https://simplecast.com This is a show about contemporary culture. First Things editors Virginia Aabram and Germán S. Díaz del Castillo discuss modern, online trends. Are they good, bad, or a secret third thing? en Thu, 8 Oct 2026 20:21:10 +0000 Wed, 14 Oct 2026 19:52:06 +0000 https://secret-third-thing.simplecast.com https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/77949c1c-cc9d-4294-8010-6b6f86989e6d/e9547484-651f-4917-9b6e-0846ccfdb9b6/3000x3000/stt-cover-20image-square-final.jpg?aid=rss_feed https://secret-third-thing.simplecast.com episodic This is a show about contemporary culture. First Things editors Virginia Aabram and Germán S. Díaz del Castillo discuss modern, online trends. Are they good, bad, or a secret third thing? Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Virginia Aabram false https://feeds.simplecast.com/0Buo8h8O First Things gsaucedo@firstthings.com dcfb20a8-cd68-4ae1-9c8e-0f93c81a5234 Further reading:

• "Your Phone Isn’t a Drug. It’s a Portal to the Otherworld," by Katherine Dee (New York Times)
• "The Kirkification of Our Troubled Times," by Brady Brickner-Wood (New Yorker)

]]> Thu, 8 Oct 2026 20:21:10 +0000 gsaucedo@firstthings.com (Virginia Aabram, Germán S. Díaz del Castillo) https://secret-third-thing.simplecast.com/episodes/the-second-death-of-charlie-kirk-ft-katherine-dee-Gr4oqzTc Further reading:

• "Your Phone Isn’t a Drug. It’s a Portal to the Otherworld," by Katherine Dee (New York Times)
• "The Kirkification of Our Troubled Times," by Brady Brickner-Wood (New Yorker)

]]> The Second Death of Charlie Kirk (ft. Katherine Dee) Virginia Aabram, Germán S. Díaz del Castillo 01:06:06 In this episode, Katherine Dee joins Virginia and Germán. It used to be that if you died horribly and honorably and happened to be a person of note, your legacy was secure. Amelia Earhart, John F. Kennedy, and Kurt Cobain were served well by their untimely deaths, remembered with more romance and fondness than if they had lived long enough to fade into obscurity. But, as with many things, the internet has changed that. Charlie Kirk died when the bullet hit his neck at Utah Valley University. His legacy died a much slower, painful, and absurd death in the months that followed in a meme trend called “Kirkification.” If you are online and a participant in the meme economy to any extent, whether you wish it or not, there is a version of Charlie Kirk solidified in your mind as a joke. This effect isn’t drawn along partisan lines, and it opens up questions about Gen Z nihilism, mass coping strategies, and most importantly, what it means to hand your image over to the internet.  Katherine Dee, a longtime writer on internet ethnography, media theory, digital folklore, fandom, politics, and identity, joins Virginia and Germán to help us unpack how the internet is less something you consume and more a place you go–a place where things are similar but dangerously different. To navigate it, we might need to look back to our childhood fairy tales. In the world of Faerie, we might find the culprits of the second death of Charlie Kirk. In this episode, Katherine Dee joins Virginia and Germán. It used to be that if you died horribly and honorably and happened to be a person of note, your legacy was secure. Amelia Earhart, John F. Kennedy, and Kurt Cobain were served well by their untimely deaths, remembered with more romance and fondness than if they had lived long enough to fade into obscurity. But, as with many things, the internet has changed that. Charlie Kirk died when the bullet hit his neck at Utah Valley University. His legacy died a much slower, painful, and absurd death in the months that followed in a meme trend called “Kirkification.” If you are online and a participant in the meme economy to any extent, whether you wish it or not, there is a version of Charlie Kirk solidified in your mind as a joke. This effect isn’t drawn along partisan lines, and it opens up questions about Gen Z nihilism, mass coping strategies, and most importantly, what it means to hand your image over to the internet.  Katherine Dee, a longtime writer on internet ethnography, media theory, digital folklore, fandom, politics, and identity, joins Virginia and Germán to help us unpack how the internet is less something you consume and more a place you go–a place where things are similar but dangerously different. To navigate it, we might need to look back to our childhood fairy tales. In the world of Faerie, we might find the culprits of the second death of Charlie Kirk. false full 8 fa2418a1-9338-4662-9bc8-52185e9fcd32 Further reading:

