Date: July 1st, 2025
Author: Zeal
John ‘Zman’ Zander passed away on June 26th, 2025. Somehow reconciling both the ‘esoteric’ and ‘prominent’ categories, Zman and his blog (https://thezman.com/) were well-known in the ‘dissident right-wing politics’ arena. John was a regular at American Renaissance conferences and even a speaker. His blog operated as a nexus point for dissident discussion, and he posted an article usually daily. Although prominent, he was also esoteric: no one knew his real name until after his death, and his blog had a mystique of ‘if you know, you know.’
His weekly podcast (https://rumble.com/c/TheZBlogPowerHour) was something that I had a habit of listening to every week. And I listened not because, as is typical, that I agreed with everything. In fact, I disagreed with a fair amount. I considered him generationally out-of-touch, similar to Paul Ramsey, who he was co-hosting a show with (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOHfzdArgZA). I listened because he was insightful, knowledgeable, and I could tell he was a decent honest man. I felt that his words must contain some kind of wisdom, whether there’s truth in that assessment or not.
I am starting this essay project partially due to inspiration from Zman. Often times in complex system analysis, thoughts become jumbled and connections become tedious. Similar to how writing down a complex math equation, as opposed to doing it in your head, can expedite the process, I hope that writing down my thought can help formulate an overall cogent coherent worldview.
I plan to cover a variety of topics, not merely relegated to politics. Nothing is forbidden. I plan to read and review books in an interactive Socratic manner. I hope to have commenters to interact with.
-Zeal