She Wants to Be Alone

Let’s try to make some sense of this. Women today are less likely to be married than were their mothers. And, women today are more likely to be suffering from mental health problems, like depression.

Could it be that there is a connection between the two?

Strangely, experts, the kinds that were rounded up by the New York Post, have concluded that women are not getting married as often because they do not want to get married. They like being single. They like having complete and total liberty to do what they please, when they please, with whom they please.

Why sacrifice that level of self-involved self-satisfaction for the dubious joys of wifedom. As for children, today’s modern women consider them a hindrance, a time suck that keeps them away from their glorious careers and their splendid hobbies.

Of course, we recognize the source and origin of these beliefs. Modern women have imbibed so much feminism that they have decided to forgo marriage and motherhood in favor of self-fulfillment via career. And they have joined the vanguard of the Revolution, the better to rebel against capitalism and the patriarchy.

If we did not know any better we would also say that this new life plan seems to have an uncanny resemblance to the vision of mental health hawked by therapy.

One other explanation offers itself here. It is altogether possible that said members of the distaff gender are not running out to get married because no one wants to marry them. You must know that being a good feminist removes you from the marriage track. 

Precious few intelligent and vaguely sensible young men want to marry a feminist. And fewer still want to marry a woman who insists on having full autonomy and independence. When no one wants to marry you it’s easier to think that you do not want to get married.

As the story was presented in the Daily Mail by one Danielle Szetela, it sounded like this:

“They’re afraid of losing themselves in relationships that ask them to shrink, settle, or self-abandon,” she added, noting that women are now “choosing peace over chaos, purpose over pressure, and emotional safety over surface-level connection.”

Dare I say that that is a strange definition of marriage. Did you ever think that marriage threatened your emotions and only provided superficial connections?

Szetela continued:

“They’re not waiting for love to complete them — they’re protecting the wholeness they’ve fought so hard to feel,” she said. “Because for today’s woman, being single isn’t a failure — it’s a form of self-love.”

Of course, if you are obsessed with self-love the man who figures it out will not be likely to want to marry you. One suspects that these women have undergone therapy in order to feel whole. As for what that means, your guess is as good as mine.--

Counselor Brittney LaBonte explained that there is huge difference between “being single” and “being lonely.”

“In fact, single living can be empowering, fulfilling, and downright joyful,” she countered.

As you read along, you start feeling that you are drowning in psychobabble.

“The best relationships come when you’re your best self — and that takes time, introspection, and a whole lot of self-love. Be patient with yourself, and remember, there’s no rush.”

She explained that more women would rather have “the freedom to chase their dreams” — such as traveling, careers, hobbies and passion projects — rather than be tied down.

“Women are creating lives that are rich with experiences and accomplishments, not bound by the pressure to ‘settle down,'” LaBonte said, noting that a woman’s sole purpose in life does not need to be finding love.

“It’s about being a whole, complete person before bringing someone else into the mix.”

If you are a whole, complete person-- God only knows what that means-- you are saying that you can do everything for yourself. You do not need a husband. You are telling a man that he will become a prop, doing things that you can be doing yourself. 

So, this rage for wholeness will leave you alone and eventually bereft. Will you envy your friends their husbands and families? Will you set out to become a rebel, an agitator, a political activist?

Being alone will never suffice. You will need something to fill in the vacuum. 

Wednesday Potpourri

First, should those responsible for Signalgate have resigned or been fired? According to Ross Douthat, in the New York Times, firing staff for failures has not been common practice in prior administrations:

No leading officials were fired over the Iraq/W.M.D. debacle. There were no notable resignations when Barack Obama’s Libya intervention turned that country into a war-torn terrorist haven. No heads rolled when the Afghanistan papers revealed official dishonesty, and Biden’s foreign policy team did not quit after the Afghanistan withdrawal became a bloody rout.

Second, all things considered it is quite a challenge to find accurate information about China. It is not a feel-good story, but burying your head in the sand is not a good long-term strategy.

For that we turn to David Goldman:

China now has net foreign assets of $3 trillion, an all-time record. Caixin Daily reports: As Western markets impose stricter regulations, Chinese investments are flowing into emerging economies eager to modernize their industry.

These nations are courting Chinese capital in strategic sectors like new-energy vehicles (NEV), semiconductors, technology and infrastructure. Turkey and Hungary, traditional automotive manufacturing centers, are now aggressively pursuing Chinese investment in electric vehicle (EV) production. Malaysia is leveraging a diversification strategy to attract Chinese semiconductor firms, while Saudi Arabia is seeking Chinese partners to develop its technology, e-commerce and tourism industries so that its economy is less dependent on oil.