• What Happened at Vatican II by John W. O'Malley
• If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies, by Eliezer Yudkowsky
• Work in Progress: Confessions of a busboy, dishwasher, caddy, usher, factory worker, bank teller, corporate tool, and priest – A Funny, Wise, and Inspiring Spiritual Memoir, by James Martin

]]> Wed, 9 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000 gsaucedo@firstthings.com (Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Virginia Aabram, James Martin) https://secret-third-thing.simplecast.com/episodes/pope-leos-unified-church-ft-fr-james-martin-6X3Jn_91 Further reading:

• What Happened at Vatican II by John W. O'Malley
• If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies, by Eliezer Yudkowsky
• Work in Progress: Confessions of a busboy, dishwasher, caddy, usher, factory worker, bank teller, corporate tool, and priest – A Funny, Wise, and Inspiring Spiritual Memoir, by James Martin

]]> Pope Leo's Unified Church (ft. Fr. James Martin) Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Virginia Aabram, James Martin 01:30:45 On today's episode, writer Fr. James Martin joins Virginia and Germán. As a Catholic, growing up online meant that the dividing line between “conservative” and “liberal” Catholics was an ever-present reality. Name-calling, accusations of schism, and moral grandstanding were—and still are—common. The general presumption was that the opposite side was arguing in bad faith, and sometimes, some of them were. The factions seemed to be embedded in Catholic culture, dividing themselves among parishes and religious groups. Matters of disagreement determined where, and how, you lived your faith. Ironically enough, the person who is healing this seemingly insurmountable divide is an American: Pope Leo XIV. Young people tire of encountering a divided church, and his year as pope, Leo XIV has famously—and cleverly—eluded classification as either liberal or a conservative, helping bridge the gap that the post–Vatican II debates have caused and that has defined American Catholicism for sixty years. On today's episode, writer Fr. James Martin joins Virginia and Germán. As a Catholic, growing up online meant that the dividing line between “conservative” and “liberal” Catholics was an ever-present reality. Name-calling, accusations of schism, and moral grandstanding were—and still are—common. The general presumption was that the opposite side was arguing in bad faith, and sometimes, some of them were. The factions seemed to be embedded in Catholic culture, dividing themselves among parishes and religious groups. Matters of disagreement determined where, and how, you lived your faith. Ironically enough, the person who is healing this seemingly insurmountable divide is an American: Pope Leo XIV. Young people tire of encountering a divided church, and his year as pope, Leo XIV has famously—and cleverly—eluded classification as either liberal or a conservative, helping bridge the gap that the post–Vatican II debates have caused and that has defined American Catholicism for sixty years. false full 7 25fc5a1b-9ee9-42f0-bde7-237645a45271 Further reading:

• Kelly's X profile
• Kelly's Substack
• Secret Ballot

]]> Fri, 14 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 gsaucedo@firstthings.com (Virginia Aabram, Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Kelly Chapman) https://secret-third-thing.simplecast.com/episodes/christianity-is-not-a-tool-ft-kelly-chapman-A_RVohF9 Further reading:

• Kelly's X profile
• Kelly's Substack
• Secret Ballot

]]> Christianity Is Not a Tool (ft. Kelly Chapman) Virginia Aabram, Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Kelly Chapman 01:19:40 On today's episode, writer Kelly Chapman joins Virginia and Germán. According to the discourse, it's fashionable to be religious. There’s also a lot of talk about returning to traditional modes of life–emphasis on getting married, having kids, and going to church. All of this is transgressive according to the liberal default of our wider society, but there’s something lost in all of this talk. Love, romance, family, religion, art—these things are seen as means to an end, a way to save the West or save society. This might not be the right mindset. We discuss what happens when we use these things as tools for something else, what gets lost—and what it looks like to want these things for their own sake. On today's episode, writer Kelly Chapman joins Virginia and Germán. According to the discourse, it's fashionable to be religious. There’s also a lot of talk about returning to traditional modes of life–emphasis on getting married, having kids, and going to church. All of this is transgressive according to the liberal default of our wider society, but there’s something lost in all of this talk. Love, romance, family, religion, art—these things are seen as means to an end, a way to save the West or save society. This might not be the right mindset. We discuss what happens when we use these things as tools for something else, what gets lost—and what it looks like to want these things for their own sake. false full 6 000b8432-f5e7-487f-9afb-7858d29a6d77 Further reading:

