Listening to The Portal

Or, Saturday Night with Borat and the Commentariat

“Hello all, the subject of this audio essay is — ”

Yes, Eric Weinstein is back! Admittedly, I hadn’t noticed he’d been away. But it seems that he was — and now he’s back, kicking off his latest episode of The Portal with an audio essay about his absence, the tech platforms, the 2020 election…

The intro audio essays are often the best part of Eric’s podcast. I’m running around my apartment half listening, but I really don’t want to miss a moment. I have to set my phone down a few times — in the kitchen, now in the living room — as I rush around, getting ready for a walk. A walk to dinner, with luck, if I can find a place with outdoor seating. Should I just order take-out? No, I’m optimistic!

They say Eric Weinstein is a super genius. To what extent that’s true, I can’t be sure. I’m forever on the lookout for evidence to the contrary. He has solved the problem of relativity vs. quantum mechanics. At least that’s the story. What are the chances? This is always in the back of my mind as I listen.

I sit down on my couch to put my shoes on, also pulling up Google Maps on my laptop.

ERIC: “Which brings us to Article 58 of the Soviet era Russian penal code, which introduced the concept of ‘enemy of the workers and…