From Men To Boys–Those Billionaires And Their Hormones:
Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta, recently appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast to lament the absence of “masculine energy” in the corporate world.
“I think a lot of the corporate world is pretty culturally neutered,” Zuckerberg said during his nearly three-hour conversation with Rogan, adding, “Masculine energy is good, and obviously, society has plenty of that, but I think corporate culture was really trying to get away from it.” Zuckerberg continued, “I think having a culture that celebrates the aggression a bit more has its own merits that are really positive.”
But the Meta C.E.O.’s complaints of emasculation aside, I was struck — watching his interview with Rogan — by Zuckerberg’s presentation. He has grown his hair and appears to have put on a little muscle. He wore an oversize T-shirt and a gold chain. He is nearly a year past 40, but he dresses like a bro. Imagine a 22-year-old at an S.E.C. tailgate.
When Zuckerberg speaks of “masculine energy” and “aggression,” he seems to be imagining the “masculinity” of an older teenager or a younger adult. The masculinity of someone unburdened by duty, obligation or real responsibility. More Jordan Belfort in “Wolf of Wall Street” than Ed Tom Bell in “No Country for Old Men.” There is no apparent interest, from either Zuckerberg or Elon Musk or anyone else bemoaning the current cultural cachet of masculinity, in cultivating an image of responsible manhood. We have a clique of powerful middle-aged men who want nothing more than to be boys.
In other words, assuming personae that Donald Trump revels in.
‘Everything, Everywhere, All At Once’? We’ll know starting tomorrow at noon:
Come 12pm on Monday, on what is expected to be a bone-chillingly cold day, it will be done. Donald Trump, a convicted criminal described as a fascist by some who worked for him, will placed his hand on a Bible and and again be sworn in as president of the United States.
The 45th and 47th president will then deliver an inaugural address that sets out his agenda for the next four years. His speech eight years ago became synonymous with the phrase “American carnage”. This time he may promise a new “golden age” of America. But the content and tone of his remarks will be dissected for clues to what Trump 2.0 has in store for America and the world.
Within hours Trump, 78, who joked that he would be a “dictator” on “day one”, is expected to unleash a blitz of executive orders and actions including mass deportations, pardons for 6 January 2021 rioters and aggressive tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. The phrase “shock and awe” will not do it justice, according to one Trump ally.
“I tell people, ‘Shock and awe was a [20]17 concept,’” Steve Bannon, a former White House chief strategist, said at an event hosted by the Politico website in Washington this week. “Days of thunder, I think, are gonna be the concepts starting next Monday. And I think these days of thunder starting next week are going to be incredibly, incredibly intense.”
Time to increase my anti-anxiety meds…
Yo, Joe: The Equal Rights Amendment Is Not The Law Of The Land:
Presidents typically spend their final days in the White House taking care of odds and ends: issuing pardons, signing some last executive orders, thanking staff. Joe Biden is doing all of those things—and also trying to change the Constitution on his way out the door.
This morning, Biden declared on X that “the Equal Rights Amendment is now the law of the land.” Well, there you have it: The Constitution has a 28th amendment, and women’s rights have been enshrined across the country.
Or not. Biden can’t change the Constitution, because the Constitution doesn’t allow him to.
Still, Biden’s declaration won praise from Democrats this morning. Hillary Clinton (who gave us Donald Trump), for one, said she was “thrilled.” But it will likely have no more significance than the farewell address he delivered on Wednesday. It is an affirmation of values, an aspirational statement for posterity, but not an actual decree.
As attempts to change the Constitution go, this was pretty half-hearted. By noon, a community note had been added to his X post, as if to underscore the point: “There is no 28th Amendment.”
Better something more reliable as a valedictory: “Say hi to me at the Pit on Wednesday.”
While nowhere in the top ten, a survey of 3,000 drivers named two Delaware roads, one of which is very familiar to Sussex County drivers, as the scariest roads to drive in the state during winter.
Ranked first in the first state at number 64 is Route 95 on the north side of the state, and at 144 is Coastal Hwy., or Route 1.
Of the top five in the complete list, three named roads were in Alaska.
Information I didn’t know I needed. Because I didn’t.
Great Information, A Great Event:
In partnership with Senator Marie Pinkney, my office will host an Expungement Fair at the Bear Library on Wednesday, February 12 from 2 – 4 p.m.
Since 2019, expungement fairs have traveled to communities throughout the First State to promote restorative justice and make second chances accessible for Delawareans. In collaboration with the Office of Defense Services, DELJIS, and the Delaware Department of Labor’s APEX Program, this event empowers justice-impacted Delawareans with services and support as they take steps toward a fresh start.
Register here if you would like to participate in the expungement fair, and don’t forget to spread the word!
As always, do not hesitate to reach out with any questions, comments, or community concerns. I can be reached by email at darius.brown@delaware.gov, on Facebook, or by calling my Senate office at (302) 744-4089.
Our Progress,
What do you want to talk about?