Sam: Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt. That’s the first thing they teach you. Vincent: Who taught you? Sam: I don’t remember. That’s the second thing they teach you. — Ronin (1998) If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, guess what? For all intents and purposes, it’s a duck. Constructively, it should… Continue reading Reading the News with a Gelid Eye
Category: media
Biden’s Obsession with Optics
My latest on Splice Today: https://www.splicetoday.com/politics-and-media/biden-s-obsession-with-optics.
Politics Can Be Civil in Spite of the Media
My latest on Splice Today. Read it here: https://www.splicetoday.com/politics-and-media/politics-can-be-civil-in-spite-of-the-media
Maybe You Can’t Handle the Truth
Today, after all the Covidy Trump ups and downs, the questions about Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation, and the hard questions about whether there should even be a VP presidential debate, I'm thinking again about Chris Beck's excellent piece in Splice Today, "The Media Reports Narratives, Not Facts." We all live online now. We look at… Continue reading Maybe You Can’t Handle the Truth
How Does America Recover From This?
Read my post-debate thoughts on Splice Today: https://www.splicetoday.com/politics-and-media/how-does-america-recover-from-this
The Illusion of American Deterioration
The United States is still pretty great. Read about it on Splice Today: https://www.splicetoday.com/politics-and-media/the-illusion-of-american-deterioration.
The End of Supernatural
Supernatural has come to an end after 15 long seasons. That’s probably for the best. No TV show should run that long. And it had multiple corny, goofy, b-movie impossible-to-believe arcs that sometimes made us groan. But when it was good—and it usually was at some point in every season—especially when it got back to… Continue reading The End of Supernatural
Worshiping the Dead, Part 2
I look back at the stressed-out writing I did four years ago after Trump was elected and recall what my European friends were saying at the time. They were a bit blasé about the new administration, a bit cynical about whether anything had changed or would change in U.S. geopolitics. They wanted to know why… Continue reading Worshiping the Dead, Part 2
My latest on Splice Today . . .
Solving climate change one slick magazine at a time.
Read my latest in Splice Today: https://www.splicetoday.com/politics-and-media/jonathan-franzen-can-t-solve-climate-change-for-anyone-who-matters
The Writing Expedition 