I like both BAP and Ulysses. That doesn’t mean I’m without thoughts of my own on this recent spat, as it’s given me some pause for thought.

Thread…

BAP is the leader of this movement, inasmuch as it exists in the minds of its participants. That is not an expression of sycophancy, it’s a description of reality. When I first met @__amadis three years ago, knowledge of BAP was the esoteric signal that the other was ‘on side’.

Since then, BAP has maintained the same vibrant ethos and persona (although since the banning of his first account he is sadly no longer able to publicly harass bluechecks). BAP is interested in building an international coalition to fight globalism, which is great & admirable.

Nearly everyone who knows BAP on here respects him, for good reason. He is a genuinely great person who cares about the frogs. The ideology of self-improvement underpinning his ideology is positive. He is wise and knowledgeable. I have nothing to say against him.

Building a coalition as BAP rightly aims to do means tolerating a number of different voices. BAP’s unique voice also lends itself to imitation. When you put the two together, you are at risk of getting cringe like that Dooner guy.

I championed Ulysses from summer 2018 when I first came across his account. He was able to grow his following quickly because of a combination of two things: a unique aesthetic based on a crisp interpretation of ancient thought and a willingness to aggressively fight cringe.

Uly was among the first to call out some of the nonsense that floated around here. Exhortations to ‘read old books’, gay re-imaginings of ‘trad wives’, and other stodge. He has always insisted against retreating into the womb of history and must be commended for this.

Sometimes I think Uly overreaches & his voice can be overly aggressive and petulant. It’s not the voice I myself maintain on here – I would be too distracted from real life if I was constantly feuding. But he’s never uninteresting, and often insightful. Respect to him for that.

Uly is not an ‘infiltrator’, he is just less concerned with ‘the political’ than someone like BAP. Sometimes this leads to outlandish calls for people to do LSD alone or rejecting the notion that porn is societally damaging. It’s not worth getting worked up over such claims.

BAP is chiefly concerned with channelling his voice towards attacking an external enemy, and Ulysses with channelling his voice towards policing internal cringe. Perhaps the true ‘infiltrationist’ position is to make you think that these two approaches are mutually incompatible.

End of thread (tagging @bronzeagemantis & @You_Need_A_Lift for transparency)