Alisa is a wonderful person. I'm proud to call her a friend and have already donated. Additionally, the story is pretty incredible. I'm finishing up a podcast on her AI voice clone scam that should be out at the end of the week. It truly is a wild story.
I couldn't agree more. She shared some very kind and comforting words with me when my father passed last summer for which I was/am so grateful. My heart is broken for her and her parents.
Wow! Each of these emails hit hard in a different way (including the last one, since I’m about Matt’s age and technologically challenged. If I had to do what he does each week, I’d fail miserably.) Thank you all for your generosity in sharing. Being vulnerable is hard. 🙏
Dave H's email broke my heart. That's a lot for a family to go through. Wishing Jenny a speedy recovery. Our gracious hosts and the Fifdom at large are absolutely fantastic.
I've been wondering why all these Substack live things have such a low tech appearance. They all look like the times I tried FaceTime with my mom, and end up staring at her nostrils, and they sound like my teen's school movie project. So bad.
Thanks for making my screen grab the top picture. It was a pleasure to watch you fuck it up so bad - I was laughing at (with?) you, I admit it. I too hate things in my ears - they give me a fucking headache like immediately.
I really feel for Julia P as I have been on the receiving on of that shit from both anuses of the political spectrum.
The issue of forgiveness and moving on are complicated. I think you have to work through those feelings and think about how genuine this person is in their apology and how important this friendship is for you. Ideally we extend others grace in the hope that grace will be extended to us when we fuck up but you also don't want to become a doormat.
Frankly I think the ship has sailed on keeping politics out of our daily lives/relationships and that's been true for decades. Even in families that "don't discuss politics" I find that in practice this means one loudmouth gets to say whatever they want and everyone else stays quiet to avoid rocking the boat. At a certain point keeping the peace becomes just another form of enabling.
What we need is to move towards better ways of discussing politics in our relationships. Rather then try to enforce some kind of unattainable neutrality or simply cutting out people that don't conform to our rigid yet every changing dogmas we should instead enforce better norms of discourse around topics.
Interesting that so many people feel we are in a comparable time to Nazi Germany. I have felt what has happened in the culture in the last decade is very comparable to the Russian Revolution. A autocracy was replaced by totalitarians who equate any criticism with proof that you support the autocracy.
Laura G, if you’re reading this, I would love to pick your brain on autism! I’m in a somewhat different boat with my son, but am looking for anything I can do to help him (having tried the usual stuff). I just got him on a waiting list for a functional medicine pediatrician.
Hi Sierra! Laura G here! Functional medicine is amazing! Happy to brainstorm with you about things you may able to do on your own before your appointment:)
The right answer to anyone trying to emotionally blackmail you is to say "fuck you and fuck your opinions", and wait for *them* to apologize. Then you can forgive them and maybe get back to some percentage of your former friendship. But understand that the moment you make concessions to someone else's emotional blackmail over politics that you are forever their bitch.
Just a quick note to say thank you to everyone in the 5th community who sent kind messages, encouragement, and contributions. To Matt’s point in the intro, I completely agree—I don’t want the 5th to get into the full-time fundraising business either. It was incredibly hard for me to write and send that missive. But I’m profoundly moved by the generosity and kindness shown here. Thank you, sincerely.
I feel for the woman with a severely autistic child, but RFK Jr.s brand of bullshit isn't going to help autism at all. We had research ongoing before they killed it, and pretty much everything screams largely genetic causes. It sure as hell isn't vaccines.
Alisa is a wonderful person. I'm proud to call her a friend and have already donated. Additionally, the story is pretty incredible. I'm finishing up a podcast on her AI voice clone scam that should be out at the end of the week. It truly is a wild story.
I couldn't agree more. She shared some very kind and comforting words with me when my father passed last summer for which I was/am so grateful. My heart is broken for her and her parents.
Gut-wrenching letters, and I hope these listeners get the support (financial, emotional, and otherwise) that they need.
On a lighter note, is Alisa’s father related to Ian McKellen, cause he sure bears a striking resemblance in that photo.
And on an even lighter note, never change, Welch. Your tech troubles bring joy to the masses.
I had the exact same thought re: Ian McKellen.
Wow! Each of these emails hit hard in a different way (including the last one, since I’m about Matt’s age and technologically challenged. If I had to do what he does each week, I’d fail miserably.) Thank you all for your generosity in sharing. Being vulnerable is hard. 🙏
Dave H's email broke my heart. That's a lot for a family to go through. Wishing Jenny a speedy recovery. Our gracious hosts and the Fifdom at large are absolutely fantastic.
I've been wondering why all these Substack live things have such a low tech appearance. They all look like the times I tried FaceTime with my mom, and end up staring at her nostrils, and they sound like my teen's school movie project. So bad.
Praying for Jenny. God bless your family, Dave.
Thanks for making my screen grab the top picture. It was a pleasure to watch you fuck it up so bad - I was laughing at (with?) you, I admit it. I too hate things in my ears - they give me a fucking headache like immediately.
https://shokz.com/pages/openrun
Give these a whirl if you are so inclined. I've had upwards of 6 pairs over the past 5 years because I did not enjoy things in my ears!
@Matt you too, sir
Earwigs suck. Give me real headphones any day.
Why are your children making fun of you in French? This is America, dammit! #DeportMattsKids
I really feel for Julia P as I have been on the receiving on of that shit from both anuses of the political spectrum.
The issue of forgiveness and moving on are complicated. I think you have to work through those feelings and think about how genuine this person is in their apology and how important this friendship is for you. Ideally we extend others grace in the hope that grace will be extended to us when we fuck up but you also don't want to become a doormat.
Frankly I think the ship has sailed on keeping politics out of our daily lives/relationships and that's been true for decades. Even in families that "don't discuss politics" I find that in practice this means one loudmouth gets to say whatever they want and everyone else stays quiet to avoid rocking the boat. At a certain point keeping the peace becomes just another form of enabling.
What we need is to move towards better ways of discussing politics in our relationships. Rather then try to enforce some kind of unattainable neutrality or simply cutting out people that don't conform to our rigid yet every changing dogmas we should instead enforce better norms of discourse around topics.
Interesting that so many people feel we are in a comparable time to Nazi Germany. I have felt what has happened in the culture in the last decade is very comparable to the Russian Revolution. A autocracy was replaced by totalitarians who equate any criticism with proof that you support the autocracy.
Laura G, if you’re reading this, I would love to pick your brain on autism! I’m in a somewhat different boat with my son, but am looking for anything I can do to help him (having tried the usual stuff). I just got him on a waiting list for a functional medicine pediatrician.
Hi Sierra! Laura G here! Functional medicine is amazing! Happy to brainstorm with you about things you may able to do on your own before your appointment:)
The right answer to anyone trying to emotionally blackmail you is to say "fuck you and fuck your opinions", and wait for *them* to apologize. Then you can forgive them and maybe get back to some percentage of your former friendship. But understand that the moment you make concessions to someone else's emotional blackmail over politics that you are forever their bitch.
Fuck that, and fuck them.
Just a quick note to say thank you to everyone in the 5th community who sent kind messages, encouragement, and contributions. To Matt’s point in the intro, I completely agree—I don’t want the 5th to get into the full-time fundraising business either. It was incredibly hard for me to write and send that missive. But I’m profoundly moved by the generosity and kindness shown here. Thank you, sincerely.
I feel for the woman with a severely autistic child, but RFK Jr.s brand of bullshit isn't going to help autism at all. We had research ongoing before they killed it, and pretty much everything screams largely genetic causes. It sure as hell isn't vaccines.
What is the email address again, Mr. Welch?
wethefifth@substack.com