My hair isn’t what I imagine it is, flowing locks of youthful rebellion, blinding the establishment with it’s vibrancy. Instead, it’s more of a matted mess. Finally, when I can no longer deny I look and feel like I live under a bridge, I head to the barbers to return me to civilization. I go when no […]
It’s becoming increasingly apparent to even the most distracted Americans that the country is falling apart economically and socially. It’s been a slow descent, but not so slow anymore. However, our problems are not merely economic. There is a shadow of social sickness enveloping the society, now becoming obvious to just about everyone. We documented this quite throughly […]
We used to have a very visible, and very personal form of violence called the cigarette, which has slowly become outlawed as such obvious displays of self-destructive behavior can no longer be tolerated. Social critics say the cigarette is a slow form of suicide. They never stop to think that maybe that’s the point. Indeed, […]
Yesterday, the New York Post published a front page story on presidential candidate Donald Trump’s most recent diatribe against Senator John McCain. The Post (and others) actually misquoted him, but he said: “He is not a war hero. He is a war hero. He’s is a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” […]
I’m not sure exactly when it happened. There was no notice in the paper or protracted series of essays in the New York Times. No, the death of Rock and Roll was such a quiet and isolated death, few noticed. Today only by a mildly interesting song occasionally appears on alternative rock radio. Still, despite these rare reanimations, rock […]
“There is no sun without shadow, and it is essential to know the night.” —Albert Camus It seems there has always been a draw to horror stories, the weird, supernatural, and unknown powers lurking just beyond our view. All of the mysterious creatures from classic horror dwell in the darkness, where our unconscious can project our deepest […]
Lewis Mumford observed that the first cities were cemeteries. Enclosed areas with tightly packed bodies were only for the dead. Cities weren’t re-purposed for the living until the advent of civilization in Mesopotamia 6,000 years ago. For the elites of the ancient world, the city was the foundation of their control. Cities were focused around a […]
Grant Wood’s “American Gothic” painting says a lot of about who Americans are deep down: one figure timid and seemingly almost traumatized, the other defiant, and both are dour. Their unhappiness stands in stark contrast with a beautiful setting behind. Dressed in black, there is a morose darkness to their mood. But the message of this parody is one of rage matched with delusional […]
In today’s online version of the paper, WSJ writer Jon Hilsenrath blames you for the poor “recovery.” Here’s a brief excerpt of the story headlined “A Letter to Stingy American Consumers,” edited only for brevity: Dear American Consumer, This is The Wall Street Journal. We’re writing to ask if something is bothering you. The sun shined […]
