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Down with Dynamism
May 12, 2015
A good way to flatter public speakers, teachers, or politicians is to call them “dynamic.” When the nineteenth-century social critic Thomas Carlyle first used the word, he compared “dynamism” to “mechanism.” The latter had to do with the repetitive energy of mere ...

Daily Bafflements
May 12, 2015
• Verizon, the Benevolent Data Pillager that plays a prominent role in the NSA’s operations, is buying AOLwith the goal of “improving ads and Web video content.” Last year, Verizon launched a “tech blog” called SugarString, but hastily shut it down after reports ...

Behind Every Fortune Lies Nail Polish
May 11, 2015
I woke up this morning to the news that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had announced increased employment law regulation and enforcement in response to last week’s blockbuster New York Times investigation of nail salons, effective immediately. Workers will be required to wear ...

Daily Bafflements
May 11, 2015
• In The Nation this week, Baffler contributing editor Eugenia Williamson reviews Scott Timberg’s Culture Clash: “Unfortunately, Timberg’s argument is hampered significantly by his account of class . . . African-American jazz musicians able to afford college only through ...

What Bono Does Next Won’t Shock You
May 08, 2015
If you’re looking to make a splash in the oversaturated social-mediasphere, nice is the new rule of thumb. The trendlet—officially dubbed the “Nice Internet” by no less an authority than the New York Times—encompasses videos devoted to cute animals, precocious kiddies, ...

Daily Bafflements
May 08, 2015
  • A new app called Split helps users divide a restaurant bill “fairly, not equally,” thus reducing the amount of human interaction needed to have dinner out with friends. • Today in the jet set: don’t worry if your spring social calendar isn’t ...

Knows a Little of What’s Going On
May 07, 2015
In Ferguson and Baltimore, out and out racism has hidden behind the conceptual cudgel of “supporting the police.” Less iconic but almost as ubiquitous as the protests themselves have been the counter demonstrations of much smaller crowds, nearly all white, gathered in a ...

Daily Bafflements
May 07, 2015
• Earlier this spring, the construction site for German intelligence agency BND’s new headquarters suffered from what the Twitterverse is dubbing its own #Watergate, a set of literal leaks caused by the theft of some newly installed faucets. We at The Baffler are holding ...

Facebook’s Web of Tiers
May 06, 2015
The oligarchs are here to help. That’s the message that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg relayed in an excruciatingly awkward video released on Monday. The video—a tense apologia featuring many “should”s and “must”s from Zuckerberg and more than one suggestion of a sweat ...

Daily Bafflements
May 06, 2015
• It is the eve of a UK general election so neck-and-neck that it seems no party will gain an outright majority—again. We know how this plays out, from the booing and catcalls of the conservative Murdoch press, to the main parties’ commitment to just carrying on. So ...

Daily Bafflements
May 05, 2015
• Today in Billionaires: Harvard is renaming its public health school, according to an overfond profile of donor Gerald Chan in the Boston Globe (title: “Meet Boston’s Invisible Billionaire”). Chan, a mammonish yet modest real estate magnate, is buying up Harvard ...

Pep Talks for Spinsters
May 04, 2015
Here we go again! We are in another moment of pondering the benefits of marriage versus those of singlehood, with the all-important corollary question: Should we choose to become parents or go childfree? When I say we, I mean women, of course. As Elissa Strauss, writing for The ...