On The Clothes

The hoodies have finally shipped! Now I can focus all energy on design and screenprinting. How long the hoodies will take to arrive remains to be seen. Fingers crossed.

Otherwise, I’m thinking of ways to connect with people on social mdeia. On Instagram, we finished a 75 post photo series a few days ago. Peep!

Wacked.

No much changes week to week, so the biweekly structure is more efficient for you and me. Since The Apollonian IX, there was a presidential election. The results blindsided many Americans, proving the average citizen’s disconnection from the sociopolitical climate outside of a curated echochamber of consensus, or groupthink.

The first 9 newsletters were under the topic “A Letter to my Younger, Current, and Future Self.”

I will convert these newsletters into a video essay at an undetermined date.

The last few weeks, I faced tough luck—I am powerless when I leave fortune in the hands of fate. Instead, I elect to pursue favor.

Overwhelmingly, humans are conditioned to victimhood, yielding their future to the most powerful among us, those who crave power. I do not covet power, yet I acknowledge its influence upon lasting change.

I pursue influence, a type of power which amplifies the intention of the agent. Above acquiring influence, I aspire to be kind, humane, creative, and confident. Hopefully, I can trust my environment to be my mirror as time passes.

Books and Miseducation

Lately, I’ve been reading old books, because I find they’re more candid and fearless compared to contemporary, half-cooked principles and frameworks. Most notably, Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s “The Miseducation of The Negro” withstands time through insightful relevance. Despite the text’s aims, many of the concepts can be applied to most Americans of any race—especially when considering this year’s election results.

Here’s a passage, along with my interpretations :

(Consider “Negro” not only meaning “a black person,” but also “a person to whom the statement applies.” In other words, substitute each race, ethnicity, and gender in the place of “Negro.” The effect of this swap on the meaning will lead to discovery…unless you’ve already been given this prompt. If you’re short on time, there is a TLDR)

“The author does not support the once popular view that in matters of education Negroes are rightly subjected to the will of others on presumption that these poor people are not large taxpayers and must be content with charitable contributions to their uplift…”

TLDR—my interpretation: All people should have access to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Citizen’s United v FEC is too powerful and otherwise unconstitutional. Some people are claiming power in the only ways they know how.

“Only by careful study of the Negro himself and the life which he is forced to lead can we arrive at the proper procedure in this crisis…”

TLDR—my interpretation: Talk to your neighbors and pay attention to the world as it is. Not the world as you see it. This is the only way to provoke change.

“It may be of no importance to the race to be able to boast today of many times as many “educated” members as it had in 1865. If they are the wrong kind the increase in numbers will be a disadvantage rather than an advantage.”

TLDR—Relevance: There are more college educated people in the United States than ever before, yet institutions are crumbling. Despite education levels, real wages lag behind productivity. From 1979 to 2020, net productivity rose 61.8%, while the hourly pay of typical workers grew far slower—increasing only 17.5% over four decades (after adjusting for inflation) (Source)

READING

I’m about 75 pages from finishing The Autobiography of Malcolm X! So far, this is the best biography I’ve read, and a Top 5 Overall book I’ve read.

The next books on my reading list are as follows:

Weaving the Web x Tim Berners-Lee
Too Smart: How Digital Capitalism is Extracting Data, Controlling Our Lives, and Taking Over The World x Jathan Sadowski
Kayanerenkó:wa: The Great Law of Peace x Kayanesenh Paul Williams
The Miseducation of The Negro x Carter G. Woodson
Slaughterhouse Five x Kurt Vonnegut

Yes, my reading list shifted, and I will likely read #4 and #5 sooner because they’re easier reads. #3 was gifted to me, and it’s a great book, but it’s LONG (Sorry, Camille… but congrats on being featured in the Chicago Tribune!). I won’t read any new book until I’ve read #3. Promise.

In my apartment, I have a rubbermaid container that functions as my coffee table, and I’m proud to have a coffee table book from my favorite clothing designer (Jun Takahashi, Japanese streetwear pioneer and creative director of Undercover). I aspire to invoke thought like his pieces, and I’m setting my sail back toward learning how to speak and read Japanese.

(I was learning for a few months and fell off the wagon…but it’s about how you get back up after you fall!)

Theory Crafting

Here’s the concept for an essay I’m working through.

THE BALLOT BOX — a matter of choice.

People vote 100x more often than they check a ballot slip.

Types of Votes

Choosing a product, giving power/money/favor to an agent and their behavior in acquiring the product.

Choosing a candidate, giving power/money/favor to an agent and their behavior exhibited to acquire the position.

Choosing a service, giving power/money/favor to an agent and their ability to present the service.

Until Next Time, Wolves,

Kindness Always Wins,

Apollo