The Photograph That Lied: Kevin Carter and the Cost of Unearned Guilt

"There are certain faults which, when displayed in a flattering light, shine more brightly than virtue itself."— François de La Rochefoucauld, French…

Sep 2 • Carson J. McAuley

131

16

24

August 2026

Literature's Loneliest Genius and Us

"Consciousness is much more than the thorn, it is the dagger in the flesh." — Emil Cioran, Romanian-French philosopher and essayist (1911–1995)

Aug 14 • Carson J. McAuley

6

1

1

The Pride Alliance Is Ashamed of Nothing Except Its Martyrs

"All mass movements strive, therefore, to interpose a fact-proof screen between the faithful and the realities of the world." — Eric Hoffer, American…

Aug 5 • Carson J. McAuley

27

5

10

July 2026

What Did the Belfast Riots Actually Achieve?

"If our lives are endangered by plots or violence or armed robbers or enemies, any and every method of protecting ourselves is morally right." — Cicero…

Jul 27 • Carson J. McAuley

18

16

June 2026

Bruce Springsteen: The Poet Laureate of Boomer Pathology

"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world." — Thomas…

Jun 28 • Carson J. McAuley

18

6

7

May 2026

On Substack, Selfhood, and the Fleeting Fiction Called "I"

"Consciousness is much more than the thorn, it is the dagger in the flesh." — Emil Cioran, Romanian-French philosopher and essayist (1911–1995)

May 31 • Carson J. McAuley

21

7

15

April 2026

Feminizing the Machine

"The fundamental defect of the female character is a lack of a sense of justice. This originates first and foremost in their want of rationality." …

Apr 30 • Carson J. McAuley

13

5

Bruce Springsteen: The Poet Laureate of Boomer Pathology

"Of all forms of deception self-deception is the most deadly, and of all deceived persons the self-deceived are the least likely to discover the fraud…

Apr 22 • Carson J. McAuley

103

52

32

Some Stuff I Think You Might Like: March 2026

"The worst, the most corrupting of lies are problems poorly stated." - Georges Bernanos, French novelist and political writer (1888–1948)

Apr 3 • Carson J. McAuley

27

16

10

March 2026

On Mental Illness and the Therapeutic Erasure of Evil

"The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken." — Samuel Johnson, English writer, moralist and lexicographer…

Mar 31 • Carson J. McAuley

40

3

16

The Tipping Point That Never Arrives

"Everybody feels the evil, but no one has courage or energy enough to seek the cure." –Alexis de Tocqueville, French philosopher, historian and diplomat…

Mar 24 • Carson J. McAuley

9

1

Feminizing the Machine

“As nature has equipped the lion with claws and teeth, the elephant with tusks... so it has equipped woman with the power of dissimulation.” – Arthur…

Mar 19 • Carson J. McAuley

30

4

14