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Bummerland Sends Up Austin’s MAGA Tech

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Bummerland Sends Up Austin’s MAGA Tech-Bro Culture A new essay collection by Randolph Lewis chronicles how Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, an Apple campus, and scorched-earth MAGA capitalism killed Austin's famous weirdness — and finds unexpected glimmers of hope even in big-box America. MAGA may not deliver material benefits for the vast majority of its adherents, but it does provide them with a coherent w...
The article presents a narrative of the transformation of Austin, Texas, from a unique and eccentric city to a hub for tech oligarchs, with Musk and Rogan serving as prime examples. This shift is framed as a loss of Austin's "weird" identity and a reflection of MAGA capitalism's impact on local communities. Lewis's critique extends to big-box stores like Target and Walmart, where he finds pockets of humanity amid soulless surroundings. In Uvalde, he encounters both powerful expressions of commun...