Hubris, Ingratitude, and the Unraveling of American Freedom
Editor's Note: In a world often characterized by ideological polarization and cultural clashes, Jay Sophalkalyan emerges as a refreshing voice,...
Jay Sophalkalyan
Jay Sophalkalyan is a cultural critic and political analyst whose work explores the fraught intersections of politics, technology, and identity in the modern world. Formerly the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of JPI online magazine, he now writes regularly for Nikkei Asia, The Dispatch, Quillette, and other outlets, with a focus on digital censorship, post-colonial realism, and the creeping authoritarianism of both East and West. Born in Cambodia and raised across continents, Jay brings a transnational lens to his writing—rooted in classical liberal values and honed by a principled skepticism of ideological excess. He earned his master’s degree in Experimental Humanities from NYU in 2024, specializing in journalism and political theory. His Substack, Thought Criminal, is a defiant and measured response to the soft totalitarianism of our age.
Soft Social Credit System: The Unforeseeable Outcome of the Digital Revolution
The ascent of cancel culture and the prevalence of online mob mentality have bestowed upon tech companies the power to...
Perspective | The Moral Myopia of Woke Culture
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility,...
China, Money Can’t Buy You Love
The American political scientist Joseph Nye once said: “A country may obtain the outcomes it wants in world politics because...
China’s Political Awakening Amidst Zero-COVID
For three years, the CCP’s zero-COVID policy in the aftermath of the Wuhan outbreak has included mass lockdowns, excessive testings,...
The Paradox of Post-Colonialism in Hong Kong
On September 16, I found myself entranced by a scene that had unfolded outside the British Consulate in Admiralty, the...