Emerging markets are creating favorable investment environments with incentives, relaxed regulations and tax benefits to strengthen local supply chains, which stands in contrast to the increasing trade and technology barriers springing up in Europe and the U.S., according to Ernst & Young’s 2024 China Overseas Investment Overview report.

This eastward shift represents a significant realignment in global economic relationships, with China’s outward direct investment increasing 10.1% to $162.8 billion in 2024. Over 20% of these investments targeted countries involved with China’s Belt and Road Initiative, while investment in Southeast Asian nations grew by 13%, according to Ministry of Commerce data.

Third, you know, as I know, that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro counts among the leading candidates for the 2028 presidency, on the Democratic side.

Of course, Shapiro is Jewish and, given the anti-Semitic leanings of many Democrats, his religion must have been one reason he was not the vice presidential candidate in 2024.

So, Shapiro has felt compelled to show support for Islamists in Pennsylvania. Daniel Greenfield reports:

… Gov. Josh Shapiro doling out $5M in taxpayer money to the Al Aqsa Islamic Society in Philly which featured an Imam who preached that “the Jews are the vilest people" Shapiro claimed the mosque needed the money because of "rising hate"

And also:

Gov. Josh Shapiro continues his cringing appeasement tour by announcing a $5M grant to an Islamic institution that hosted antisemitic figures like Norman Finkelstein in a Gaza fundraiser.

Shapiro claimed they needed the $5 million because of "tumult overseas" and "rising hate"

Fourth, meanwhile, over at the box office, Disney’s remake of Snow White has been a calamity.

John Nolte writes:

It is now quite possible that Snow Woke could fail to hit $200 million globally. This means that after the theaters take their cut, Disney will see only $100 million in box office returns, which will add up to an incredible $270 million LOSS. Disney could conceivably lose more than a quarter of a billion — with a “B” — on this, making it the biggest box office bomb in history.”

It could not have happened to a more woke group. Congrats, Disney.

Fifth, the Daily Mail reports on the fallout in Hollywood. The headline reads:

Rachel Zegler’s Snow White flop sparks anti-woke U-turn. Hollywood whistleblowers reveal how trans actors and liberal films are being dumped in ‘crisis mode’ panic.

Sixth, and then there is Leslie Stahl, on 60 Minutes, interviewing a man who had been held hostage by Hamas. Amazingly, she tried to be balanced, giving Hamas the benefit of the doubt.

The account called Jews Fight Back reports:

Lesley Stahl looked a Jewish hostage in the face—after being starved, tortured, beaten, and dragged through hell—and asked if maybe Hamas didn’t mean to starve him. Maybe they just didn’t have food. Are you fucking kidding me? Shame on 60 Minutes. Shame on CBS. And shame on every apologist who still can’t admit that Hamas is pure evil.

Seventh, and then there is Scott Jennings, CNN’s voice of reason, offering this comment:

I don't know how Democrats appointed Jasmine Crockett as the unquestioned leader of your party, but thank God.

And I think what she should do is go on TV twice as much - maybe three times as much - because everytime she appears - makes these mistakes - says something radical - it only further divides her party from the other 80% of America who can't stand this - but the problem is - there's an audience for this.

I heard Jimmy Kimmel's audience cheering on Tesla vandalism; I hear that The Daily Show's audience on a tax on Elon Musk; I hear the Human Right's audience cheering on an attack on a man in a wheelchair.

And I realize this is what the left has become: an angry mob of people who are cheering on attacks on a guy in a wheelchair and vandalism against people who bought people ... it's pathetic.

Eighth, just when you thought it could not get any worse, Congressional Democrats have a new low approval rating:

BREAKING: per CNN, Democrats in Congress now have a whopping 21% approval rating.

Ninth, what happens to the human body when it is given cross-sex hormones? The answer: nothing good.

Stats for Gender reports:

Meta-analysis shows significantly increased cardiovascular risk for people on cross-sex hormones Females taking testosterone: 58% increased stroke risk, 98% increased heart attack risk Males taking estrogen: 77% increased stroke risk

Finally, I now have some free consulting hours in my life coaching practice-- either in person in midtown Manhattan or via Skype. If you are interested, write me at StuartSchneiderman@gmail.com.

Today's Average College Student

However bad you think it is, it’s worse.

