This is edition 2025/167 of the Ten@10 newsletter.
Hi all,
This is the Ten@10, where I collate and summarise ten news items you generally won't see in the mainstream media.
Enjoy!
1. Our Out-of-Kilter World.
Chris Trotter
- 📚 Return to Old Classics – The author revisits Ursula Le Guin’s The Farthest Shore and C.S. Lewis’s The Last Battle to explore themes of a world unraveling and magic failing.
- 🌍 Signs of Societal Decay – Real events like the assassination of Charlie Kirk and violent rural tragedies echo the novels’ warnings of dislocation, deception, and the collapse of shared beliefs.
- 💰 Money as Modern Faith – With traditional values fading, money emerges as the new unifying force, offering security and power but deepening social fragmentation.
- 🏕️ Sovereign Citizen Dangers – Movements claiming ancient rights above current law entice those seeking autonomy, often ending in deadly confrontations with the state.
- ⚖️ Leftist Ideological Shift – Old socialism has waned, replaced by identity-focused activism that pits a progressive minority against a “morally bankrupt” majority, challenging democracy itself.
- 📱 Social Media Amplification – Algorithms inflame loneliness, anger, and extremism, fueling radicalization and emotional instability.
- 💣 Rise of Accelerationists – Online extremists aim to hasten civil collapse, recruit vulnerable people, and are linked to spikes in shootings and political violence.
- 🦁 Lessons from Fantasy – Lewis shows how easily people follow false saviors, ending Narnia in defeat; Le Guin portrays a hard-won but costly victory that preserves her world.
- ✊ Call to Action – Despite grim realities, the essay concludes that meaningful victories require struggle, urging readers to “join the fight.”
