I Should Have Seen This Coming
When I joined the conservative movement in the 1980s, there were two types of people: those who cared earnestly about ideas, and those who wanted only to shock the left. The reactionary fringe has won.
How the World Became Awash in Synthetics
It started in 1934, with a PR crisis.
Is This the Worst-Ever Era of American Pop Culture?
An emerging critical consensus argues that we’ve entered a cultural dark age. I’m not so sure.
Mitch McConnell and the President He Calls ‘Despicable’
An audience with the former Republican leader
Why Kids Aren’t Falling in Love With Reading
Hint: It’s not just the screens.
The Oddball British Comedy Show I Thought I’d Hate (And Learned to Love)
The cult favorite Taskmaster has a nonsensical premise that slowly bowled me over.
How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy in 53 Days
He used the constitution to shatter the constitution.
The Writer Who Understood Aloneness
Mavis Gallant’s short stories are about people, especially women, who prefer to live on the social margins. I cherish one of them most of all.