According to South Korean intelligence, Kim Jong-un is grooming a young daughter to succeed him as dictator. Is this plausible? It would be unusual — very. In any event, I begin my Impromptus today with this subject. I move on to Afghanistan and Iran. Then to Harvard, the GOP, and other things.
About Harvard, I would like to say an additional word here. Jeffrey Hart told me something interesting once. (Well, many things, but I am thinking of one in particular.) He was a professor of English at Dartmouth and a senior editor of National Review. I quoted extensively from his letters to me in a remembrance that we published in 2019: here.
I will quote two paragraphs concerning Harvard. The second is the more relevant; the first is simply interesting.
The great thing about Harvard has always been that it has never cared what a professor’s after-work opinions are, as long as he is the best in his field. He could admire Pol Pot, for whatever reason, as long as he is number one in Egyptology or something. Arthur Darby Nock was the leading 20th-century St. Paul scholar and crazy as a bedbug.
Okay, that second paragraph:
Conservatives today do not understand Harvard, because they see it from the outside. Harvard always rights its ship. It could not possibly let its law school go too far left; Harvard heard from the major law firms that they could not use its graduates; Harvard brought in a tough new dean with orders to clean up the playpen. Which he did.
Jeff wrote that letter many years ago. (Fifteen? More?) The ship of Harvard is listing, badly. Can they right it?
My column on Wednesday began with the question of China and social engineering (two distinct but related questions, actually). Above the column was a photo of adorable Chinese kindergartners. A reader writes,
Don’t you just love the serious, concentrating, joyful faces of young children? Before they are indoctrinated, disillusioned, and misdirected . . .
Above today’s column is a picture of Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Ju-ae, who is about ten. She is, of course, adorable. And what a crazy, nasty situation she was born into. This is the theme, basically, of a book of mine, Children of Monsters: An Inquiry into the Sons and Daughters of Dictators.
In Wednesday’s column, I published some photos of Cherokee County, S.C., including the one below — which depicts a controversy:
Some people think there are too many Dollar General stores around — and that another one would blight the land.
A reader responds with a video in a series called “It’s a Southern Thing.” Very amusing (and absolutely apropos).
Let’s end with a letter about polarization, for lack of a better word. Political polarization. There are many strained or broken alliances. Strained or broken friendships. Even strained or broken marriages. Some people won’t like the below letter — but that’s okay. We all have our stories, perspectives, etc.
Hi, Jay,
I lost a friend recently. No, not to death. I’ll explain. I have had a friend with whom I would have breakfast at some of the diners here in our region of Virginia. We do it to get a feel for the local populace and eateries and to take in the beautiful scenery. We agree on almost all the major political issues. However, he supports Trump and I detest the man. Our disagreement over Trump is avoided by me, though he does know my opinion.
After attending a Veterans’ Day celebration, I was motivated to write an op-ed for a paper here about Trump’s comments concerning the military and military service. It was scathing. Since that time, my friend refuses to acknowledge my existence. No response to my e-mails. No response to my very civil exhortations to him to discuss the conflict. . . .
What’s it going to be like once the campaigns are in full throttle? People of differing opinions, on right or left, won’t talk to one another. I really fear for our republic.