Downward Spiral
A fan’s notes on the decline of the NFL.
Baffler Archives: Salvos
Columns
Three Days in Detroit
Some Hollywood types are offering a bus tour of the city I live in and I leap at the opportunity. My presence, however, seems to raise questions about whether a writer for the national press can possibly live in Detroit. This does not bode well for the excursion, which is ...
The Shark and the Hound
In the Old Testament, the Lord promised death unto the loan shark.
The Opinionator
Imagine that you are David Brooks, the Bobo King of the New York Times op-ed page.
All Politics is Local
A schlubby man with a vaguely foreign accent, sitting on a crudely crafted set, appears nine times a week on 173 television stations across the nation, parroting Trump administration talking points and defending the president.
In one commentary, he fended off criticism of ...
The Master Class on the Make
Libertarianism is a political philosophy shot through with white supremacy.
State of Sleaze
It’s clear that Erdoğan has long wanted to be Turkey’s absolute ruler.
Friends Who Host Benefits
Trump doesn’t get art. This is a tenet of the #resistance.
The Lost Art of Staying Put
A million new reasons to travel are manufactured every moment. Pageants, banquets, fairs, and jamborees.
Oculus Grift
In the past forty years, each time capital has faced a crisis, it has ended up becoming more powerful than before.
On Poisoned Ground
It's hard to know how many other towns still have poison in their soil.
The Problem with Muzak
We should call this what it is: the automation of selling out.