What to Expect
An Emphasis on High Culture & Living A Meaningful Life
Joey is concerned about the failures of art education, the coldness and unreliability of contemporary art to common people, and the capture of cultural institutions, universities, and day-to-day life by ideologies like wokeness, antisemitism, red-pill misogyny, and conspiracy thinking.
He believes a connection to the arts, participation in our cultural institutions, the ability to feel comfortable expressing opinions, and a rich spiritual life are antidotes to many social ills afflicting our culture.
His art and cultural criticism reject the lens of Critical Social Justice. Joey is critical of mediocrity in the arts and reserves descriptive criticism for all but the most deserving shows. You can read more of his criticism at Fair Observer.
Contrarianism with Limits
Joey often expresses viewpoints different from mainstream narratives in left and right-leaning media outlets, and he sees much of right-media as mainstream. He decries cable as ideological and regards high-quality print like the New York Times, City Journal, The Wall Street Journal, The New Criterion, and The Atlantic as superb despite their biases.
On Joey’s podcast, expect to hear heterodox voices who sometimes say shocking and controversial things. However, there is a difference between a serious thinker with an unorthodox take and a nutcase. The latter are not permitted on Joey’s podcast.
Concern for the Wellbeing of Our Nation
The United States is experiencing a myriad of interconnected social and political crises. Record levels of deaths of despair and addiction, high levels of loneliness, low rates of social participation, political polarization, a crisis of meaning both in our hearts and in lack of trust for epistemic institutions, and low trust in election integrity threaten the well-being of Americans and the health of our democracy.
Joey uses his platform to discuss and write about these problems. He believes Americans need to find a sense of patriotism again. He asks all Americans to feel “agape love” for each other. We should be proud to be Americans, proud of our founding ideals, and the movements that made us a more perfect union.
About Joey
Joey is an artist, journalist, critic, and podcaster. Born and raised in Baltimore, MD, he lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Painting and a minor in History of Art & Design in 2022. His paintings can be found on his Instagram @joeyt.mcfadden.
He is a recent alumnus of the National Journalism Center and a leader in the Braver Angels NYC Alliance. His work appeared in Upward News, Fair Observer, and FAIR in the Arts. He writes and podcasts for in response… on Substack.
