“Succession”’s Repetition Compulsion “Succession”’s Repetition Compulsion
In Succession’s moral universe, no one can ever get what they want or what they deserve.
Nov 10, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Sam Adler-Bell
The Request of the Doe The Request of the Doe
The old doe wanted to be witnessed in pain for eternity. Cut and bandaged and then cut up again. Fine, they said. We’ll see how you fare. They took her into the sterile room and co…
Nov 9, 2021 / Poems / Bianca Stone
The Counter-Intuitivist The Counter-Intuitivist
You never know what he’s going to say next!
Nov 9, 2021 / Tom Tomorrow
The Anatomy of a Dog Whistle The Anatomy of a Dog Whistle
Acting outside of our awareness, using frequencies we may not consciously hear, dog whistles evade our better angels on race.
Nov 9, 2021 / Drew Westen
Dave Chappelle’s Comedy of Bitterness Dave Chappelle’s Comedy of Bitterness
In his recent special The Closer, and his response to critics of it, he outlines a strange version of identity politics where comedians are always the victims.
Nov 9, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse
Omar El Akkad’s Odyssey of Hope Omar El Akkad’s Odyssey of Hope
His recent novel What Strange Paradise examines the personal and political toll of the refugee crisis.
Nov 8, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Adil Bhat
What “Passing” Can Still Teach Us About Identity What “Passing” Can Still Teach Us About Identity
A film adaptation of Nella Larsen’s novel dramatizes the mercurial and sometimes dangerous consequences of a person's performance of self in the public.
Nov 4, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Elias Rodriques
Colin Kaepernick, the Virginia Elections, and the Canary in the Coal Mine Colin Kaepernick, the Virginia Elections, and the Canary in the Coal Mine
The recent controversy sparked by his Netflix special’s depiction of slavery and the NFL is a microcosm of the political battles defining our country.
Nov 3, 2021 / Dave Zirin
On Film, a Window Into Haiti On Film, a Window Into Haiti
Gessica Généus discusses Freda, the first movie by a female Haitian director to be nominated for an award at Cannes.
Nov 3, 2021 / Q&A / Clair MacDougall
Why Mike Nichols Was the Egalitarian Auteur Why Mike Nichols Was the Egalitarian Auteur
Mark Harris’s biography of the filmmaker shows that one cannot be an auteur without some help.
Nov 3, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Lindsay Zoladz