Reactionary revolution
‘reactionary’ (n.) — a person whose political views favour a return to the way things were before.
In 1905, G.K. Chesterton presented the public with a prophecy. He said that in the coming century, swords would be drawn to prove that leaves are green in summer. Chesterton believed that in the not-too-distant future to testify to the evidence of your own eyes would become a revolutionary act.
Cue the 21st century and each man and each woman finds themselves sunk in a unique neo-reality, where the ‘big questions’ become subsumed in the egoist’s quagmire of ‘her truth’, ‘your truth’, and ‘my truth’. To attest to the existence of a truth which endures no matter which way you look at is derided as antiquated; ‘racist’, ‘transphobic’, and ‘bigoted’.
The past did not seem simple at the time, and yet en masse people feel a distinct desire to return to it; to return to a time when the statements, “Men cannot get pregnant” and “Children cannot consent” were uncontroversial.
As Western nations toy with the idea of a post-liberal glow-up, I ask, “What ideas have been taken for granted? and “What ideas need to be done away with?”
Why subscribe?
In this Substack, I try to address integral questions that define and plague civilisations.
Questions such as ‘How is nationality defined?’ and ‘What is common sense?’ At first, these questions seem to have clear-cut answers — self-evident answers that have been repeated for decades if not centuries. And yet, when they are scrutinised, these answers are revealed to be perilously insubstantial and leave a society vulnerable to attack.
I attempt to tackle questions, the answers to which appear aloof and faltering; questions such as ‘Why is monogamy important?’ and ‘Can people be born into the wrong body?’ I take these questions and ask, “Are we thinking too hard about this?”
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‘Lillian the Duck’
‘Lillian the Duck’ is a fun feature exclusive to my paid supporters.
Lillian loves to play hide and seek. She has done a deal with Charlie (the author of this Substack) whereby readers part with their hard-earned money to have endless fun finding Lillian as she waddles between the pages of Charlie’s exclusive Substack articles and subscriber-only essays…
(She’s pimping herself for the good of the cause, really.)
Can you find Lillian the Duck?
About Charlie Bentley-Astor
My writing first came to public notice in 2022 when I detailed my over-decade-long conflict with gender dysphoria in an essay for The Telegraph. Whilst writing, I discovered that a radical adherence to reality — something that had been agonising to confront — had many unexpected curative qualities.
This prescription for inoculating oneself from the 21st century proved to be a popular one and my essays scrutinising the nature of identity, freedom, conservative politics, and woke culture found a home in the pages of nouveau countercultural magazines like UnHerd.
Today, I regularly appear in sexy and resplendent publications like The Critic Magazine and The European Conservative. My articles also feature in mainstream UK and international media outlets, including The Telegraph.
You can find me here on X as @astor_charlie
I graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2023 where I studied English Literature. I specialised in the purpose of imagination in the process of articulation and the expression of logos.
My background is in theatre, where I trained as a writer and director at the National Theatre. If you squint, you will sometimes still see me staging revivals and showcasing new art in London.
My first book
I am writing my first book which charts my odyssey through the University of Cambridge as a rather scruffy waif plunged into a world of privilege, secret societies, and sordid political games. It hopes to find an answer as to how a gaunt and cowardly girl from an underperforming state school came to cross the political aisle to stand toe-to-toe with the cancel culture mob at one of the most powerful and prestigious universities in the world.
