When the music no longer makes sense, you don’t know what anything costs, and you don’t recognize anyone on the TV — I no longer seem to have a solid grasp on what anything costs anymore, and I’m finding this both disorienting and not just a little disconcerting. It’s not existential crisis mode just yet, but it is starting to feel like the beginning of a downward slide. Progressive Insurance has a…

Dehumanizing the opposition forges a community motivated to defend itself against a common enemy they view as weak but dangerous — It’s no secret that people join all manner of groups in order to experience a feeling of community, camaraderie, family, and shared identity. Disadvantaged kids join gangs. Lonely adults join churches. Nerds join chess clubs. Jocks join fantasy sports leagues. All manner of people become fans of books, movies, and…

Do Republican leaders actually believe what they’re selling, or is it just part of their ongoing swindle of the American people? — There are definitely true believers in this world; those unfortunate souls who get caught up in the self-aggrandizing reward of being part of something momentous and exclusive. …

The GOP’s move to emulate modern-day autocrats by using the illusion of a democratic facade to silence opposition and consolidate power — Let’s be honest. The cruelty of the Republican Party is purposeful. It’s not accidental or random. …

The entire Biden administration operates like rich white parents trying to discipline Tyler, their spoiled eight year old — Ever since Trump took office, we have had to deal with a growing level of hyperbole and outrage in this country, with everyone from legacy media to social media joining in. The former president was so off the charts that our rhetoric had to up its game just to keep…

Far too many Americans believe that there is a group of voters in the political center that decide our elections — only it’s not true — I read the other day that America is in the midst of a “cold civil war.” That sounds about right. Undoubtedly, we live in a country deeply divided by partisan politics. There is little to no common ground between our two major political parties, with each being ideologically separate and…

In which I question why I ever agree to do anything I’m not legally obligated to do and whether the effort to fake my own death is a reasonable option and possibly worth the trouble — I’ve never really been suicidal, but I have at times considered death to be a slightly better option than whatever it was I had to do. I hate having plans. I truly do. …

We like to tell ourselves that we’re living in an egalitarian society where everyone is the same under the law, but that’s a lie — There is a maxim in American culture, one that most people take as gospel, as if it were enshrined in the Constitution, or at least the Bible, that says that no one is above the law. It’s nearly an act of faith that we believe our country was founded on…

Nearly everything you know, you got from a secondhand source that was informed by a thirdhand source — Think about everything you know, or at least think you know, to be true. In all areas of your life, from biology, economics, politics, chemistry, religion, history, and environmental studies. …