There’s a weird culture, centred around TED talks and some types of industry conferences, where people make careers out of mastering the speaking style and mannerisms of fast-talking con artists. Except, instead of selling snake oil or bridges, they’re just selling themselves.

When I see people say western society is collapsing because of politics or the latest trend or mass media, I usually think they’re exaggerating. Then I see TED Talk culture: All the bad parts of religion but with no beliefs, no ethics, no poetry, no mythology, no tradition, no humanity, and no content, where people applaud each other’s vacuous narcissism and ability to speak on a topic at length while saying nothing. It’s like being surrounded by mirrors, seeing infinite, ever-shrinking reflections of nothingness. That is when I truly feel afraid for my child’s future.