Liberalism: A Joke, Literally
It’s a bit rich to pile on a “free-thinker” like Kanye West, who implores us to “lead with love,” when the best critics and...
Social Justice vs. Social Charity
The Pernicious Nature of Charity
There is a pernicious force that operates in all societies, but especially in ours and especially in these sad days....
A Digital Relation to the Universe
Matt's essay concludes our discussion of "Localist Social Media." You can view all the essays in this symposium here.
When I first submitted my attempt...
The Bar Jester Goes Off (While Putatively Responding to Matt Stewart)
We also need technological monks.
Sparking Little Platoons
When I became a Washington, D.C. newsroom intern, Twitter usage was mandatory (primarily so that we could help run the magazine’s Twitter account). I...
Marginalia
I was a bit surprised that Matt directed his critique at Twitter rather than at other forms of social media. At least Twitter isn’t...
What Tolkien Can Teach Us About Twitter
In December of 2016, I observed, alluding to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, that Twitter was akin to Trump’s ring of power. My point...
In Praise of Boredom
G. K. Chesterton reproached the modern experience of boredom. In Heretics, he declares:
There is no such thing on earth as an uninteresting subject; the...
Alone Together on the Internet
The happy traveler is apt to become even happier as he crosses a state line into Vermont or Maine. These two misfits of the...
Big Other is Watching. Hallelu!
All hail Big Other, in whom we live and move and have our being.
All hail Big Other, from whom so many blessings flow.
All hail...