What Topics Does the Random Digressions Blog Cover?
Updated
Random Digressions is a personal opinion blog that publishes essays on personal responsibility, American society and politics, and short parable-style pieces, with occasional forward-looking reflections on the country's future. It is not a news site, tutorial hub, or how-to resource. If you are looking for reported facts, practical guides, or a fixed editorial calendar, this blog is not organized that way; if you want short, argument-driven commentary from a single author's perspective, it fits that purpose.
Confirmed Topic Areas
Based on the posts visible on the site, the blog's subjects cluster into four areas:
- Personal responsibility as a value. The most recent post (February 2, 2025) argues that people would be better off if personal responsibility were practiced regularly and treated as a personal, cultural, and collective value. It also distinguishes personal responsibility from what the author calls external responsibility.
- American society and politics. Posts from 2016 and 2018 address the Republican Party, the Trump era, and the idea that Americans are "dreadfully like other peoples"—a line the author attributes to James Russell Lowell. These are openly opinionated political essays, not neutral reporting.
- Parable-style short pieces. A 2020 post, "Parable of the Board Member," uses a board meeting and a spreadsheet to make a point. These posts teach through a small scenario rather than through direct argument.
- Optimism and future outlook. The 2018 post "Optimism for America – Some Day It Will Be 2038" projects forward to a future in which, in the author's view, the full story of a political era will be told.
What Kind of Writing to Expect
The blog is essayistic and viewpoint-driven. Each post opens with a claim or a quoted line and then develops an argument. The excerpt for "The American People are Dreadfully Like Other Peoples" shows the pattern: a paraphrase of a historical quote, followed by the author's reflection. There are no interviews, data sets, product reviews, or step-by-step instructions in the visible posts.
This matters for how you read it. Treat the posts as one person's arguments to consider and respond to, not as a source to cite for factual claims about politics or history.
Topic Scope Is Not Fixed
The blog has no visible category menu or fixed column structure in the material available. Posts span 2006 through 2025, and the subjects shift with the author's interests—from a 2006 piece on being "fro" (the excerpt is truncated) to 2025 commentary on responsibility. Expect the range to keep changing rather than to follow a stable set of sections.
Is It a Good Fit for You?
| If you want… | This blog… |
|---|---|
| Short opinion essays on responsibility and American politics | Fits: these are the dominant visible themes |
| Parables or reflective short pieces | Fits: at least one example is present |
| News reporting or verified facts | Does not fit: posts are argumentative, not reportorial |
| Tutorials, reviews, or buying advice | Does not fit: no such content appears |
| A predictable publishing schedule or category index | Does not fit: no fixed structure is visible |
One practical note: the archive is sparse and irregular—posts appear across many years rather than in a steady stream—so check the most recent entries first to see whether the current themes interest you before browsing older ones.