Good morning, friends!

Election Day is on Tuesday. You may have noticed that I don’t typically include profiles of political figures in this newsletter—and that’s intentional.

It’s rare to find a deeply reported, objective, and insightful profile of a political candidate. (If you come across one, please send it my way.)

To many people’s dismay, I don’t subscribe to any one political party. (I am a registered Independent and have voted for both Democrats and Republicans.)

With that said, I haven’t been shy about writing about democracy, activism, and America.

In “An Immigrant’s Love Letter to America,” I wrote about the fact that I wholeheartedly love this country. I wrote that it’s important to remember the difference between patriotism and nationalism. Patriotism is the love and devotion to your country and its values, often expressed through pride in its achievements and a desire to improve it. Nationalism, on the other hand, is the belief that your country is superior to others without seeing a need for improvement.

In ‘Why Democracy Requires Action,” I wrote that America is less broken — and more resilient — than we think. In autocracies, for example, conflict and change are bad because they risk the power of those in charge. In a democracy, they are good because they allow for citizens to propel our country forward without destroying it. As Bertrand Russell said: “In a democracy, the fools have a right to vote. In a dictatorship, the fools have a right to rule.” A democracy relies on its citizens having — and using — their voices as catalysts for change.

In ‘Why Activism Isn’t Enough to Change the World,’ I wrote that there is no one single way to advocate for meaningful change. What I’ve noticed is people who are able to spur meaningful change don’t just do the work, they live it. They incorporate it into their professions, they align their actions to be consistent with their beliefs, and they create a model for others.

In ‘**Why Time Is Our Most Precious Resource,’** I tell the story of Alexander Hamilton, one of the nation’s most prominent Founding Fathers who is credited for developing the U.S. financial system.

Hamilton spent his life educating himself every step of the way. He made sense of the world through extensive reading and elaborate note-taking. But he always knew it wasn’t enough to just learn. He knew he needed to immediately put it into action.

Hamilton studied, took, and passed the bar exam after only six months of self-directed education. Time and time again, he would follow learning with swift acton. He translated many of his ideas into proposals, political arguments, and eventually, America’s financial system.

Here’s how he put it: “Men give me credit for some genius. All the genius I have lies in this; when I have a subject in hand, I study it profoundly. Day and night it is before me. I explore it in all its bearings. My mind becomes pervaded with it. Then the effort which I have made is what people are pleased to call the fruit of genius. It is the fruit of labor and thought.”

In other words, what made Hamilton successful wasn’t some God-given talent or intelligence. It was constant learning paired with constant deliberate action. Day after day. Year after year. As author Ron Chernow put it, Hamilton was a thinker and a doer; a “sparkling theoretician and masterful executive.”

In today’s world, we’ve got way too many sparkling theoreticians and very few masterful executives. Hamilton knew that it took more than a political proposal (…or a tweet) to make a long-lasting difference. It takes consistent, individual action.

The common thread running through all my articles is this: a thriving democracy demands action. We all share the responsibility to contribute, regardless of who occupies the Oval Office.

— Polina

PROFILES.

— Hollywood’s most bankable writer [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— The billionaires buying Montana’s mountains
— The songwriters opining on the future of America
— The enigma of Silicon Valley
— The brand leading the ‘quiet luxury’ movement

PEOPLE TO KNOW.

Hollywood’s most bankable writer: It seems like nearly every piece of paper with Ben Mezrich’s name turns into Hollywood gold. The Social Network was adapted by screenwriter Aaron Sorkin from Mezrich’s book The Accidental Billionaires. Last September, his book about the GameStop meme-stock frenzy, which he titled The Antisocial Network, became Dumb Money. In a way, Mezrich’s books aren’t even books. What they really are is IP: intellectual property designed for Hollywood adaptation. Here’s how he became one of the most bankable writers in the business. (New York Magazine; alternate link)

“I write a ten-to-14-page book proposal, we take it out to Hollywood, and I sell the movie rights. Then I go to the publishing houses with these ten pages and I sell the book.

The billionaires buying Montana’s mountains: The United States is privatizing its natural wonders from Southern California beaches to Rocky Mountain streams. Investors buy up a valley or mountain, fence it off, shoo away the public, and charge rates only the wealthy can afford. Nowhere is this more in evidence than Montana, where former livestock ranches across the state have been converted into fishing and hunting clubs. Montana has been luxurified, from the skyrocketing cost of paying outfitters to shoot a bull elk to the carving of the state into recreational ranches the size of major national parks. Curiously, the perpetrators of privatization are never named in these ads, leaving the viewer to wonder: Are they speculators? D.C. bureaucrats? Who is after Montana’s land? (New York Magazine; alternate link)

“The Yellowstone club contains the ‘largest concentration of billionaires anywhere outside New York City.'”

The songwriters opining on the future of America: In this Rolling Stone feature, country music star Zach Bryan and the iconic Bruce Sprinsteen get together in New Jersey and go deep on the perils of stardom, classic country, the importance of moms, and the troubled state of the union. (Rolling Stone; alternate link)

“I’m tired of everyone arguing. It’s about time people were just thankful to be American.”

The enigma of Silicon Valley: Marissa Mayer, the former Google engineer and CEO of Yahoo, has worked on artificial intelligence for 25 years. Her startup Sunshine is devoted to AI-empowering family and social life with photo sharing, contact managing, and event planning. In this Q&A, Mayer discusses her stance on feminism, her views on neurodiversity, and the technology that excites her most. (WIRED; alternate link)

“I don’t think I’m particularly neurodivergent. I just really like details.”

COMPANIES TO WATCH.

The brand leading the ‘quiet luxury’ movement: The Row, a luxury label founded in 2006 by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, has gained widespread recognition—and even reverence from certain fashion writers—for its interpretations of wardrobe staples. These items, typically found in big-box chains and high-end department stores, are reimagined with hefty price tags: $1,420 for a turtleneck, $990 for jeans, $1,490 for sneakers, and $990 for silk-and-acetate hotel-style slippers. The combination of these prices and the clothing’s understated design has positioned The Row as a frontrunner in the “quiet luxury” trend—a form of fashion cosplay associated with “old money” aesthetics. Can it maintain its cool factor even as it enters more into the mainstream? (The New York Times; alternate link)

“It has this intellectual aura, maybe a little bit of superiority by telling you this is made from the best materials, presented in the most intense store experience.”

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