Blaming Post-Modernism & Eddy Merckx

As I close the array of browser tabs with articles I've recently read, I've decided to try document each, two or three at a time, with a quick two sentence impression of the article and link.

The Death of Truth - Quartz.com Review of Michiko Kakutani's new book, The Death of Truth, which posits that Trump's fast/loose interplay with the media and facts -- including whatever counts for "Fake News" -- is an extension of the post-modern movement of the early 70s that challenged the idea of "central" and "knowable" truth. I find this premise hard to believe and, indeed, it seems to ignore entirely the traditionalist movements embedded in the American Right and their specific disdain for relativism in whole. Further, it doesn't seem to me that post-modernism was ever in direct opposition to empirical or demonstrable fact, only that the larger mysteries require more nuance, less "rational" hubris, and less definition at the edges to fully process.

Link to full article, "Trump is What Happens When PostModernism Goes Too Far," here.

The Greatest Cyclist of All Time, Eddy Merckx - Guardian interview with the legendary 5-time Tour de France winner. Best quote from Eddy:

"My parents taught me honesty and respect for other people. When I was at school I wanted to go to the Côte d’Azur for holidays, like my schoolfriends. We went to the North Sea. My father, who was a grocer and one of 11 children, said: 'Don’t look to those who go to the Côte D’Azur, but look to those who can’t go the North Sea – keep your feet on the ground.'"

There's a chance that this year, or next, the talented sprinter Mark Cavendish will overtake Eddy's single stage record of 34 wins at the Tour de France though I'm uncertain if he'll bring along this same level of grace, class, and reflection.

Full article/interview, "Eddy Merckx: This Much I Know," here.

– Jon Roketenetz

Jon is the CEO of GimmeAnother and founder of 3VERB.