• "Magnifica Humanitas" by Leo XIV
• "AI Doesn’t Know What It’s Doing" by Thomas Fowler (First Things)
• "The Future of Reading" by Wessie Du Toit (First Things)
• "A Boomer, But An Augustinian" by Jacob Phillips (First Things)
• "The Pope Should Be Going to War Against A.I. Why Isn’t He?" by Matthew Walther (New York Times)
• If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies, by Eliezer Yudkowsky

]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2026 15:14:27 +0000 gsaucedo@firstthings.com (Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Dan Hitchens, Virginia Aabram) https://secret-third-thing.simplecast.com/episodes/the-church-of-claude-ft-dan-hitchens-2aMxvXWh Further reading:

• "Magnifica Humanitas" by Leo XIV
• "AI Doesn’t Know What It’s Doing" by Thomas Fowler (First Things)
• "The Future of Reading" by Wessie Du Toit (First Things)
• "A Boomer, But An Augustinian" by Jacob Phillips (First Things)
• "The Pope Should Be Going to War Against A.I. Why Isn’t He?" by Matthew Walther (New York Times)
• If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies, by Eliezer Yudkowsky

]]> The Church of Claude (ft. Dan Hitchens) Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Dan Hitchens, Virginia Aabram 01:02:13 In this episode, First Things senior editor Dan Hitchens joins Virginia and Germán to discuss Magnifica Humanitas. Is it a disappointment or a triumph? Is it really a Boomer document? Why hasn't Leo XIV declared a Butlerian Jihad? Will artificial intelligence kill us all? Is worry about computer consciousness overwrought? In this episode, First Things senior editor Dan Hitchens joins Virginia and Germán to discuss Magnifica Humanitas. Is it a disappointment or a triumph? Is it really a Boomer document? Why hasn't Leo XIV declared a Butlerian Jihad? Will artificial intelligence kill us all? Is worry about computer consciousness overwrought? false full 5 f9e1d417-b7e3-413c-b595-7d9db3dcfd9c Further reading:

• All of Dave Greene's essays: "Letters from Fiddler's Greene."
• Dave's YouTube channel.

]]> Wed, 6 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 gsaucedo@firstthings.com (Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Virginia Aabram, Dave Greene) https://secret-third-thing.simplecast.com/episodes/conservative-culture-isnt-real-ft-dave-greene-s454Anzd Further reading:

• All of Dave Greene's essays: "Letters from Fiddler's Greene."
• Dave's YouTube channel.

]]> Conservative Culture Isn’t Real (ft. Dave Greene) Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Virginia Aabram, Dave Greene 01:38:31 In this episode, essayist and YouTuber Dave Greene joins Virginia and Germán to discuss "conservative art." Can it be made at all? They also discuss the death of discourse, BreadTube, Warhammer 40K, horror, and why most movies are bad now, Dune, and Distributism. In this episode, essayist and YouTuber Dave Greene joins Virginia and Germán to discuss "conservative art." Can it be made at all? They also discuss the death of discourse, BreadTube, Warhammer 40K, horror, and why most movies are bad now, Dune, and Distributism. false full 4 960eb922-9c2f-4478-b8e8-936f858e4be4 Further reading:

• "Timothée Chalamet & Matthew McConaughey" by Variety & CNN Town Hall.
• "The Case Against Aesthetic Castration" by Adam Lehrer (Compact).
• "Marty Supreme mirrors Timothée Chalamet’s desire" by Germán Saucedo (The Spectator)
• "It’s Over for Anthony Bourdain’s Fanboys" by Suzy Weiss (The Free Press)

]]> Wed, 1 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000 gsaucedo@firstthings.com (Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Virginia Aabram, Suzy Weiss) https://secret-third-thing.simplecast.com/episodes/timothee-chalamet-is-right-about-art-ft-suzy-weiss-mNdDEdCo Further reading:

• "Timothée Chalamet & Matthew McConaughey" by Variety & CNN Town Hall.
• "The Case Against Aesthetic Castration" by Adam Lehrer (Compact).
• "Marty Supreme mirrors Timothée Chalamet’s desire" by Germán Saucedo (The Spectator)
• "It’s Over for Anthony Bourdain’s Fanboys" by Suzy Weiss (The Free Press)

