How To Make a Golden Age Mixtape

Throwback Thursday nostalgia and a prediction

Comrades: Thank you for a fantastic first month on Substack. I appreciate all your e-props, comments, and private feedback on this samizdat. Please do share with other comrades. If I maintain this rate of Dunbar’s number new subscribers per month, I will top CNN by the end of the year! We should also be grateful for Substack’s continuing commitment to free speech. From readers J and N:

I am bemused by the general hypnosis,  is cognition obsolete?  A deplorable situation altogether.  Substack writers restore ones faith in humanity. Thank you again, looking forward to your articles.

I applaud your efforts. Like your work and will consider becoming a paid subscriber. Thanks for the breath of fresh air. I enjoy the writing and the memes make it light in a world of uber sensitivity. 

Thus far most of my posts have been on the dark and sardonic side, so today I want to lighten things up.

Golden ages are like orchids: rare, beautiful, and fleeting. The Renaissance, Enlightenment, and Industrial Revolution were relatively short but they turbo charged our species’ advancement. Those living in periods of human flourishing take them for granted, thinking they will go on forever. Today we find ourselves in a flourishing of online memes, but the offline world is a complete mess.

In my mind, these are the 20-year golden ages of the past century:

• SF and Silicon Valley from Dotcom Bubble to COVID (1999-2019)

• NYC under Giuliani and Bloomberg (1994-2014)

• LA post-WWII (1945-1965)

• Hong Kong from British handover to CCP takeover (1996-2016)

• Europe from fall of the Berlin Wall to GFC and EU takeover (1989-2009)

• Pax Americana (1981-2001)

My prediction is that the next golden age will be in meme magic Miami 2020-2040. Brad/Chad Desantis/Suarez is by far the best Governor/Mayor combination on the planet and both have White House potential. Motivated, creative hustlers fleeing the SF/LA/NYC/BOS/CHI/SEA/DC gulags are taking their talents to South Florida for its low taxes, nice weather, and fun culture. It all started with a cliche Tweet:

I consider myself fortunate for experiencing several golden ages. All the tracks in the mixtape below give me goosebumps because they capture the essence of Pax Americana. It’s also heartwarming to read the top comments, as people around the world of all ages, races, and creeds express their appreciation of this uniquely optimistic and carefree period. A time when we celebrated what united us instead of battling over what divides us, when kids ran free without masks and helicopter parents, when no one was hunched over on a phone, when you could make jokes without trigger warnings, when no one cared about your private medical decisions, when there were only 2 genders... member?

Let’s channel this energy wherever we are. Bookmark this page anytime you need a lift when clown world is getting you down. If we ever meet in person and party, we will jam to this soundtrack.

And as always, please add any suggestions in the comments.

And last but not least…