Reading List
The most recent articles from a list of feeds I subscribe to.
How meat became a measure of manhood
In January, a 24-year-old nutrition influencer named Jacob Smith made the grave mistake of becoming a little too curious about tofu. Smith had read a study about the health benefits of eating less meat and figured he’d try to replace a small amount of the animal products he ate with plant-based foods. So, as content […]
What do we lose when we erase ugliness?
We’re in a moment of cultural fascination with looksmaxxers. That too-online community, made up mostly of men who claim to do things like hit themselves in the face with hammers for a stronger jawline and snort meth for leaner bodies, has become the object of shocked trend pieces and news coverage. Looksmaxxers are fascinating in […]
How Trump is paying TSA, briefly explained
This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: The US air travel situation is looking up — for now. What’s happening? TSA agents received paychecks today for the first time in more than […]
The secret to successful conversations with strangers
You may generally disregard unfamiliar faces as background characters in the movie that is your life, but almost everyone you care about was once a stranger. Aside from the people who have been in your life since you were born, every relationship has a getting-to-know you process where you transition from unknowns to knowns. Strangers […]
How ICE has changed American life
When candidate Donald Trump promised mass deportations on the 2024 campaign trail, it was hard to imagine exactly what that might turn into. Though he boasted about implementing the “largest domestic deportation operation” in history, you could be forgiven for believing he meant something more limited — a “sequential” approach (as JD Vance suggested), starting […]