Aron Roberts

As for men (ostensibly) not caring what other people think, and being intellectually brilliant and rational, here's the lead-up to WWI via telegrams – the social posts of their era – whose messages were much like "hard stares on the playground" between two cousins.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy%E...

And yes, it's true: from what I've observed (and rued), it helps to be a guy on social media. Wildly unfairly, we catch much less stray, undeserved flack than women. On X/Twitter and elsewhere.

Can appreciate this take, Rosanna.

Purely my own, FWIW: that's where some of the major political and social discussions of our time are happening. And even if it's a rearguard action, I need to be there. And engaged. (At the cost of some sanity, I'll admit.)

From a January 19, 2026 Substack blog post by Greg Scatudo: "Through arguments that leave sediment rather than solutions, conversations that erode the same cliff face grain by grain, the slow accumulation of shared disappointments and private reconciliations, the other person soon becomes less of a story and more of a landscape. "You begin to learn the interior geography of another human being: the soft ground that gives underfoot, the ridgelines they defend without knowing why, the low places where loneliness collects after the weather passes. You learn which silences mean safety and which ones mean retreat. You learn that access to another person’s inner life is not a right but a privilege that can be revoked by carelessness. "And so at some point, without anyone saying so, it’s different. Love stops being something you feel and becomes something you do. ... "It looks like showing up without conviction and staying when it feels so much heavier than leaving. ... "This kind of love does not break the surface. It takes hold underground, like a cottonwood finding water, roots following what is hidden until the tree can stand."

Entirely outside of the theme of this post, which bears separate reflection, these observations by @gregscaduto.bsky.social are so spot-on.

Some love is ... like this.

gregscaduto.substack.com/p/what-men-c...

YouTube video by Johnnyswim Johnnyswim - Let It Matter (Official Audio Stream)

Related, from @johnnyswim.bsky.social ...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQX1...

An Empty Seat at the Table On missing a pet, friend, child, or parent during the Holidays – and ways we continue to remember.

This is a particularly painful time of year to be missing someone beloved. No matter whether they passed away three months ago, or it’s now 30 years or more.

On some of the ways we and others have continued to remember them …

fragmentsintime.substack.com/p/an-empty-s...

Bandcamp Fridays Return in 2026

A great way to support your favorite artists and bands!

Today, December 5, 2025, is @bandcamp.com's final "Bandcamp Friday" this year, during which they waive their revenue share "and pass the funds directly to artists & labels."

daily.bandcamp.com/features/ban...

From Gurwinder Bhogal on X/Twitter:

"In 2006, a teacher told students to write to a famous author for advice. The only author to respond was Kurt Vonnegut, born 103 years ago today."

x.com/G_S_Bhogal/s...

As the US Supreme Court hears arguments today on the legality of the set of President Trump's #tariffs justified by an emergency declaration under IEEPA, a 1977 act, Adam White's cogent summary of the arguments pro and con is a must-read.

www.scotusblog.com/2025/11/pres...

Steph & Jimmy highlights?
ROLL THE TAPE 📽️

Irrespective of topic, Le Page's article is a superb example of how to report on a complex area of scientific investigation, making it understandable for a general audience.

See the excerpt below, for instance.

Crowdfunding for small investors In a spirit similar to crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter (for creative projects) and GoFundMe (for personal and charitable causes), individual investors in the USA can also join together to help fun...

Are you a small investor in the USA? Interested in investing in startups and local businesses for as little as $100?

Crowdfunding is far riskier than, say, an S&P 500 ETF or mutual fund, but also allows you to directly help a business you're hoping will succeed!

www.linkedin.com/pulse/crowdf...

Can you write a sequel in which these trends reverse? Maybe one where nearly all Americans unite to fight a common enemy, such as actual, non-human aliens?

(Thinking here of George Orr's effective dreams in "The Lathe of Heaven.")

99.9% chance of prescience; 0.1% chance of reversable manifesting!

Don’t be afraid to share your writing. There are six Sharknado movies.

Wishing Trump many successes – in ways that benefit our nation and our allies, that is – no matter if at times he fumbles his way into them.

Here, too. Hoping your thoughts prove correct on this!

I'm horrified to hear that Charlie Kirk was shot at an event in Utah.

Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence.

Mark and I are praying for Charlie's recovery.

This shooting is nothing short of horrific. I'm praying for Charlie Kirk and thinking of the students at the event in Utah. Political violence has no place in our country — it's never ok.

Doesn't matter who's involved or what the circumstances are around anyone in the public eye: such violence is *always* abhorrent and wrong.

Period. Full stop.

Sending wishes for a full recovery to Charlie Kirk. And hoping the person doing this is apprehended.

This cartoon was drawn by Wayne Stayskal and appeared in Chicago American Today on July 21, 1969:

www.visitthecapitol.gov/artifact/apo...

About Stayskal:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_S...

www.hutchnews.com/story/opinio...

About that newspaper:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago...

"Sometimes cartoonists hit pretty hard.

"Chaffee, White and Grissom died in the Apollo 1 capsule fire. Improvements made from what we learned were instrumental in getting us to the moon on Apollo 11.

"Published the day after the moon landing, 56 years ago today."

– Jay Byron (on Facebook)

Thought I might share a life story from a few months ago to brighten your day. Back in March, I spotted a raccoon on the side of the interstate that had very clearly been run over. I pulled over thinking I’d have to put it out of its misery. We ended up becoming good friends.

An article discussing that time in his life ...

www.univision.com/univision-ne...

Definitely crucial to make that distinction!

The Admin's mass deportation program has ambitious goals. (Stephen Miller seeks 1 million deportations in 2025.) Thus, starting early-on, that program has been sweeping up lots of ordinary folks: non-criminal aliens.

www.jsonline.com/story/news/l...

There’s something really comforting in that. We’ve all dealt with this pain forever. It’s part of being human, what ties us to the generations before and after us.

I’m thinking about all the sons and daughters who stepped out of a dark cave into the light after the last breath passed, the people who held a dying parent’s hand on some cold night in the Paleolithic, the Roman reflecting on how his dad had taught him how to knead dough or plow a field.

My dad died this morning. He was an extraordinarily decent person, and just about everyone who knew him was better for it. What’s striking right now is the universality of this experience: The sun shines, the birds chirp, and life continues, just as it has for tens of thousands of years.

US deports 10 more alleged gang members to El Salvador, says Rubio Secretary of state says ‘criminals’ were taken to country thanks to alliance between Trump and Nayib Bukele

Here's one: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

A medieval illustration showing two people pointing at a figure in the lower right corner who looks like he's trying to take off his chainmail but has gotten it stuck while it's over his head. The caption reads: "When I'm drunk AF and try to take off a turtleneck."

Same, medieval dudes. Same.

At least one argument here is that there are many working age men, in particular, who stopped looking for jobs in the wake of the Great Recession, and who are not counted by these top-line unemployment numbers.

It's unclear how many could work: at least some are disabled, in school, or retired.

x.com/aronro/statu...