Never Surrender

The January 10^th release date of Far Middle episode 138 coincides with Save the Eagles Day. Marking the occasion, Nick suggests halting the “taxpayer-subsidized development of what’s become the most murderous aviary campaign in the history of man and since cats: wind turbines,” and even weaves in a Rage Against the Machine reference during the episode’s open.

Nick again highlights a standout sports figure whose accomplishments both on and off the field epitomize greatness. And this installment’s sports dedication honors go to Robert Patrick "Rocky" Bleier—a Vietnam veteran, a four-time Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers, an author, the subject of the television movie Fighting Back, and more.

After reflecting on Bleier, the discussion makes a jump cut to explore Frances Fukuyama’s 1989 essay, “The End of History.” Nick examines the paper and calls out a series of excerpts and assertions from Fukuyama that were a complete misread and a significant historic blunder. Fukuyama’s conclusions influenced even more historic blunders by those in power who believed the global ideological transformation that Fukuyama professed and subsequently set policy from.

“I've said it before, I've said it on The Far Middle in prior episodes, I wrote it in my book Precipice, and I'm going to state it again, never ever underestimate the Left,” says Nick. “It comes at great peril for the individual and for society.” And while the Left might have been on the ropes in the late 1980s and 1990s, it will never surrender. 

With the supposed fall of communism, socialism, and the Left, Nick notes the irony that in the end of history era, the ideological vacuum in the West has been filled with none other than the tenets and values of the Left. He uses examples of open borders, “tackling climate change,” and the vilification of prior Western values such as capitalism and the individual.

In closing, Nick pays tribute to 19th century American author Horatio Alger who was born a few days after today’s episode release, on January 13, 1832. While the Left’s dislike for Alger today borders on hate, he focuses in on the Horatio Alger Association and its promotion of the American dream, which is now under attack by the mainstream media.

“Constant listeners, in the words of Public Enemy don't believe the hype when it comes to the Left,” says Nick. “Horatio Alger, and all that he stood for in his stories, they're legitimate and real, as long as policy and culture allow individuals to freely achieve.”