#495: “I Admire Him. I Admire His Authenticity.” Article Club podcast

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#495: “I admire him. I admire his authenticity.”

1d ago 29:15

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Hi Loyal Readers. Thank you for opening this week’s issue of Article Club.

In case you’re new here: Every month over the last five-plus years, we’ve done a deep dive on an outstanding article. This means reading, annotating, and discussing the piece on Zoom. It also means inviting the author to share their views in a podcast interview. They almost always say yes. Click here and scroll down to check out all the authors we’ve had.

Today’s issue is dedicated to my interview with Brendan I. Koerner, author of this month’s featured article, “The Spectacular Burnout of a Solar Panel Salesman.” Scroll down for:

* a quick review of the article (and why I liked it so much)

* a short bio of the author (and why I appreciated our conversation)

* an invite to our discussion on June 1

The Article (and why I liked it so much)

“The Spectacular Burnout of a Solar Panel Salesman”Original Article • My Annotations • Gift Link • Wired (20 minutes)

Eighteen-year-old Aaron Colvin lives in New York and attends college at Niagara University. But like many young men right now, Aaron is unsure that college is for him. He feels incomplete, lost somehow — and he’s yearning for a way to make it big. Then one day, while at the gym, Aaron meets a bodybuilder, an enormous man who says he’s made “crazy money” selling solar panels down in Florida. You should check it out, he says. After thinking about it, Aaron takes the plunge, leaving college to join a door-to-door solar panel sales crew named Seal Team Six. He spends his days “blitzing” neighborhoods with his colleagues — also young men wanting to strike it rich. In the evenings, Aaron records content for his fledgling YouTube channel and downs burritos with the bros, all the while seeking personal enlightenment (and paying for his lodging, and making very little money, and not receiving benefits).

I’ve been telling people, this article is quintessential Article Club material. The writing is superb, the pace is quick, and most importantly, you’ll have empathy for Aaron, because Mr. Koerner writes with compassion. In addition, the piece explores many of the topics we care about: masculinity, capitalism, higher education, technology, and the American dream. If you haven’t read it yet, I hope you try it.

The Author (and why I appreciated our conversation)

Brendan I. Koerner is a contributing editor at Wired, where he writes in-depth stories about criminal justice, national security, biomedical research, and sundry other topics. Mr. Koerner is also the author of two books of narrative nonfiction: Now the Hell Will Start, the tale of an American G.I. who went native in the Indo-Burmese jungle, and The Skies Belong to Us, a history of the American hijacking epidemic of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

I appreciated my conversation with Mr. Koerner for many reasons. We covered a wide range of topics, including how this article came about, how he found Aaron, and why he was interested in the topic. Mr. Koerner also spoke about how he reported and organized the piece, and most importantly, how he wanted the reader to feel about Aaron. He said, “ We have to come out of this admiring Aaron, because I admire Aaron. He made kind of a foolish choice, which he acknowledges, and he went through something kind of crazy, but I admire him. I admire his authenticity. I admire his earnestness. I admire his perspective and his intellect.”

It was illuminating to hear Mr. Koerner share his thoughts on the challenges that young men face and the allure of get-rich-quick schemes, especially when they embrace notions of spirituality and self-help and cultiness. I liked the entire interview, but my favorite part was when Mr. Koerner talked about his teenage son, who is not much younger than Aaron. My hope is that you’ll take a listen.

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An invitation to our discussion on June 1

I warmly invite you to participate in our discussion on Sunday, June 1, 2:00 - 3:30 pm PT. We’ll meet on Zoom. You can sign up below.

If it’s your first time: We’ll spend the first few minutes saying hi and doing short introductions. Then after I frame the piece and share our community agreements, we’ll break out into small, facilitated discussion groups. The small groups usually include 5-8 people, so there’s plenty of time to share your perspectives and listen to others. That’s where we’ll spend the bulk of our time. Toward the end, we’ll return to the full group, sharing our reflections and appreciations of fellow participants.

If you’re unsure, I get it. If you don’t know me, it might feel strange to sign up for an online discussion with total strangers. But I’m confident that you’ll find yourself at home with other kind people who like to read deeply and explore ideas in community. It’s not a surprise that we’re able to create an intimate space, almost like we’re in the same physical room together. I hope you’ll try it!

Thank you for reading and listening to this week’s issue. Hope you liked it. 😀

To our 12 new subscribers — including Christopher, Devan, Jimmy, Audrey, Rajshree, Asma, Mona, Geert, Elliott, Leigh, Valen, and Helena — I hope you find the newsletter a solid addition to your email inbox. Welcome to Article Club. Make yourself at home. 🏠

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