The End of the Reign of Terror & An Extremist Informant

Featured Articles

Remembering 9 Thermidor, the End of the Terror

Quillette • 2 Aug 2024 • ~5300 words

I quite like coming across an essay like this that takes a complicated subject and distills it down to a perfect introduction. 9 Thermidor refers to the day in 1794 when the radical Jacobin regime led by Maximilien Robespierre was toppled, ending the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution. This article explores the events surrounding it, revealing the chaotic atmosphere of fear and power struggles that characterized this tumultuous time. It examines how a revolutionary movement can spiral into tyranny and the complex legacies of such dark historical chapters.

. . . whatever the Terror may have saved, it certainly wasn’t liberty. The “war for freedom” trampled every one of the liberties proclaimed in the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, from freedom of the press to freedom of worship to due process and the presumption of innocence.

He Was an FBI Informant—and Inspired a Generation of Violent Extremists

WIRED • 1 Aug 2024 • ~2200 words

Joshua Caleb Sutter's story blurs the lines between informant and extremist, as he operated as a confidential FBI source while promoting violent ideologies. This Wired investigation dives into his controversial influence on far-right groups and the troubling implications of his actions, raising questions about the FBI's methods and accountability. If you're curious about the darker intersections of law enforcement and extremism, this piece is worth a read.

The FBI has never addressed Sutter’s role in fueling violent far-right ideology. But the blowback from Sutter’s actions over the past decade is a feature, not a bug, of American law enforcement’s use of confidential informants, says Alexandra Natapoff, a professor at Harvard Law School who has studied the topic extensively for more than 15 years.

Recommended Articles

The Shame of Saint Ann’s

Intelligencer • 1 Aug 2024 • ~4800 words

This article is about Winston Nguyen, a math teacher at the elite Saint Ann’s School, who was arrested and charged with allegedly posing as a teen on Snapchat and asking students at Saint Ann's and other private schools to send him nude images. This piece from New York Magazine dives into the complexities of trust, privilege, and accountability within an institution that many believed was above reproach.

Many of Nguyen’s friends only knew the version of himself he wanted them to see. So it was a surprise when, in May 2017, he was arrested at the Stolls’ Park Avenue home. Initially, they assumed the arrest had something to do with his relationships with young dancers. Instead, they found out that Nguyen had funded their nights out by stealing from the Stolls, opening multiple lines of credit in their names, and withdrawing large sums of cash from their checking accounts.

The stunningly complex behaviour of plants has led to a new way of thinking about our world: plant philosophy

Aeon • 2 Aug 2024 • ~4600 words

Have you ever considered that plants might have their own form of intelligence and agency? This intriguing piece from Aeon dives into the emerging field of plant philosophy, exploring how recent research challenges our traditional views on plant life. It invites us to rethink not just how we see plants but also how appreciating the unique nature of plants could transform how we understand and relate to the living world around us.

For it is not just that philosophy is interested in plants; we discover that plant life, or the specificity of plant *being*, challenges some of the cherished assumptions that have dominated the Western tradition for centuries, if not millennia. Plant philosophy is about more than plants. It is also about how the peculiarities of plant life challenge us to think about our own being in new ways.

Cutscenes | In the Flesh: Esports as Spectacle

MUBI • 2 Aug 2024 • ~4800 words

This piece from MUBI’s notebook explores the rise of esports as a spectacle, tracing its origins from early video game tournaments in the 1970s to the modern professional esports industry. It highlights how esports events leverage production values, crowd engagement, and players' personalities to create an immersive and emotional viewing experience. This is a good read, even if you are not interested in the topic.

One key difference from regular stadium sports is that game spectatorship is directed toward two distinct but connected worlds: the physical presence of the players and the in-game virtual action resulting from their mouse clicks and button presses.

King Kong: Brother, Can You Spare a Giant Gorilla?

Reactor • 29 Jul 2024 • ~4200 words

Have you ever wondered about the origins of King Kong and what led to the creation of this iconic film? While it didn’t age well, especially regarding problematic racial stereotypes, it is considered a groundbreaking work that expanded the possibilities of what could be achieved in cinema. It's a good read for anyone curious about the magic behind classic cinema.

One of the men Selznick brought into RKO as part of this change was filmmaker Merian C. Cooper, who very much wanted a studio to take on a specific project he had in mind. A project that would be risky, expensive, and honestly a little bit bizarre. . . . A project involving a very large ape.