WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2023...without inventing the Other?: We'll admit that we don't watch the Super Bowl halftime show. We simply start watching something else, then click back 28 minutes later.We also don't watch the ads! Beyond that, we'll admit that we're puzzled by some of … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2023Also, could it be that our scholars are wrong?: A new arrival on the front became the topic of general conversation.It also became the primary focus of our unending culture wars.The new arrival on the front was the College Board's Advanced Placement cour … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2023Upper-end journos perform: This morning, as part of his weekly "Conversation" with Gail Collins, Bret Stephens of the New York Times has said the same darn thing(s)!He says the same things Nicholas Kristof said in Sunday's New York Times. For background … | Continue reading
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2023Grade 4 reading scores: In this morning's report, we said that we'd present the data, and so we're going to do so.Did American public schools drift away from phonics instruction during the George Bush years? If so, did that drift away from phonics instruc … | Continue reading
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2023Separation and snub: Let it be said that we see several basic problems with Nicholas Kristof's new column.The column appeared in the Sunday Review section of yesterday's New York Times. On the bright side, it represents the rare attempt to discuss our pub … | Continue reading
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2023Wallace's favorite friend speaks: For starters, we're inclined to view Ron DeSantis as a demagogue and as a bully. On the other hand, we're inclined to see Nicolle Wallace as being perhaps a bit "demagogue adjacent" herself. Long ago, even before Covid, … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2023The Benjamins say we're right: In the last few days, a street fight has broken out concerning the Oscar-nominated film, Tár.Critics praised the film to the skies, but it died a cruel death at the turnstiles. A reader has politely chided us for our claim t … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2023Also, does anyone care?: As we noted in Wednesday's report, the editorial board at the New York Times made one accurate statement.It came near the start of an editorial. It might also be said that, to some extent, it came from preferred Storyline:Watching … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2023The way we may look to others: On Monday, we noted a survey from which our tribe might learn a political lesson. Uh-oh! Here's the question respondents were asked:"Do you support or oppose allowing public school teachers to provide classroom instruction … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2023Here's the garbage they're serving instead: The events in Memphis have largely vanished—have been consigned to the past.In part, that has probably happened because the events in Memphis were an insult to Storyline. But whatever the cause, those recent, b … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2023Friend, did you have to ask?: We just watched the opening segment of today's Deadline: White House. In a bit of a switch, Nicolle Wallace was soon introducing a panel made of "some of our favorite experts and friends." We'd never heard that formulation … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2023...it offered quick Storyline: Events in Memphis were somewhat hard to square with standard Storyline. Perhaps for that reason, at least in part, blue tribe tribunes quickly abandoned the topic. A big white balloon took over the discourse, and our tribu … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2023Or at least, so Kierkegaard said: Purity of heart is to will one thing, Kierkegaard thoughtfully said.Rather, that was the title of one part of his later, three-part volume, Edifying Discourses in Diverse Spirits. We tend to focus on his earlier essay, Th … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2023Quite often, the answer is neither: As we noted yesterday, David French offered some sound advice in his debut column for the New York Times.His advice was especially good and sound at this time of "massive partisan divide." "How do we fight past our part … | Continue reading
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2023The constant recitation of script: On the front page of today's New York Times, three reporters describe the struggle Kamala Harris has faced during her time as vice president.The front-page report starts as shown. A certain framework—one which has occurre … | Continue reading
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2023Memphis Storyline: A new arrival on the front blew Memphis off the map.The new arrival on the front was a large balloon. As it drifted from the west toward the east, it became the topic of general conversation and predictable behaviors emerged. For starter … | Continue reading
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2023Texas does it again: On Thursday night, after the balloon panic broke, the presence of the big white orb was discussed on cable news.On CNN, viewers were allowed to hear what the Biden Admin had said about its decision not to shoot the two-ton airship do … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2023Consider the case of George Santos: Is there really any such thing as a "compulsive / pathological liar?"You hear those twin terms thrown around all the time. But is some such psychiatric syndrome actually known or believed to exist?We've been wondering ab … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2023We offer a basic suggestion: "Now we're engaged in a great civil war," Abraham Lincoln once said.He made the statement at Gettysburg at the start of a famous address. Here's the well-known fuller passage:Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought f … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023Along with Aftersun: Long ago and far away, she took The Trip to Bountiful.We refer to Geraldine Fitzgerald, who won the Oscar for Best Actress in 1986 for her role in the film of that name. We've seen the film within maybe the past dozen years. We don't … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023That's what Kristof suspects: Is Karen Attiah's (somewhat lurid) speculation unhelpful?As we noted yesterday, Attiah's speculation appears in her latest column for the Washington Post. The column is given prominent display on the op-ed page in this morni … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023But we will be posting: In the meantime, here's Kristof's new column. In a wide array of ways, the topics he discusses strike us as very important. Kristof's topics strike us as important. They may help us get to helpful! | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2023Race can be very hard: All around the world, interaction between different racial / ethnic / religious / cultural groups can be extremely hard.That has certainly proven to be true in this country. Consider Karen Attiah's new column in the Washington Pos … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2023Is our own tribe a part of this problem?: How will President Biden be remembered in fifty years?Disconsolate experts widely insist that there may be a next fifty years! Assuming those experts are wrong about that, how will Biden be remembered?At the sta … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2023Police shootings by age and by race: It's a depressing topic, for several quite different reasons.That said, Kevin Drum has assembled a graphic, and we're directing you to it. It shows the rate at which people are shot and killed by police, grouped into t … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2023Stormy Daniels 33, Tyre Nichols 6: As a general matter, it seems to us that Charles Blow's reactions tend to be unhelpful.That said, there's no ultimate way to measure such things. Our instincts concerning Blow's work may not be right.At any rate, we'd ha … | Continue reading
MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2023Also, children born today: Increasingly, identity has come to rule the discourse of a rapidly shrinking world.We aren't saying that issues related to "identity" shouldn't rule the discourse. We would seek to initiate a different type of discussion:We human … | Continue reading
SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2023Also, what Paul Krugman said: Last evening, Tucker Carlson was finishing his opening segment.In that opening segment, he had discussed the beating and the subsequent death of Tyre Nichols. Tucker had gone to the usual places, saying elites are using the … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023E pluribus, more of the same: About a third of the way through the feature film Tár, a beautiful human moment occurs.There are very few such human moments in this critically lauded film. As a point of personal privilege, we want to cite it here.In the film … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023We forgot to post: Doggone it! Earlier today, we failed to hit the button marked "post" on our main report for the day.What did the critics fail to say about the lauded feature film, Tár? Our exploration rumbles on. To read that report, click here. | Continue reading
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023Remarkably strange beliefs: What follows is, or should be, deeply depressing. It's a note about Tony Dungy, a Super Bowl-winning former NFL head coach.On a personal basis, Dungy has always been highly regarded within NFL circles. He's also a Christian co … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023A nation of siloed groups: How hard can it be to follow the action in the critically-acclaimed—and Oscar-nominated—very long feature film, Tár?The film goes on for a very long time (158 minutes). In our experience, it's also quite hard to follow. Forgive … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2023Our blue tribe's sad "advice universe:" Starting yesterday afternoon, it was one of the hottest topics in blue tribe cable news.Down in Georgia, Fani Willis had seemed to say that there were going to be indictments in her probe of TrumpWorld's attempted … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2023Only the Shadow knew: Even in the age of covid, certain films sell lots of tickets in their theatrical runs.Certain films can still make money at the domestic box office! According to Box Office Mojo, these nominees for this year's Best Picture Oscar di … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2023Rachel's the one who got drunk: Yesterday, we showed you Gail and Bret's assessments of the Biden classified documents.Today, we'll consider their takes regarding George Santos. After discussing Biden's documents, the pair continued as shown:STEPHENS (1/2 … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2023A fire bell in the night: Long ago and far away, we received a telephone call concerning the critically acclaimed feature film, Tár.In fact, the telephone call to which we refer most likely occurred in November. Our interlocutor had seen the film at a mov … | Continue reading
MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2023Meet the Bidens: Concerning Joe Biden's latest docs, Bret Stephens may have it right. He and Gail Collins begin their weekly New York Times "Conversation" by discussing those latest docs. Sadly, Stephens may have it right at the end of this exchange:STEPHE … | Continue reading
MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2023With respect to the feature film, Tár: Tomorrow morning, it's going to happen!A critically praised feature film—Todd Field's Tár—will receive an Oscar nomination in the category of Best Picture. The film stars Cate Blanchett, playing the role of (fictional … | Continue reading
SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2023Joins others in getting it wrong: Last evening, on Tucker Carlson Tonight, the Fox News Channel's "excitable boy" was excitedly at it again.The youngster started by comparing mask policy during the pandemic to the way women are forced to wear burqas with … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023The ghosts of Shaker Heights: Last night, Tucker Carlson went so far that the bosses at Fox News have apparently made a decision.They've apparently decided to withhold the transcript from the web site of Tucker's highly rated TV show, Tucker Carlson Tonigh … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2023In red tents, Tucker Carlson: A week in the life of the national discourse is a journey of many steps.Quite routinely, the journey involves an imitation of public discourse—on a journalistic basis, an "imitation of life."Consider the first two reports we … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2023Or within your "national discourse:" Admittedly, this topic can seem to get old. That said, we were struck again today when we traveled to the remarkable web site of the (online) Washington Post.It was 10:45 a.m. The first three reports on the (online) … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2023Could something be wrong with Us? This past Monday—Monday, January 16—was a federal holiday.Right at the start of her TV show, Nicolle Wallace alluded to that widely known fact:WALLACE (1/16/23): Hi, everyone! It's 4 o'clock in the East. And on this day … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023Two imitations of life: As of last Thursday night, the first few facts about the matter had started to emerge.A limited number of classified documents had been found in a Washington office belonging to President Biden. That said, how many such classified … | Continue reading
MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2023An imitation of life: Is our nation's public discourse an "imitation of life?"There's no single answer to your question! For today, let's examine one manifestation. Let's examine the (extremely lengthy) front page of the (online) Washington Post.As we type … | Continue reading
MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2023For today, King on King: We're going to start with Colbert King, the veteran Washington Post Saturday morning columnist.As far as we know, Colbert King is no relation to Dr. King. We thought he went horribly wrong at one point in the weeks before the 2000 … | Continue reading
SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 2023Donald J. Trump and Us: Lawrence O'Donnell started Thursday night's Last Word in a highly informative way. He started the program by reporting a manifestation of The Crazy.In this case, The Crazy had been given voice by one Donald J. Trump. As Lawrence e … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2023Our blue tribe elites, not so much: Today, as our endless Case Study ends, we offer some excellent news.We're here today to tell you this:The kids seem to be all right!At this point, let us make a correction. The "kids" to whom we refer aren't exactly kids … | Continue reading