To the Greymantle reader community,
When we started this blog, our goal was to create a space for nuanced discussion about the intersection of our political lives and the culture that shapes them in ways the mainstream press often misses. Over the past 18 months, Greymantle’s Politics and Culture has grown into something more significant than we originally imagined, thanks to your engagement. Now, we’d like to ask for your help in Shaping the Mantle.
As we look at the next 18 months of our editorial calendar, we’ve been looking closely at the data—and it has thrown us some interesting curveballs. I’m writing to you today because I want to know if the numbers tell the same story that you would.
While some of our articles have become “evergreen” hits—ranking in our top three each month—others have received a quieter reception. To ensure we are spending our time on the stories that matter to you, we are coming to you today for some direct intelligence.
The Mystery of the Master Magician vs. The Shooter
Our November 3, 2024 post, “Lord of Illusions: Donald Trump as Master Magician,” remains our most-read piece to date, ranking in our top three every month since. It explores the intersection of Donald Trump’s social media strategy and political rhetoric and select Western esoteric philosophies – most especially Aleister Crowley’s Thelema.
However, in September 2025 we published “Chaos Is the Goal: The Minneapolis Church Shooter and the Aims of Esoterrorism.” Despite following a similar “esoteric” thread, it didn’t find the same traction.
- Is it the Subject? Is Donald Trump simply a more compelling subject for this type of deep analysis?
- Is it the Source Material? The “Magician” piece relied heavily on direct quotes. Do you want more “raw evidence” and less “opinionated summary”?
- Is it the Framing? Are you more interested in how “high-level” political actors use these ideas as tools, rather than low-level perpetrators of extremist violence?
Jupa’s Next Mission: Beyond the Taiwan Strait
As many of you know, Richard Jupa’s 8-part series on the Chinese Navy and its threat to Taiwan was a solid success. We feel we’ve covered that specific frontline extensively for the moment, but where should Richard turn his expertise next?
- Should he continue tracking the People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) as it expands its “String of Pearls” into the Indian Ocean?
- Should he pivot to the Indian Navy’s rapid modernization and its role as a regional counterweight to China?
- Or would you prefer an analysis of other navies active in the Western Pacific (Japan, Australia, South Korea) and their shifting alliances?
Shaping the Mantle: The Geopolitical Pivot
We also noticed a somewhat tepid response to our 2025 coverage of Russia and Vladimir Putin. We’re curious to know if this reflects a broader “Russia fatigue.” Would you rather see our international focus shift toward:
- The Middle East: Specifically, the ongoing conflict between Israel and its regional neighbors, the fate of Iran’s regime, and the transformation of Saudi Arabia?
- The European Union: A focus on Europe following its strategic rupture with the U.S. and its need to rearm due to a more aggressive Russia?
- Latin America: Diving into the implications of the “Donroe Doctrine” and what it means for Latin American sovereignty?
- The United States: More deep-dive articles on Trump, MAGA and American populism?
- East Asia: Would a new focus on rising geopolitical tensions in Asia, including between China and Japan, China and the Philippines, and the border war between Thailand and Cambodia be subjects that might interest you if we started digging into them?
Shaping the Mantle: Contributor Pulse
We are also planning the next moves for other core contributors. Your feedback here is vital:
- Gideon Evans: His deep dives into legalized gambling and the podcasting revolution were major hits. Would you like more on media trends and the “Vibe Economy”?
- Robert Cox: Robert’s comparison of 1968 vs. 2024 student protests and his analysis of Artificial Intelligence both saw strong engagement. Should Robert lean further into the “Human vs. Machine” trust gap, or stay on the pulse of U.S. history and cultural activism?
Fertility Wars, Popular Culture and Fringe Subcultures
Aside from geopolitics, we devoted a lot of space in 2025 to the commencement of the ‘fertility wars’, uncovered what pop culture trends say about society’s direction, and charting the path of fringe subcultures and esoteric movements like traditionalist ‘dissenter communities’, ‘Wokism’ inspired activist movements, and adherents of the ‘Sinisterian Impulse’. Would you like to see more of those articles?
Additionally, we’ve referenced the ‘Western religious revival’ now in several of our post. Is that something which interests you? Would you us to provide more color on that particular trend?
Finally: popular culture. Our articles exploring the cultural relevance of horror movies and the rise of fantasy-themed television series like ‘Rings of Power’ have received some good feedback. If we keep making connections between popular entertainment and underlying social trends, would that be helpful?
A Question of Scale
Beyond the “what,” we want to know the “how.” Our pieces often vary widely in length.
- Do you prefer concise, punchy briefs (800–1,000 words)?
- Is it intermediate length articles (1,000-2,500 words) that carry slightly greater detail?
- Or are you here for the long-form deep dives (2,500+ words) that allow for more of the “raw evidence” and direct quotes we used in the “Master Magician” piece?
- The Direct Voice: Does it matter to you if we use more direct quotes and “on-the-record” interviews, or do you prefer our synthesized analysis?
Shaping the Mantle – Cast Your Vote
Below, you’ll find our reader poll. It will take you thirty seconds, but it will shape everything we publish in 2026 and beyond.
I would also encourage you to submit comments using the comment option at the bottom of the page. Comments give you the opportunity to provide added feedback and a more personal assessment of what we are doing right, and the areas where we could still improve our content. We welcome every comment, and I will be responding to every one personally.
