it very tough in life. We need to do more with free contraceptives and sex education, but first we have to acknowledge it, not to shame, especially the children, but to turn things back to a time when a stable family was the norm. And I am all for gay families, and women working, etc.  A commitment to free speech, and the obligation to back up one's views with evidence, not feelings, is another issue I'm sure many liberals would berate me for. We have to feel free to share out views without being called out as whatever. Sure, engage in a robust back and forth, that's what has to happen, but genuine knowledge is only created from disparate pieces of information when free inquiry occurs. 

Just a cranky liberal here, abandoned by some fellow travelers to my left and certainly not willing to hang with the folks on the far right. If I were to voice some of the more centrist views I've expressed here, I would be labelled a racist, or a fascist by some people I know. 

Peter T.