Why Delinquent?
The Delinquent Academic, 18 years old; Wellington, New Zealand, 2011
I sat staring at the infinite white of the word processor. Come on, come up with a good name, I thought. I hung my head. All your names suck; they always have.
I glanced over the computer screen; outside, fallen leaves whirled up and around.
Fuck it.
I typed the first thing I thought of and was done with it.
A year or two later, I shared my Substack with one of my best friends; he said, “The Delinquent Academic; well, that sounds like you.”
On the surface, one sees delinquent and thinks ‘rebellious teenager’ or ‘petty criminal’; both, for a man in his thirties, rather pathetic.
Now, I wasn’t a petty criminal, but I was petty; and certainly, I was a rebellious teenager. Life, as much as education, was optional for many years. …
Despite growing out of these infant mindsets, I’ve realised I haven’t grown out of my fundamental tendencies, which delinquent can be applied to.
Delinquent is used by an establishment to describe someone who is errant, irresponsible, badly behaved; someone who is their enemy; someone who does not follow their arbitrary law or code.
It’s true; almost every establishment I come across, I question their wisdom; I doubt their intentions; I try to speak truth to power. To them I am delinquent; to me, I am doing what I feel is right.
Whether it’s challenging a lecturer at university; rejecting the digital world of social media; to trying to become a novelist in the face of AI art, I seem to jump in the stream and go “fuck it - I wanna go up; I reckon the water’s warmer up there anyway.”
And I try to do so with respect, dignity, and a smile on my face.
Perhaps the most delinquent thing I’m doing is rejecting the pessimism, nihilism, and faceless cynicism so often populating social media and the internet. I’m not here to show you what’s wrong with the world - there’s plenty of people doing that; I’m here to show you a path through the forest and get you to challenge the assumption that it really is dying.
In my stories I want to have heroic characters; flawed, but heroic. In my essays I want to share with you what I’ve learned; how I’ve grown, and how this might inspire you.
Here at The Delinquent Academic is a crossroads; information and ideas many establishments - corporations, governments, universities - like to ignore, with an aspirational message to be better.
Despite the shitfuckery in one’s life, there’s always the option to be optimistic, to reflect on the beauty of the world that surrounds you.
So what am I writing?
First, non-fiction; usually essays or story-driven insights. Topics range, though personal development, culture, free speech, and generative AI, I’ll write on more frequently, likely in that order.
Here’s an example of me reflecting on my experiences with epilepsy; how one should take responsibility for a genetically preordained condition - or any condition, be it psychological or physical - if its repercussions harm others:
I have two ongoing non-fiction series: Occasional progress updates on my Psychology PhD, the Psychological Effects of Free Speech, and Delinquent Links, where I share links and brief reviews of some of the stuff I’ve read over the past month.
Here’s my first update of my PhD, where I provide background and inspiration to my research topic; and share my first steps as a Doctoral candidate:
Second, short-fiction; usually speculative or science fiction. Sometimes, I’ll be trying to get a message across; and sometimes they’ll be just interesting and entertaining.
Here’s a crime story of a person struggling with anxiety and the self-obsessed bickering of a person with Alzheimer’s, with a conceptual twist at the end that (hopefully) will get you questioning your own morality:
And here’s a science fiction story of a young man, who after seven years of arduous tests, has one last examination to complete … If he succeeds world domination beckons:
Also: I’m currently writing a science fiction novel. Hopefully, I can release it serially next year on Substack!
If you enjoy anything I write; if you feel the pull of delinquency in your life (as I have described it!); then comment why or share my work with others. Even a like goes a long way - you'd be surprised at how far it goes.
Finally, thank you (or chur as we say New Zealand).
Have a great day or night,
The Delinquent Academic
The Delinquent Academic, 31 years old; Dunedin, New Zealand, 2024
