The Burden of Good Taste

cowboat
July 26, 2025

You know them when you see them. The people who were into that band two years before everyone else, who can spot good design from across the room, who somehow always know which new restaurant is actually worth the hype. They’re not trying to impress anyone, but they have an eye for quality that cuts through the noise.

People of taste occupy a unique position in our culture. They’re not swayed by manufactured hype or consensus thinking. They recognize quality instinctively, spot trends before they crystallize, and maintain actual opinions rather than regurgitating normie slop takes. They operate as a cultural early warning system.

Right now, we need those early warnings.

In our environment of heightened information (and, you must understand, spiritual) warfare, maintaining cogsec is crucial to preserving both your sanity and your humanity. When AI slop floods every channel and algorithmic manipulation shapes what millions see and think, people of taste have a responsibility to exercise their discernment in the public interest.

If you’re someone whose opinion carries weight, whose recommendations people actually follow and advice they heed, you’re shaping cultural infrastructure whether you realize it or not. When you spot something genuinely good, you should support it—especially if it aligns with your interests. When you see something bad brewing, like a horde of AI porn bots on the horizon, you have a duty to warn your community and protect your family. You must not renege on this responsibility, lest the information environment degrade until even good taste[*] can’t navigate the noise.

Your discernment is valuable precisely because it’s yours, but its value extends beyond you. People value your opinion and follow where you lead. Your taste is a gift. Do not let it grow bitter fueling your superiority complex. Use it. We cannot afford for you not to.

[*] While I’ve used taste throughout to describe the ability to recognize quality, authenticity, and value, a more apt term frankly would be Virtue. I will write more about this in the future, but for the present, do not make the mistake of interpreting “taste” in this context purely as aesthetic or cultural preference.