However incompetent and uneducated you think American college students are, it’s worse.

As you thrill to the prospect of bringing jobs back to America, you should keep in mind that the human capital required to do many of the most advanced technical jobs simply does not exist.

One is struck, and not in the good sense of the word, at a Substack column by an anonymous college professor. Obviously, he cannot use his name lest his charges burn his house down. He uses the pseudonym, Hilariousbookbinder.

He concludes that today’s students cannot read, cannot write, cannot count and cannot think.

Hilarious explains:

Most of our students are functionally illiterate. This is not a joke. By “functionally illiterate” I mean “unable to read and comprehend adult novels by people like Barbara Kingsolver, Colson Whitehead, and Richard Powers.” 

Evidently, this degree of laziness, of failing to read closely, hurts exam results:

Students get exam questions wrong simply because they didn't even take the time to read the question properly. Reading anything more than a menu is a chore and to be avoided.

He teaches philosophy. He has discovered that too many students  do not do the assigned reading:

The majority of students don’t read it. Oh, they will come to my office hours (occasionally) because they are bombing the course, and tell me that they have been doing the reading, but it’s obvious they are lying. The most charitable interpretation is that they looked at some of the words, didn’t understand anything, pretended that counted as reading, and returned to looking at TikTok.

My students come to class without the books, which they probably do not own and definitely did not read.

Apparently, these barely literate students do not know how to write either:

Their writing skills are at the 8th-grade level. Spelling is atrocious, grammar is random, and the correct use of apostrophes is cause for celebration. Worse is the resistance to original thought. What I mean is the reflexive submission of the cheapest cliché as novel insight.

Of course, the students all use AI to write their papers:

I can’t assign papers any more because I’ll just get AI back, and there’s nothing I can do to make it stop. Sadly, not writing exacerbates their illiteracy; writing is a muscle and dedicated writing is a workout for the mind as well as the pen.

Worse yet, students no longer think it matters that they attend classes:

Last semester across all sections, my average student missed two weeks of class. Actually it was more than that, since I’m not counting excused absences or students who eventually withdrew. 

A friend in Mathematics told me, “Students are less respectful of the university experience —attendance, lateness, e-mails to me about nonsense, less sense of responsibility.”

Students routinely just vanish at some point during the semester. They don’t officially drop or withdraw from the course, they simply quit coming. No email, no notification to anyone in authority about some problem.

Hilarious blames it on smartphones. He is not the first to make the observation:

They are absolutely addicted to their phones. When I go work out at the Campus Rec Center, easily half of the students there are just sitting on the machines scrolling on their phones. I was talking with a retired faculty member at the Rec this morning who works out all the time. He said he has done six sets waiting for a student to put down their phone and get off the machine he wanted. The students can’t get off their phones for an hour to do a voluntary activity they chose for fun. Sometimes I’m amazed they ever leave their goon caves at all.

Normally, he would want to fail them all. And yet, that is not a reasonable possibility:

What am I supposed to do? Keep standards high and fail them all? That’s not an option for untenured faculty who would like to keep their jobs. I’m a tenured full professor. I could probably get away with that for awhile, but sooner or later the Dean’s going to bring me in for a sit-down. Plus, if we flunk out half the student body and drive the university into bankruptcy, all we’re doing is depriving the good students of an education.

You might ask how these students are going to function when they go out into the real world and get jobs. But, that would be one more nightmare you do not need.

Donald Trump's Thinking

The national conversation being what it is, it is unusually difficult to see the substance through the noise. Especially when it comes to President Donald Trump.

On the one hand we have Trump supporters who believe that he can do no wrong. On the other we have detractors who believe that he can do no right.

To see the method behind the Trump foreign policy we turn to Joel Kotkin, not a MAGA Republican, but a sane and rational commenter on the passing scene.

One may agree or disagree with the Trump policies, but they did not arise out of nothing. They are designed to address certain important issues. 

Obviously, if Trump wants to make America great again, this means that he believes it has been in decline. So says Kotkin:

He is a phenomenon borne of concern about American decline, ranging from failing education levels and massive debt to frayed national coherence and fading industrial, even military, supremacy. He is driven not by imperial ambitions (despite his absurd claims about acquiring Greenland and Canada), but rather in response to the consequences of recent imperial overreach.

