Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration

Many parents today tell their children to simply “be a good person” and do not offer them moral guidelines beyond that. “Being a good person” isn’t a robust enough moral framework to deal with the complexities of everyday life, so many people resort to creating their own moral codes (either completely independently, or through the help of internet gurus like Jordan Peterson). On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Nathan and Joseph reflect on their own moral codes and talk about the origins and justifications of the rules they’ve made for themselves. Amongst other things they discuss how gay culture doesn’t offer gay men a moral framework, how you should aim to be contrarian only 50% of the time, how the public has become tired of plotlines that deal with moral gray areas, and how modern Hollywood has only offered the public antiheroes in place of actual heroes.

Links:

Jordan Peterson - Are You a Good Person?

The Epidemic of Gay Loneliness

Artwork:

The School of Athens by Raphael

Recorded on 5/19/2024

As previously noted, Nathan has a general aversion to bikes and bike infrastructure. But where does his “bike skepticism” come from, and why do many other Americans feel the same way? On this week’s episode of Silent Generation Joseph gets to the root of Nathan’s bias (the temperament of cyclists, tacky bike lane infrastructure, and the “aesthetics of control”) and makes the case for bike-oriented cities. Amongst other things they discuss how most Americans approach biking from a sports angle, the way streets were shared by multiple transit modes in the early 20th century, how biking becomes less viable in the Winter, and how Los Angeles has the potential to become America’s foremost biking city.

Links:

The new Silent Generation Patreon!

San Francisco streetcar footage from a hundred years ago

Years and Years by Russell T Davies

On Adam Levine's tattoos

Why Many Cities Suck (and Los Angeles Doesn't Have to)

Strong Town’s idea of “complex vs. complicated”

Artwork:

AI generated

Recorded on 5/12/2024

In Western culture men often wear little to no jewelry, often opting to only wear a wedding ring and/ or a watch. What meaning can be discerned from the jewelry that Western men do wear and why don’t they wear more? On this week’s episode of Silent Generation the boys begin by discussing the form and function of the types of jewelry men most commonly wear: rings, cufflinks, tie pins, watches, necklaces, and belt buckles. Amongst other things they discuss the popularity of pearl jewelry amongst male queerbaiters, when men’s jewelry becomes a red flag, why wearable tech lost its potential to be considered jewelry, Nathan’s time working in the jewelry industry, and how millennial pink was a stepping stone into alternative fashion for preppy people in the late 2010s.

Links:

Rings & Their Meaning by Gentleman’s Gazette

Fran Lebowitz wearing Calder cufflinks in Scorsese’s “Pretend It’s a City”

how’d you know im uncut meme

“I got court” starterpack meme

Artwork:

Screenshot from The Talented Mr. Ripley

Recorded on 5/5/2024