Sasha Stone is a fellow Substacker whom I’ve first encountered a long time ago on Twitter due to our mutual interest in film—a topic she (like me) has covered for many years for her own website, AwardsDaily.com.
Since then, both of us have ventured more deeply into the political realm, though not always in alignment. In fact, our perspectives have likely diverged further over time. Yet, what I’ve always appreciated about our interactions is that we’ve managed to maintain a respectful dialogue. We may disagree—sometimes profoundly—but we do so without resorting to personal attacks.
She remains, in my view, someone guided by good intentions, intellectual curiosity, and a willingness to consider alternative viewpoints. More importantly, she’s capable of acknowledging when she may have been wrong—an increasingly rare and underrated trait. Often, that humility and openness matter more than any fixed political stance. I believe that kind of honest, good-faith exchange between people who see the world differently is essential—not only for broadening our own perspectives but for arriving at a more nuanced understanding of the world as well as when it comes to challenging our own views and strengthening our ideas.
I think Sasha has also demonstrates real courage by expressing her views in an industry that can be unforgiving toward those who stray from the accepted script. That’s something I can’t help but respect.
There are areas of agreement we share too.
We are both deeply concerned about intolerance—across all ideological spectrums. We’ve also watched with dismay as the cultural landscape, especially cinema, has suffered under the weight of creative caution. It’s difficult to make meaningful art or even pure entertainment while tiptoeing around or having to adhere to some rigid system of what one should or shouldn’t say. And, together, we mourn the loss of subtext in so much of the storytelling we see today.
I hope you’ll find our conversation—which I’ve published here in its entirety—interesting.
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