Latest Posts

Web Exclusives

wE’rE a rEPuBLiC nOt A dEMoCRacY

Ed Burmila

May 06, 2019

To declare that America is “not a democracy” is as useful as pointing out that it is not a monarchy, or that the Pope wears a funny hat.

Fresh Hell

The Baffler

May 03, 2019

My Big Fat AI Wedding

The “Free Speech” Cheat

Shane Burley

May 03, 2019

College Student Senate chambers are not historically hotbeds of nationwide controversy, but Turning Point USA is set to rewrite the rules of campus politics. The ultra-conservative student group, which could easily be labeled “the youth wing” of Trump Republicanism, has ...

An American Lab Test Abroad

Erica X Eisen

May 02, 2019

Ireland's cervical cancer scandal, and its underlying logic of profit-driven, health care, has ramifications far beyond the country's shores.

Taking Back Power

Kim Kelly

May 01, 2019

On May Day, looking back at a year in newly energized labor

Twentieth-Century Man

Dave Denison

April 30, 2019

Civilifications

The political commentator William Schneider has often quoted, over the years, a comment he attributes to the British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli. When an aspirational youth wrote to Disraeli for advice about how to succeed in public life, the Great Man purportedly responded ...

The FBI: A Love Story

Rafia Zakaria

April 29, 2019

Andrew McCabe's testimonial to the FBI suggests the bureau is here to save us.

Fresh Hell

The Baffler

April 26, 2019

Homelessness: It’s a Choice!

Selling Self-Defense

Emma Goldberg

April 26, 2019

When #MeToo meets the profit motive

Successful People Listen to Audiobooks

Nora Caplan-Bricker

April 25, 2019

Audible’s assault on leisure time

The Netflix-Twitter Complex

Corey Atad

April 24, 2019

Lonely, confused, and horny brands are irritating enough, but Netflix accounts tip over into ugly self-righteousness.

Thing Untweetable

Josie Thaddeus-Johns

April 23, 2019

Jenny Holzer in the social media age