Recently, while watching an episode of LotusEaters, I came across a comment made by Harry. It’s been looping in my head for days now — not because it was profound, but because it perfectly captured the confused spirit of modern millennial thought.
The topic was circumcision. Harry scoffed at it — dismissing it as a “dusty old stupid tradition based on some mystical book from somewhere somewhere somewhere.” The smugness wasn’t surprising. What struck me was the total lack of self-awareness.
Let me start with the basics. Yes, circumcision is a core requirement for every Jewish male. It's not a "suggestion" or a quirky cultural custom. It's a commandment. You’ll find it plainly in the Hebrew Bible — Exodus 12:48:
“If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land.”
This is not an obscure footnote in Jewish tradition. It is central. A physical sign of a covenant thousands of years old.
And yet, Harry mocks it. With that typical millennial condescension, he waves it away as backward. As pointless. As primitive. And in doing so, he reveals a deeper contradiction — one that permeates his generation of thinkers.
You see, Harry is not just some random talking head. He’s someone who regularly discusses the importance of cultural identity. Someone who frequently argues for the preservation of Englishness. He laments the erosion of tradition. He cries out for a return to the moral foundations of Britain. He wants historical norms. He wants the essence of the past. He wants to rebuild what was lost.
Except — he doesn't. Not really. Because the very moment he’s faced with the source of those traditions, he recoils.
Harry is an atheist. He wants the fruits of Christian civilization — its order, its dignity, its culture, its identity — without any of the roots. He wants to enjoy the garden while ripping out the soil. He wants the benefits of the “dusty old book” while mocking its authority.
But here’s the truth he doesn’t want to face: His society was built on that book. The entire English system — from monarchy to democracy, from civil law to the abolition of slavery — is soaked in Judeo-Christian thought.
The Church of England shaped the moral foundation of British life. English common law, especially civil remedies and proportional justice, finds deep roots in biblical concepts — like an eye for an eye, which is not about vengeance but proportionate response. The idea that no man should be a slave? That comes from Genesis: God made man in His image. That all men are equal in the eyes of the law? That’s Deuteronomy. That rulers are subject to higher moral authority? That’s 1 Samuel.
All of it — every single modern value Harry claims to uphold — comes from the "dusty old book" he finds so distasteful.
But this contradiction is not just Harry’s. It is the defining contradiction of the modern millennial intellectual.
This generation wants identity — but not tradition. They want morality — but not religion. They want values — but not commandments. They want structure — but not authority. They want heritage — but not the obligation that comes with it.
They speak endlessly about returning to the past. About reviving culture. About rebuilding civilization. But when asked to participate in the rituals and disciplines that shaped that civilization — they scoff. They would rather intellectualize tradition than live it.
This is why their project will fail. Their cultural revival is a mirage. Because they are too scared to believe in anything bigger than themselves. Too arrogant to kneel before anything sacred. Too cynical to accept that a flourishing society requires faith — not just nostalgia.
And so they tear down what’s left, piece by piece. They mock Jews for preserving their identity through ancient practices like circumcision — while in the next breath begging for the English to rediscover theirs. They deride Jewish obedience to their sacred texts — while complaining that no one respects theirs.
It stinks of hypocrisy. But worse than that — it’s confused. Deeply, historically, and spiritually confused.
This is the modern millennial intellectual in a nutshell: a man who wants to rebuild the cathedral while refusing to enter the church.