Culture

Does Anyone Still Hitchhike?

Traveling by thumb isn’t popular anymore. Some say it should be.

The Conversation That Moviegoers Don’t Need to Be Having

Sinners has made a splash at the box office, but analysts want to focus on the money it isn’t making.

‘All We Wanted to Do Was Play Video Games’

Streamers such as Zack “Asmongold” Hoyt have more influence than ever. What are they really saying?

Ryan Coogler Didn’t Want to Hide Anymore

The director of Sinners knew that it was time to break out of his comfort zone.

Two Murder Mysteries’ Surprising Window Into Human Genius

Why novelists love to imagine great historical figures as detectives

What to Read to Wrap Your Head Around the Climate Crisis

These visceral reported accounts will help readers better understand the new ecological status quo.

Dear James: Never Too Old for a Barbaric Yawp

A tip of the hat to our well-seasoned correspondents

The Last of Us Didn’t Soften the Blow

The show went too far in the wrong direction with its most shocking moment.

The Triumph of a Film That Flips on Us Halfway In

Sinners slowly drops its period-drama trappings to become something much scarier.

PBS Pulled a Film for Political Reasons, Then Changed Its Mind

A window into how the network is handling the new Trump era

Even Netflix Can’t Escape the Black Mirror Treatment

The sci-fi series takes aim at a very familiar target in its new season.

What Does the Literature of the Working Class Look Like?

A new entrant to the genre of workplace literature argues that even mundane labor shapes your identity.

How Organ Meat Got Into Smoothies

Americans hated offal. Now it’s a trendy food—in grocery stores and online.

Sitting With an Angry Teen, for Longer Than You Might Want

Adolescence plunges viewers into the mindset of a troubled boy—even if it makes them uncomfortable.

What Silicon Valley Knew About Tech-Bro Paternalism

The show anticipated what can happen when masculine entitlement and artificial intelligence meet.

The Perfect Pop Star for a Dumb Stunt

Katy Perry is exactly the kind of celebrity to go to space.

Dear James: I’m Dreading My Family Vacation

I want to enjoy the time with my relatives, but they trigger me.

Looks Like Mussolini, Quacks Like Mussolini

The National Garden of American Heroes represents a dangerous shift in values—from inquiry to reverence.

Do You Actually Know What Classical Music Is? Does Anyone?

The term is applied to radically different compositions across more than 1,000 years of history. We need a better definition.

What Porn Taught a Generation of Women

It colored our ambitions, our sense of self, our relationships, our bodies, our work, and our art.