On the way back from Budapest last month, I stopped in the UK to record a podcast or two with Carl Benjamin and his wonderful new media project, Lotuseaters.
I found Carl’s podcast on YouTube a number of years ago—on his old channel, Sargon of Akkad—and became a fan instantly. His intelligence and sense of humor made his videos essential viewing. He was simultaneously a smartass edgelord and a mensch, and that authenticity comes across both digitally and in person.
We recorded a total of nearly three hours-worth of video in his studio in Swindon. We recorded an hour-long podcast about National Divorce, but it’s behind a paywall for subscribers. The clip above is a preview.
In another clip, we discuss the people who make their living as professionals in the Conservative Movement but don’t know what time it is. That lack of chronological acuity leads them to facing off with those of us with an awareness of the stakes, and leads them to be known alternately as “right-liberals” “libertarians” or even, “cucks.”
In another, we discussed my appearance in Hungary at CPAC, including my impressions of the country and why Viktor Orban is something of a political model for the Right all around the world. f you’d like to see all of the live show, the whole broadcast is at Lotuseaters.com.
Lotuseaters produces a lot of content—and everything I’ve seen is top-notch: a daily video broadcast, special video essays, chats about history and philosophy, and written content (what we used to call “articles.) He’s assembled a really great team in Swindon, deliberately bucking the trend of telecommuting in order to create a cohesive and collaborative office environment. They’ve got a Substack, too, which I encourage you to support.
While he didn’t invent the pop culture video-essay format, Carl’s scripts and delivery are excellent. Like the best reviews or commentary, a familiarity with the subject isn’t required. The Star Wars video deals hilariously with the forced injection of gender politics into a fictional, escapist franchise; the thumbnail plot summary is so good, it’s difficult to imagine how watching the film itself could be any more entertaining. The Politics of Demolition Man is another brilliant one. There are many more—like dealing with woke race issues of Black Panther, the politics of Starship Trooper, etc.
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