Influencers have replaced public intellectuals. Even the “intellectual” ones are performing thinking instead of doing it. it’s aesthetics, virality, and quotable lines. Also, real public intellectuals are rare now because institutions write for their peers, not the public.
this is exactly why education and being inside a classroom matters. the timothée “outrage” just proves how little nuance and comprehension people can actually grasp. it’s “all or nothing” because everyone is searching for a gotcha moment out of something that barely exists.
