18 Comments
User's avatar
Do's avatar

If you were a young person currently, seeing what you're seeing, and you had the opportunity to move and settle down in some other country, what would be your top picks of sane countries in the world?

JohnBry's avatar

Many outlets, including Triggernometry, have argued we're past peak woke. Do you believe that? In particular, if the Democrats retake the White House in 2028 will we see a sharp return to woke policies such as unrestricted immigration?

Graham Merritt's avatar

Joseph Henrich's book "The WEIRDest People in the World" presents how deep seated behavioural and physiological differences between cultures came about and can be measured.

The evidence is that different cultures can fundamentally think and act differently and have very different values.

How do you think we can promote rational, debates on understanding and dealing with these rather rather than the somewhat superficial differences of colour, music, food, language and shallow aspects of religion?

MarbleCliffs's avatar

What do you do to stay grounded while engaging with the material you write about? I find it increasingly harder to not get depressed when reality becomes beyond parody these days. TY!

Cecelia Morgan's avatar

Lionel, will you tackle the many hopes, fears and unintended consequences of artificial intelligence in your next work?

Holly MathNerd's avatar

As I read your brilliant new novel, Gloria struck me as psychologically patterned in a way that resembles certain Cluster B personality structures — not caricatured, but embedded in her moral worldview and relational style.

Were you deliberately constructing her with that psychological architecture in mind? And to what extent did you see her as emblematic of a broader strain within modern progressive politics?

PAUL MARSHALL's avatar

Hi Lionel, what do you think the people who say "diversity is our strength" REALLY believe?

To any sane 16 year old its obvious that groups tend to prefer themselves, not work or integrate with others unless necesary

Stuart J Tyson's avatar

I have a question for Lionel

In this age when many children’s names seem to be plucked from the imaginations of their parents and an old chap like me cannot tell from that name the sex of the child, how come Lionel became Lionel? Meaning no disrespect, hers was the first instance where I have seen that name used for a female.

Ciaran Doherty's avatar

Given that you can move to the U.S.A. What keeps you in the U.K.?

Fredrik's avatar

You’ve lived in both the U.S. and the U.K. Do you see different cultural responses to immigration? Which society has been more honest about trade-offs?

Frederik Lønborg's avatar

What is the correct way to do immigration? Is it enough to be looking for work? Should you hold the same values as the host country? Should you be ethnically in line with or close to the ethnicity if the host country? So, what metric is the most important?

JamieHMiller's avatar

I’m Australian. I grew up in a migrant culture where we celebrated strange food, stranger music, and gloriously odd clothes. The only condition was simple: accept common law democracy and contribute something of value.

So here’s the uncomfortable question: how did we move from celebrating diversity within a shared civic framework to pretending the framework itself is optional — and how do we get back to insisting it isn’t?

marypetunia's avatar

Why do you think Colleges, university’s, the liberal elite still fail to see what’s happened/happening to Europe, UK and USA with unfettered immigration policies and allowing illegal immigration to flourish?

jeremy f's avatar

Would you agree that "diversity is our strength" can simultaneously be true about America, but false about the UK? why or why not?

Whodidthewhatnow's avatar

As events unfold, we see Nico’s struggle with emasculation and he eventually turns to his father for help when things go completely off the rails. Although armed and brave, Nico’s dad and his friends are seemingly cosplaying as protectors. They obviously have lot to lose and haven’t really had to deal with such an ominous confrontation, however, we never get the sense they’re capable of winning the battle they signed up for. Is this more of a critique of our softened culture in the present age or an example of risky courage (however bumbling)that we’ll need to rediscover and maintain with or without conflict?

Julie's avatar

I'd like to ask Lionel: what gives you joy?

I ask because you seem to understand the more base motivations of people and wondered how you keep your mood up.