1. Systems to Organize Society 2. Men (and women's) Friendships

Housekeeping: To help you organize your year here are the dates for the next year (July and Aug TBA). Mark your calendar?

Sept 29th, Oct.28, Nov 25, Dec.16, Jan 13, Feb 24, March 24, April, 28, May 26, June 23.

1. What System to Organize Society?

Which of the following systems could best be used to organize society: Oligarchy, Philosopher Kings (Meritocracy –Smart peopleJ), Democracy, Libertarianism, Mad Max, or?
What might be the ultimate goal - Material wealth, Humans Wellness, freedom, diversity, assimilation, equity or equality?
Consider: A respected polling organization in Britain in 2019 found that a majority of people (54 percent) agreed with the statement that “Britain needs a strong leader willing to break the rules.” Continental Europe has seen high levels of electoral support for openly authoritarian figures, such as Marine Le Pen in France, Jörg Haider in Austria, Viktor Orban in Hungary and the leading lights of Alternative for Germany.
The reasons are complex, but the main one is the increasingly unrealistic expectations of the state and the electorates’ growing aversion to risk.
2. Men (and women’s) Friendships

The notion that men in this country suck at friendship is so widespread that it has become a truism, a punch line. “Your dad has no friends,” John Mulaney said during an opening monologue on “Saturday Night Live.” “If you think your dad has friends, you’re wrong. Your mom has friends, and they have husbands. Those are not your dad’s friends.”
American men are getting significantly worse at friendship. A study in 2024 by the Survey Center on American Life found that only 26 percent of men reported having six or more close friends. Polling a similar question in 1990, Gallup had put this figure at 55 percent. The same Survey Center study found that 17 percent of men have zero close friends, more than a fivefold increase since 1990.
Men hardly ever talk on the phone with friends, and rarely spend time with them one-on-one. On the rare occasion that one does, it’s usually in the context of — or rather, under the pretext of — watching a game. Then, with eyes directed at a screen, they discuss topics: politics, podcasts, food, fitness routines, the game itself. Maybe they’ll playfully smack-talk a fellow friend, or commiserate about some schleppy aspect of parenthood. Rarely (as in, never) do they turn to each other and ask: “How are you doing?”
Is this true for your (men’s) friendships? Is it different for women?
Until the 20th century, it was not uncommon for men in this country to openly hold hands, sit on each other’s laps in public parks and write each other passionate platonic love letters. “You know my desire to befriend you is everlasting,” Abraham Lincoln wrote to his friend Joshua Speed, “that I will never cease while I know how to do anything.” Norms around marriage shifted. For most of human history, marriages were arranged by family, or motivated by economic convenience, not driven by romantic love. Your spouse was the person you built a home with, raised kids with and went out into society with — not necessarily someone you shared your deepest fears, insecurities, desires and dreams with. That’s what your friends were for. They were your soul mates.
There was a norm around sentimentality being a core part of masculinity in the 18th and 19th centuries. In letter-writing manuals at the time, men were encouraged to be expressive about their feelings for their friends. Think about that: The ability to openly express affection was once a key indicator of masculinity. Nowadays, of course, manhood is measured by the opposite capacity — strong, silent repression. We are far more likely to roast one another than to toast one another. Related to the subject of friendships: Can opposite sex have platonic friendships?