Here’s Why I Muted Umair Haque

Warning: this is a sad story

The British economist Umair Haque continues to provoke waves of controversy here on Medium for a number of reasons. First, he is a highly pragmatic and distinguished broadcaster of apocalyptic terminal news, asserting we are all indeed fucked and that in this miserable and pathetic life of ours, the only thing left to do is to crawl into a hole and die. Second, he writes like a pro.

And I like the guy. Even though I got tired of reading his despairing rants, I like Umair. He talks to you like a friend, his voice has a trusting tone, and he knows his craft; his writing is genuine. And I learned a lot from his conversational style. But what is the value at the core of his message?

Reading Umair’s posts is like eating a delicious salty and greasy morsel of burnt plastic with fumes that get you high. And you become immediately hooked. But as you keep ingesting the stuff, a giant gag reflex takes hold of you. We need answers, but Umair does not give us answers. And we just keep coming for more.

Umair’s Nostradamus production values are beyond negativity. People get sucked into it because they become convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that they are finished without any possibility for parole. And Umair has the power of sale.

And for some, there is deliciousness in finally giving up and accepting defeat. If it is this bad, I’ll give up. And there is nothing anyone can do, and of all people, I’m the least qualified. I tend to think writing is the crucial vortex for the lifting and encouraging of all peoples, and using it otherwise is not good. Not good at all.

I wonder what happens to people’s brains after reading Umair’s articles repeatedly. Are there any positive benefits? Do people jump out of their seats to save the world after consuming Haque’s articles? But it’s worse than that. And if Umair was like me with only a smudge of more than a thousand followers, who cares. But his impressive viewership and 180+ K followers are something to consider. What worries me is the raping of our overtaxed, exhausted modern minds of so many. We should all fight depression together.

You are more likely to be harmed by what you feed your mind than the actual dangers of the word. Because…