About Exasperated Alien
Exasperated Alien is an outlet for outsider opinions on social and political issues. Its author is alienated by the polarization of American society and exasperated by the deterioration of its civic discourse. From a small sense of duty and a large desire for sanity, I strive to articulate views that are refreshingly non-tribal: uncommon, fair-minded, and persuasive to people with a wide range of values.
Despite my exasperation, I try to write in a measured way feels productive and invites engagement. To me this means being direct, but not oversimplified; bold, but not contrarian for the sake of it; nuanced where nuance is needed, yet forceful where decency demands. I try to engage steel men and be charitable where well-meaning people can disagree. Most of all, I aim to be right—which includes being consistent, and being as proud to change my own mind as I am to convince others.
If this sounds like writing you’d like to read, please subscribe! All my content is free and I’d be flattered by your attention. I’d also be heartened by your contributions in the comment section, so long as they do not deepen my exasperation.
Questions you may have:
Who writes Exasperated Alien?
A mid-career foreign policy professional in the United States. I used to be a U.S. Army officer and have an M.A. in Global Affairs. I’m an expert on nothing, but at least somewhat informed on most of the topics I cover.
Why is it called “Exasperated Alien?”
Were aliens to visit Earth, I imagine they’d care less than we do about our national, racial, or religious divisions. They may also notice that humanity has lots of problems, and that efforts to solve them are impeded by distinctly human flaws like pride, bias, intolerance, insecurity, and an urge to concoct simple explanations for inscrutable things. Were they benevolent, the aliens may wish to help us overcome these obstacles.
They may also be pretty fed up with us, were they paying attention this past decade or so.
I relate to that perspective. I want to improve the world as a whole, and my deepest conviction is that everyone on it warrants equal moral weight. I also make unusual effort to be conscious of cognitive biases that get in the way: from sources social and biological, both in myself and in others. Among other hard things, this effort requires resisting tribalism and having cognitive empathy for different perspectives. I don’t always succeed at this, but I try more than most.
For a fuller explanation, see my welcome post.
What do you write about?
Opinions of mine that I sense many smart people disagree with. These are mostly about U.S. policy, politics, social justice, and moral philosophy: essentially, how we should treat one another. Since I work in foreign policy for a living, there may be more posts about that than other topics. If I’m feeling wild, I may occasionally veer into a grab bag of side interests like movies, religion, sports, or trending news.
I prioritize my uncommon opinions because they spark the most interesting conversations. There’s no need to convince you of things you already believe, and there are plenty of other places on the internet that can validate your existing views.
How often do you post?
Not so often that it clogs your inbox. I suspect it will be 1-3 times a month, but there’s no fixed schedule. I write when the spirit moves me—or usually, a few weeks after that, when my perfectionism and fear of backlash have had time to really overthink it.
Should I subscribe?
Would you like occasional emails presenting reasonable, thought-provoking arguments you may not already agree with?
You may be likelier to enjoy my writing if you prefer direct arguments, are willing to entertain weird or unconventional ideas, or value good-faith exchange between people with different values.
