In the New Yorker...

[Jeff Wrangler]

Over lunch today, I enjoyed John Lanchester's article on the invention of money. I may have more to say about that later.

[Front-Ranger]

Yes, that was a surprisingly good article. The amazing story of John Law!

I read the Al Franken story today as well as Jill Lepore's piece on Melville. Both were good.

[serious crayons]

I read the Al Franken story today as well as Jill Lepore's piece on Melville. Both were good.

Makes me mad about Franken. I knew that photo and her story were not exactly what they seemed. I was less skeptical of the seven other women, but his transgressions in their cases, whether deliberate or not, seem relatively forgivable. I thought he was a good senator (he's from my state; in fact, grew up near where I did) and would have made a good presidential candidate.

However, I will say that I mentioned him as a potential candidate to a woman I worked with, about a week or two before the photo scandal erupted. My coworker, an attractive 40-ish woman whose politics are about like mine, said she agreed, but ... she added that she'd sat next to him once at a banquet once and he gave off "a vibe."

"Oh, well, a vibe," I said kind of (politely) dismissively.

"No, it was a pretty strong vibe," she said. But she added that she still liked him as a politician.

But I think the main reason he was forced to resign was because a pedophile was running for office in Alabama.

Fun fact: Franken grew up in the same Minneapolis suburb, around roughly the same time, as the Coen Brothers, Tom Friedman, and a couple of other less famous but still successful writers. (All were Jewish; it was the suburb that, for whatever reason, many Jewish families lived back then.) I've often wondered if there was something in the water! 

[Front-Ranger]

"Devils Advocate" was a long and wild ride through the depraved world of Jeffrey Epstein, Alan Dershowitz, and a host of teenage girls. Hard to read but great reporting!

Now comes the news that Epstein has taken his own life in prison. He was on a suicide watch. Whoever was watching dropped the ball. Or was told to drop it.

[Front-Ranger]

I recall that article mentions Dag Hammarskjöld as one of the first people who died who were linked to a conspiracy theory.

With my recent criticisms that I was practicing implicit racism, I felt it imperative to read "The Color of Injustice" in the August 19 issue. It was well written and compelling, and I didn't feel like I was reading a duty article. I am now better able to accept the criticism and not feel like I have to defend myself. The article mentions a couple of books that I may order and read. There are many forms of racism, as well as something called "white fragility" which I suspect I have.

The author is Kelefa Sanneh.

[serious crayons]

I recall that article mentions Dag Hammarskjöld as one of the first people who died who were linked to a conspiracy theory.

With my recent criticisms that I was practicing implicit racism, I felt it imperative to read "The Color of Injustice" in the August 19 issue. It was well written and compelling, and I didn't feel like I was reading a duty article. I am now better able to accept the criticism and not feel like I have to defend myself. The article mentions a couple of books that I may order and read. There are many forms of racism, as well as something called "white fragility" which I suspect I have.

The author is Kelefa Sanneh.

I read that one, too, and loved it. The author of the essay points out some flaws in the black man's book but overall makes it sound solid and interesting; it got me thinking about some things in a different way. Then he demolishes the white woman's book, which it deserves. I really can't stand that kind of attitude and social media is filled with it.

One thing about the "white fragility" concept that I find weak is the complaint that white people get defensive when they're told they're being racist. To be fair, that might help people who haven't thought all this through and need their unconscious microaggressions pointed out,

But the answer to "why do white people get so defensive when they're called racist" is that in decent society being racist is a huge taboo, and most people (excluding part of Trump's base, I guess) are horrified to be slapped with that label. They may still need some enlightening words, but the fact that most people are horrified to be called racist is a good thing, IMO. Most people in 1954, especially in the South, wouldn't even have minded.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Then he demolishes the white woman's book, which it deserves. I really can't stand that kind of attitude and social media is filled with it.

People like her come off to me as so condescending that I just want to slap them.

Over lunch today I began the article about Transition House. Articles like that are much more interesting to me than Sanneh's article because they deal more with individual people than with abstract concepts.

[serious crayons]

People like her come off to me as so condescending that I just want to slap them.

Same.

Over lunch today I began the article about Transition House. Articles like that are much more interesting to me than Sanneh's article because they deal more with individual people than with abstract concepts.

I'm just the opposite. I like essays about abstract concept, though preferably with some real people anecdotes, as Saneh's had. I've started the Transition House piece and so far finding it mildly interesting. It helps that I like its author, Larissa MacFarquhar.

[Front-Ranger]

New issue came today!

[Jeff Wrangler]

August 26 arrived in my mailbox today. Looks like lots of interesting stuff.