The Link Between Sadness and Redemption, Diving into DJing, and The Theory of Enchantment

Key Takeaways

Twitter is probably the best tool for engaging people with your brand, but you have to be careful.
It’s reasonable to have bylaws in place that protect companies from their own employees’ social media presence.
The problem of absentee fathers in East of Eden helped Chloe develop a greater sense of empathy for young men dealing with that.
Is the sound or the lyrics what is pulling people in?
Music—even one chord—can be sad and redemptive at the same time.
Theory of Enchantment teaches developmental psychology through pop culture.
- We are human beings, not political abstractions.
- Criticize to uplift and empower, not destroy.
- Root everything you do in love and compassion.

Summary

This time, I sit down with Chloe Valdary, a writer, activist, and founder of the Theory of Enchantment. The Theory of Enchantment is a course is designed to equip students with the skills necessary to develop a healthy sense of personal empowerment and social wellbeing in both their private lives and society at large, and the course is heavily influenced by pop culture.

In this episode, Chloe discusses how music has influenced her thinking, why she views social media as more than just a tool to create content, what makes East of Eden one of her favorite books, the methods behind The Theory of Enchantment, and more. Without further ado, please enjoy this deep dive with Chloe Valdary.

Capturing Events for Social Media

Being on social media is part of getting your content out there, but you don’t need to post everything.
There are some strategies to help filter out the urge to post literally everything.
- Delete the apps so you have to pull up the site through Safari.
Certain platforms, like Twitter, force you to be concise with your thoughts.

Social Media as a Content Tool vs. Engagement Tool

Pushing out content for its own sake looks like GarageBand, which everyone has access to, but isn’t necessarily meant for everyone to engage with.
You have to also know how and when to engage with certain messages.
Trolls are unavoidable.
It’s hard to develop a policy to govern social media usage at work.

East of Eden as Chloe’s favorite book

Fundamentally about fathers and sons, and sons and their brothers.
The impulse that young men feel to live up to their fathers’ vision for them.

The Tension between musical content and lyrics

Christian values present in East of Eden informed a lot of Christian values currently in American folk music.
Some lyrics have the ability to put you into a meditative state, where the “beat” operates merely in the background.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a lightning rod for public speaking

Dr. King was not just a pastor but was a singer, too.
The use of gospel in popular music is so powerful.
The Lion King soundtrack works so well because of its gospel nature
He almost sang when he delivered his speeches.
The way Dr. King spoke was inseparable from what he was saying.

Theory of Enchantment

A framework to teach developmental psychology through pop culture.
- She teaches people how to navigate the human condition through pop culture.
- This works through music, literature, theatre, and even pop psychologists.
She wanted to teach people how to love through what they already love.
Companies are influencing people
Enchantment -- the process by which you delight someone with a product.
She was motivated by a lot of the philosophy of Nike, Apple, and a few others.

Key quotes

14:45 — “I feel the most effective rate of return [on Twitter] because I can curate what I want to see.”

22:00 — “There should be some kind of social media training for CEOs.”

29:00 — “This book captured the emotional feeling of having to deal with [absentee fathers].”

36:45 — “I feel like genre today is imploding on itself.”

42:00 — “The beat is not enough!”

46:45 — “The fact that Dr. King was a singing kind of acted as a lightning rod for his speeches.”

52:30 — “What hip-hop does with language makes it one of the most sophisticated art forms of all time.”

57:00 — “Sadness and redemption are not a dichotomy; they are linked.”

Some More Things and People Mentioned In The Conversation:

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