Jun
03
GenAI is Our Polyester
The best way to understand generative AI art and aesthetics is to consider how previous "synthetics" lost value
5 min read
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May
13
The Missing Piece in Conversations about “Cultural Decline”
Critics in the 21st century embraced mass culture in a belief that it would liberate audiences — but it's
8 min read
May
06
The 21st Century and Empty Popularity
Reality TV, data-based editorial decisions, social media, and the principled rejection of exclusionary taste have spawned “popular” things that may
8 min read
Apr
01
Earnestness versus Cynicism: Fashion, then Politics
Today the earnest progressive lyrics of 10,000 Maniacs feel extremely dated, which may help us understand why "resistance&
6 min read
Mar
18
The Age of the Double Sell-Out
In the last three decades, youth culture has moved from a deep suspicion of commerce to a passionate defense of
6 min read
Mar
04
On Writing a History of the 21st Century
My new book, Blank Space, is a cultural history of the last 25 years, scheduled for publication in November 2025.
6 min read
Dec
10
On Sale: Shōwa Guide Tokyo
A tour through Japan’s mid-century restaurants, kissaten, bars, and hotels that managed to survive earthquakes, firebombs, and urban redevelopment
3 min read
Oct
17
Why It's Hard to Argue about “Cultural Stasis”
Without agreeing on what "culture" is, it's really difficult to understand whether we're at
4 min read
Oct
03
Forget Gladwell
Society should withhold all esteem and attention to a nonfiction author whose entire oeuvre spitballs explanatory social theory under the
6 min read
Jul
29
Cultural Stasis Produces Fewer Cheesy Relics like Rocky IV
The much-maligned 1985 boxing film provides a few hints about the causes of 21st century artistic stagnation: namely, popular artists
7 min read