Outside the Beltway

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Yet more evidence that we’re a nation divided.

A lottery brings out the worst in a small town.

Our love for cheap goods and services requires lots of people willing to work for very little.

Cries that American democracy is in jeopardy are not hyperbole.

A veteran health reporter says the end is near. But there’s a huge caveat.

An artist engages with her critic.

A powerful symbol has been robbed of its significance.

Should wills have an expiration date?

The reaction to the pandemic has long since been about much more than the pandemic.

We’re at the lowest rate in generations.

If the younger generation seems to be maturing later, there are good reasons.

Are we thinking about job training all wrong?

Science, politics, and social norms intersect in some really strange ways.

Competing analogies and externalities.

The Excelsior Pass is the nation’s first. Will it start a trend?

The fear of missing out is strong.

Debunking urban legends and Internet rumors is harder than it used to be.

America’s Newspaper of Record needs to figure out what it wants to be.

Does online performance logically devolve into rage and violence?

“Trump is a failed leader.”

Hashtag: You’re Fired.

Our cultural divide over the pandemic is turning us into worse people.

The science and ethics are not the hardest part of determining who should go first.

Saruman’s rigid arrogance ultimately made him pathetic. Sound familiar?

We spend so much time fighting over who should be in power that we don’t get anything important done.

Gracious concessions are the norm except when they’re not.

The President’s message is getting through.

We’ve just had an election, not psychoanalysis.

The degree to which the country is divided is truly shocking.

Two related discussions.

Is shunning those without college degrees the last acceptable prejudice?

The one-time wunderkind, blogging pioneer, and same-sex marriage champion is now on the outs.

Institutional reform is necessary, but we can’t accomplish much in the face of tribalism.

This is not even close to the worst it’s ever been.

Having failed to prevent or contain it, aggressive stupidity is now washing over us.

The weirdness of Internet outrage culture.

A majority of Americans of every sex, race, education, income, or region do the right thing. With one exception.

Free speech is not for everyone.

A controversial monument in Little Italy has been destroyed.

The state of American debate is not strong.

It’s difficulty to have have a conversation with an albatross hanging over it.

We’re a long, long way from normal.

The venerable youth organization has fallen on hard times.

A long overdue correction.

A recurring source of friction in the OTB conversation.

Our measures for preventing abuse of our social welfare system are preventing those who need it most go without.

One side is arguing over rules while the other is focused on consequences.

A new poll finds that a strong majority of Americans support life in prison instead of the death penalty.