There is more to American decline:

The US’s own population growth has also slowed, and recent economic trends have mostly benefitted the affluent and those working for the government. The top 10 per cent of all earners now account for half of all spending. This is well above the roughly one-third of three decades ago. Partially this comes as many of the companies historically tied to high wages – US Steel, General Motors, RCA, Xerox, Intel and Boeing – have either disappeared or markedly declined.

Evidently, Trump’s tariffs are designed to correct the imbalance, to return great companies to our shores. They might or might not work. Many seasoned commentators believe that they are an error, but they do address a real problem:

As American Prospect correctly points out, American investors are effectively funding China’s bid to displace the US as the world’s reigning superpower. America’s inability to build things – most notably commercial and military vessels – means that, even in terms of defence, its power is waning.

Trump’s policies suggest that we have been overly generous toward other nations and that we have been paying a price for it. Not because of free trade, but because other countries have been imposing tariffs on American goods.

According to one study, the growing trade deficit between the US and China cost us roughly 3.7million American jobs between 2001 and 2018. It was partially because of this abandonment of the working class by the global liberalised economy that Trump was able to win voters in once solidly Democratic industrial states, first in 2016 and then again last year.

America’s industrial base has been hollowed out:

Yet for now, the American economy – outside the dynamic fossil-fuel sector – is dominated by companies that deal primarily with digital consumerism, information and communications. Some of the world’s most valuable firms – especially Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Meta and Apple – do not produce their hardware in the US, if they produce any physical goods at all. Indeed, the only big emerging industrial innovators are Tesla and Space X, both controlled by the notorious Elon Musk.

As for Europe, it is clearly in decline. Between its welfare statism and its green policies, it has damaged itself, perhaps irretrievably.

Europe faces more fundamental problems than tech penis envy. The continent falls well behind the US in creating new significant growth companies in any field. In the past half-century, 250 companies worth more than $10 billion were created in the US, compared with just 14 in Europe. Europe needs far more than just a better industrial policy. It needs a cultural revolution. ‘In Europe, you have to get permission today for anything’, one German investor told me recently. ‘In America, you do what you want and hope not to be caught.’

Kotkin continues:

Unless Britain and Europe radically change course, the continent’s only future will be in providing luxury goods and historic tourism to the affluent from America, China and India. In the world of power politics, the former caput mundi has been relegated, as one German observer put it, ‘to the kids’ table of international diplomacy’.

Importantly, Trump seems to be bringing Saudi Arabia into an important role in international diplomacy.

Instead of appealing to America’s traditional European allies, Trump seems more keen on working with Saudi Arabia, which has prodigious oil and wealth. This reflects the Trumpian worldview that the real battle lies with China, especially when it comes to seeking to influence the developing world and emerging markets, where Chinese mercantilism and aggression are a growing concern.

Is he right or wrong? Time will tell. But, clearly there is a rationale behind the new policies. 

Under Trump, America will act more like a traditional Great Power, driven both by its sense of vulnerability and strict national interests. What comes next won’t be pretty. But mourning the passing of the old order will not bring it back to life.

Sunday Fundraising

With a warm welcome to new subscribers. And, a special thank-you to paid subscribers.

Being as today is Sunday, we take the day off from opining in order to request donations. They are the fuel that keeps this work going. 

Not to be overly obvious, but it takes time and effort to put up a new post daily. Very few others manage to do so. Thus, it’s a job, one that is worthy of compensation. 

If you would like to donate please make use of the Paypal link on this page. If you prefer, you can mail a check to 310 East 46th St. 24H. New York, NY 10017.

I’m counting on you. 

If you have already donated, please pass the word along to your friends, family, neighbors, associates and colleagues.

Please accept this expression of my gratitude for those who will donate and for those who have done so already. Many thanks!

Saturday Miscellany

First, a few words from Jonah Platt, son of the producer of the mega-flop called Snow White, regarding the film’s star, Rachel Zegler:

Yeah, my Dad, the producer of an enormous piece of Disney IP with hundreds of millions on the line, had to leave his family to fly across the country to reprimand his twenty-year old employee for dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting a movie for which she signed a multi-million contract to get paid and do publicity for…. And her actions clearly hurt the film’s box office…. Tens of thousands of people worked on that film and she hijacked the conversation for her own immature desires at the risk of all the colleagues and crew who depend on that movie to be successful. Narcissism is not something to be coddled or encouraged.

Second, the Daily Caller gives us the extent of the calamity of Snow White:

The modern-day remake of the 1937 animated classic opened to dismal box office sales, missed all financial forecasts and has failed to withstand widespread criticism. Ticket sales were reported at roughly $87 million globally in its opening weekend. That leaves a significant financial gap, considering Disney sunk something between $250 and $270 million into the production. 

