Culture
Under the Influencer
The PMRC wanted to put a warning label on the record. The algorithm doesn't need a warning label — it studies the warning, measures the outrage, and recommends twelve more.
The archive
Analysis
& opinion.
The long version, the sharp version, and the stuff that is still getting misquoted.
8 pieces filed under #culture
Culture
Whatever Happened to Teen Angst?
Anybody else remember when Michael Stipe professed irony to be the shackles of youth? Goddamn, I miss irony. I miss when being young came with confusion, bad decisions, loud guitars, and an irrational hatred of whatever your parents enjoyed.
From the Desk Of
Democratic Republic or…?
There's an undeniable fusion of controlled infective opposition and civic demobilization at the heart of every polemic. Preferences have been hijacked and covertly conflated into divisive biases. We, one and all, are being Managed.
From the Desk Of
More Than Just Your Smartphones Are Bugged
Thomas Pynchon captured the entirety of political reality in around twenty syllables decades ago. It rings more true than the autonomy most of us believe we still have.
Culture
When Music Becomes a Battleground: The Entertainment Industry's Israel-Palestine Divide
For years, celebrities have been told to stick to music. The Macklemore-Sheeran explosion just proved that ship has sailed — and the stage, the stadium, and the silence are all political now.
Unfiltered
When Punk Got Priced Out: The Gentrification of NYC's Punk Clubs
From CBGB to the Mudd Club, New York's punk venues were cheap, dirty, and loud enough for bands with more attitude than money. Then the neighborhoods changed — and the culture that made them valuable got priced out of them.
Culture
The Bowery: When Art Had an Attitude
Before the condos and the cocktail bars, the Bowery was a place where art didn’t ask permission. A street-level dispatch from the last neighborhood that still remembers.
Opinion
Bet the House
The casino is in your pocket now. It vibrates, sends notifications, offers boosted odds, and knows exactly when you’re most likely to place another bet. And standing in front of that sales pitch, smiling into the camera, are celebrities.