Readings

Brutally Absurd

How life in communist Czechoslovakia resembles life, for some, in 21st-century America.

Diamonds in the Rough: A Central African Shell Game

The Central African Republic is an un-country—a violent playground for outsiders and locals alike to exploit and bamboozle each other. This is the first in a series of dispatches from the region.

The Bleak Depths of BoJack

Netflix hits a terrific new low with the surprisingly dark and deeply silly BoJack Horseman.

The Satanic Service of Fireflies

On the hungry, violent, sex-obsessed lives of Lucifer’s own agents of light.

Is It Weird That A Stranger Brings Me Lunches?

This week's installment of Unf*ck Yourself: dealing with change.

Why the Internet Needs Zelda Williams: An Open Letter

Cyberabusers—RIP trolls—have pushed Zelda Williams away from social media. But trolling highlights social problems that require a dialogue, and a terrain infested with such vitriol needs people like Zelda.

Hue and Sigh: The Drab Palettes of Modern Superhero Movies

And what Guardians of the Galaxy gets at least a little right.

Racism is Not a Stain on the Soul—It’s Something You Do

It matters not to the dead if the white cop who shot an unarmed black kid's fear and anger was inadvertent or premeditated.

‘We Been Running All Our Mothafuckin’ Lives’

Tupac Shakur’s work is as resonant today—days after a police officer shot Michael Brown and left his body in the street—as it was then: an indicator of still-grim realities.