]]> Timothée Chalamet Is Right About Art (ft. Suzy Weiss) Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Virginia Aabram, Suzy Weiss 01:22:09 In this episode, co-founder and reporter for The Free Press, Suzy Weiss, joins Virginia and Germán to discuss the most recent battle between artistic merit and popularity, brought about by Hollywood's favorite new superstar: Timothée Chalamet. Is he right about opera, ballet, and film? What does taste look like in the twenty-first century? Does Alysa Liu make real art? How do we justify pop-culture commentary? Do Anthony Bourdain haters have a point? In this episode, co-founder and reporter for The Free Press, Suzy Weiss, joins Virginia and Germán to discuss the most recent battle between artistic merit and popularity, brought about by Hollywood's favorite new superstar: Timothée Chalamet. Is he right about opera, ballet, and film? What does taste look like in the twenty-first century? Does Alysa Liu make real art? How do we justify pop-culture commentary? Do Anthony Bourdain haters have a point? false full 3 529f7959-e472-41b4-a4df-99a3f13c5f02 Further reading:

• "Frontier Cities" by Nick Allen (IM-1776).
• "New York’s Hottest Club Is the Catholic Church" by Julia Yost (New York Times).
• Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right by Laura K. Field.
• "The Party Politics of Sovereign House" by Emma Green (New Yorker)
• "Reconstructing the Mystical Feminine from the Ashes of the Feminine Mystique" (The Portal)

]]> Thu, 26 Feb 2026 16:53:32 +0000 gsaucedo@firstthings.com (Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Virginia Aabram, Nick Allen) https://secret-third-thing.simplecast.com/episodes/dimes-square-an-oral-history-ft-nick-allen-Jq9YMpDe Further reading:

• "Frontier Cities" by Nick Allen (IM-1776).
• "New York’s Hottest Club Is the Catholic Church" by Julia Yost (New York Times).
• Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right by Laura K. Field.
• "The Party Politics of Sovereign House" by Emma Green (New Yorker)
• "Reconstructing the Mystical Feminine from the Ashes of the Feminine Mystique" (The Portal)

]]> Dimes Square: An Oral History (ft. Nick Allen) Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Virginia Aabram, Nick Allen 01:33:39 In this first episode, Sovereign House and Reign founder Nick Allen joins Virginia and Germán to discuss Dimes Square, the New York City downtown cultural scene. What is its history? Who are the major players? What was Sovereign House? Why is everyone there becoming Catholic? What is its impact and its future? In this first episode, Sovereign House and Reign founder Nick Allen joins Virginia and Germán to discuss Dimes Square, the New York City downtown cultural scene. What is its history? Who are the major players? What was Sovereign House? Why is everyone there becoming Catholic? What is its impact and its future? false full 2 4afd50b6-bed9-4db5-8dd7-6f1fbbd51af3 Further reading:

• "The Fanfic Temptation" by Veronica Clarke.
• "The Goon Squad" by Daniel Kolitz.
• The Absolute Degeneracy of Modern Writing by The Second Story.

]]> Wed, 28 Jan 2026 09:00:00 +0000 gsaucedo@firstthings.com (Veronica Clarke, Virginia Aabram, Germán S. Díaz del Castillo) https://secret-third-thing.simplecast.com/episodes/the-fanfiction-reckoning-ft-veronica-clarke-ElukVDXC Further reading:

• "The Fanfic Temptation" by Veronica Clarke.
• "The Goon Squad" by Daniel Kolitz.
• The Absolute Degeneracy of Modern Writing by The Second Story.

]]> The Fanfiction Reckoning (ft. Veronica Clarke) Veronica Clarke, Virginia Aabram, Germán S. Díaz del Castillo 01:23:44 In this episode, First Things deputy editor Veronica Clarke joins Virginia and Germán to discuss fanfiction, its history, its impact, its infiltration of the publishing industry, whether it should be classified as pornography, and what its popularity says about Gen Z. In this episode, First Things deputy editor Veronica Clarke joins Virginia and Germán to discuss fanfiction, its history, its impact, its infiltration of the publishing industry, whether it should be classified as pornography, and what its popularity says about Gen Z. false full 1