In 2013, I wrote about David Drew Howe, the Maryland man who briefly stepped into the public eye by asserting a hereditary claim to the medieval title “King of Mann.” At the time, his story was circulating widely enough to merit attention: an American genealogical enthusiast announcing a royal lineage, a minor media stir, and … Continue reading The Curious Case of the King of Mann — A Coda
Category: Cultural Essays
Reflections on the customs, moral assumptions, and social habits that shape everyday life. These essays explore the traditions, virtues, and institutions that quietly organize society.
Better a Has-Been than a Never-Was
Image generated by ChatGPT The Bumper Sticker That Started It A quip I posted a while back popped up on a social media feed as a memory today, alongside a picture I’d had AI generate of a “has-been” and a “never-was.” The post referenced a minivan I’d pulled up behind at lunch, with a bumper … Continue reading Better a Has-Been than a Never-Was
Llandaff Cathedral: A Testament of Welsh Resilience
Llandaff Cathedral. Source: https://www.llandaffcathedral.org.uk Llandaff Cathedral is, in my mind, one of Wales’s most quietly compelling monuments — a place that tells its story not in a single grand flourish, but in layers of survival, damage, and intentional repair. It’s not just a building; it’s a chronicle of Welsh faith, politics, and the tenacity of … Continue reading Llandaff Cathedral: A Testament of Welsh Resilience
Facebook doesn’t care about your community: why local newspapers still matter
If you live in a small town like I do, you probably know exactly when the weekly paper arrives. In my case it comes once a week in the mail: the Northwest Alabamian. By the time it arrives, much of the information in it is technically “old news.” The same stories have often already appeared in … Continue reading Facebook doesn’t care about your community: why local newspapers still matter
The Intergalactic Presence of the Blevins Clan
Often on my commute I listen to audio books. I bounce between books on history and religion, but occasionally I'll listen to fiction. The fiction book I am currently listening to is Star Wars: Aftermath. I'm not here to write a book review, but to notice one passing reference that 99.999% of the world will … Continue reading The Intergalactic Presence of the Blevins Clan
The allure of fake orders of chivalry
Caveat Emptor: This is solely my opinion; take it with a grain of salt. Supposedly, the world we live in is full of equal people; surely we can see this when we look around. When I look around, unfortunately, this is not what I see. I see a world that is more akin to what we … Continue reading The allure of fake orders of chivalry
Nothing New Under the Sun
[N.B. I originally posted this article on the Society of Southern Gentlemen blog. I don't plan to maintain that site, so I am merging all the posts there onto this site, but keeping the original timestamps.] That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there … Continue reading Nothing New Under the Sun
