George Boreas · Politics and culture
The Modern Malaise
Of Frogs, Snowflakes, and the Recession of the Sacred
The book delves into everything that’s wrong with the New Right (frogs) and the New Left (snowflakes) and what that has to do with mimetic desire, its consequences - rivalry, obsession, sadomasochism - and the recession of the violent sacred, or what they used to call “death of God.” A remedy is proposed in the end.
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From Chapter 1: What’s Making the Frogs Gay?
Virgil: Well George, here we are almost a quarter of a century into the new millennium. The Future has officially arrived, and on the surface, everything seems to be humming along splendidly. Globalization is continuing its march, diversity is our strength, and the arc of history keeps bending towards justice.
Yet beneath the glossy sheen, there’s a growing sense that something has gone awry. Despite all our material comforts, people feel more isolated and depressed than ever. Trust in institutions has cratered. Families are breaking down and kids are growing up without stable homes or role models. Religion is losing sway over people’s hearts and minds (so much for the opiate of the masses). Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical drugs aren’t delivering on their promises – the SSRIs, the benzos, and the Adderall for the kids. The one exception might be the miracle weight loss drug Ozempic, which seems to be working exactly as it’s supposed to. But even that is just creating slightly smaller fat people without addressing the root cause of our obesity epidemic.
In public, everyone wears a happy face emoji. But deep down, there’s a void.