Society

Social Security Card

Inflation Is Falling. So Why Are the Fiscal Austerians Back in the Headlines? Inflation Is Falling. So Why Are the Fiscal Austerians Back in the Headlines?

The latest scare was over the Social Security trust fund. The endgame is not to get rid of inflation, or to protect American workers, but to destroy their power.

Aug 16, 2023 / Marshall Auerback

David Brooks delivers remarks at the 2018 Hilton Humanitarian Symposium and Prize Ceremony at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on Friday, Octover 19, 2018.

The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks

In a series of recent essays, the New York Times columnist has pronounced all social ills the result of deficient moral fiber among individuals.

Aug 16, 2023 / Chris Lehmann

Held v. Montana Youth Climate Change Lawsuit

“Held v. Montana” Is a Historic Victory for Climate Action—but Also Human Rights “Held v. Montana” Is a Historic Victory for Climate Action—but Also Human Rights

Invoking the right to a healthy environment will likely become a replicable strategy for climate lawsuits across the country. “I see more and more of these trials happening.”

Aug 16, 2023 / StudentNation / Meher Bhatia

The Evisceration of a Public University

The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University

West Virginia University is being gutted, and it’s a preview for what’s in store for higher education.

Aug 16, 2023 / Lisa M. Corrigan

The “Voyager” stroboscopic headsets, an early VR device, 1991.

The First Great Novel About Virtual Reality? The First Great Novel About Virtual Reality?

Colin Winnette’s disorienting Users examines the limits of morality and imagination as they exist online and in video games.

Aug 16, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Lily Meyer

Fani Willis at center, at a podium, flanked by her colleagues.

The Promise of Justice in Fani Willis’s Indictment The Promise of Justice in Fani Willis’s Indictment

Don’t overlook the deep historical significance in the fact that it’s in Fulton County, Ga., that Trump might meet his most dramatic comeuppance.

Aug 15, 2023 / Joan Walsh

Michael Oher and the Tuohys, who are portrayed in the film The Blind Side, stand on the field before an Ole Miss game.

“The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash

The book and movie about former NFL lineman Michael Oher lean into the white-savior trope. They were terrible long before the allegations that they were based on lies.

Aug 15, 2023 / Dave Zirin

Fulton County DA Fani Willis at press conference for Trump indictment

A Grim Chronicle of Trump’s Corrupt Public Life A Grim Chronicle of Trump’s Corrupt Public Life

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s wide-ranging indictment of the former president just might stick—not that you’d know it if you read The New York Times.

Aug 15, 2023 / Chris Lehmann

A still from the award-winning short film “The Court Watchers,” created by Zealous.

“We’re Only Here to Watch” “We’re Only Here to Watch”

How courtwatchers are shifting the power dynamics in criminal courtrooms.

Aug 15, 2023 / Feature / Jocelyn Simonson

Jenn Shapland's new collection of essays, Thin Skin (Pantheon), probes the capacity of essay as a form to examine and question the lines we draw between ourselves and others, ourselves and the non-human world, and the past we’ve wrought with the present in which we live.

Jenn Shapland on the Need for “Thin Skin” Jenn Shapland on the Need for “Thin Skin”

An interview with the writer about her new collection of essays, Thin Skin, and her hopes for the life it takes on in the world.

Aug 15, 2023 / Q&A / Sara Franklin

x