The movie is bombing at the box office and has fallen behind “Dumbo” and “Cinderella” on Disney’s long list of live-films in recent years, raking in $43 million in U.S. theaters, according to Forbes. This is far from the fairytale ending that was predicted for this classic tale.

Third, with friends and co-religionists like Bernie Sanders, you do not need enemies.

Newsmax reports Bernie’s efforts to undermine Israel:

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced Thursday he will force up to eight Senate votes next week on joint resolutions of disapproval aimed at blocking $8.8 billion in U.S. arms sales to Israel, citing concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Fourth, Elon Musk has been arguing for regulatory overhaul.

The burden of mountains of regulations is why the high speed rail can’t get down in California and the bridge that the ship hit still hasn’t been fixed.

A footnote offers a glimpse at a Jon Stewart interview with Ezra Klein. Stewart was shocked to discover the truth:

Jon Stewart finding out how the Biden Administration spent $42 Billion to expand broadband to more Americans, and connected ZERO (0) homes in 4 years.

Fifth, a few words from Scott Jennings, regarding military accountability:

I think Republicans aren’t interested in any lectures on accountability in the military after the Biden administration. I mean, the bar for getting rid of a Secretary of Defense is apparently pretty high. You can get 13 people killed and go AWOL and not tell the commander in chief, and that’s not a fireable offense.

But these lectures about accountability and national security after letting 10 million people into the country who raped and murdered and committed violent acts and no remorse or accountability.

Sixth, I have no way to cross-check this. It feels too good to be true, but that does not make it true.

According to Austen Allred the testosterone level of the men who work at NPR is dangerously low. Doctors like the level to range between 300 and 1000. At NPR, the highest level is 270.

Seventh, during her Congressional testimony NPR head honcho Katherine Maher was obliged to eat her words, a steaming pile of her words.

 

“Do you believe that America is addicted to white supremacy?” Rep. Brandon Gill asked her.

Maher grimaced as if she found that belief ridiculous, but at last admitted, “I tweeted that.”

“But as I’ve said,” she added, “much of my thinking has evolved over the last half decade.” 

That’s just five years — and Maher is no teenager, whose opinions change on a whim. She’s in her 40s and runs a media company with thousands of employees. 

Gill continued: “Do you believe that America believes in black plunder and white democracy?”

Maher, feigning confusion that anyone could hold such a bizarre position, responded “I . . . don’t . . . believe that, sir?”

Eighth, where have we heard this before? It’s not about the crime; it’s about the cover-up. Considering the brouhaha over Signalgate, it is worth recalling that Joe Biden, during the time of his presidency, was mentally deficient and cognitively impaired. His staff spent considerable time and effort covering up for him, and lying to the public.

Matt Margolis reports:

The Biden White House's desperate attempts to control Biden's public appearances were significant. They arranged carefully controlled interviews with friendly leftist radio hosts, demanding that only "approved" quotes be used.  

This isn't just about an aging president's decline; it's about a massive deception perpetrated on the American people. While Harris's team was drawing up contingency plans for scenarios ranging from pre-primary departure to death in office, the administration was gaslighting the public about Biden's capabilities. The same people who lecture us about "democracy" and "transparency" have orchestrated one of the most scandalous cover-ups in presidential history.

Ninth, what’s wrong with Europe? Certain people are offended that our vice president has been calling out Europe for its failure to uphold civilized values.

If you need evidence, yesterday serves up this from Ireland:

Irish teacher Enoch Burke was fired after refusing to use a student’s preferred pronouns. In response, the court seized his €40,000 checking account and authorized the Attorney General to confiscate additional assets, including his home and car.

Not to be outdone, once-Great Britain has instituted a two-tiered justice system:

UK: Britain is now openly codifying a two-tier justice system—where white men face the full weight of legal retribution, while Muslim offenders are increasingly spared under the guise of cultural sensitivity. Judicial impartiality is being sacrificed on the altar of progressive orthodoxy, and white Britons are being made the scapegoats of a nation unraveling its own rule of law.

Tenth, the bottom story is that the president of Columbia University, one Katrina Armstrong has resigned her position. Someone might think that she was a diversity hire, but we will not go quite that far. She was evidently incompetent, in way over her head.

Finally, I now have some free consulting hours in my life coaching practice. If you are interested email me at StuartSchneiderman@gmail.com.