Girl Ransom Note

Oh my god, hi!! I am SO sorry to do this, but we have your wife Jenna, and if you don’t pay us $20 million in unmarked bills by tomorrow night, we are gonna have to kill her. So sorry about this!! We are a group of private individuals who disagree with your amoral business practi … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

If Tim Walz Is America’s Dad, These Are America’s Other Family Members

Tim Walz is America’s dad. George Washington is America’s father. Pedro Pascal is America’s daddy. Jimmy Carter is America’s “one that got away.” Stanley Tucci is America’s second husband who breathed new life into America as America was picking up the pieces after America’s divo … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Reviews of New Food: Jif Peanut Butter & Chocolate Flavored Spread

I was busy working (scrolling Instagram) when an ad for this product caught my eye. The promo page contained an alarming amount of content about a fictional merger (“THE MERGER”) between Peanut Butter Group and Chocolatey Corp to create a company playfully nicknamed “PBC.” The we … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

I’m Sorry If My Past Actions Made Me Seem Like a Good Person

“A former Yale Law School classmate and friend [of J. D. Vance] has shared about 90 of their emails and text messages… the emails add to an existing body of evidence showing how Mr. Vance pivoted from a strong opponent of former President Donald J. Trump to his running mate. They … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Essays for The Cut’s Animal Ethics Issue Based on Famous Works of Fiction

“Is My Cat a Prisoner? And Other Ethical Questions About Our Pets.” — Headline from The Cut’s recent Pet Ethics issue. - - - “Is It Bad That I Stopped Loving My Cat After I Buried Him in the Mi’kmaq Burial Ground, and He Came Back Wrong?”1 “Am I Forcing My Dog to Rescue My Son fr … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Lines from “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” if T. S. Eliot Had Been Mentored by the Three Stooges Instead of Ezra Pound

Let us go then, youse and I… Do I dare Distoib the universe? In the room the women come and go, Talking of Larry, Curly, Moe… I have measured out my life with coffee spoons… You knucklehead! That’s not coffee—it’s gunpowder! And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and s … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

This Publicly Funded Stadium Will Benefit Everyone Who Owns the Stadium

The hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars used to build this new stadium will benefit everyone in our city, as long as they own the stadium and the billion-dollar sports team playing inside. The stadium will be a community space enjoyed by all who can afford a $175 ticket and … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

An Excerpt from David Shields’s New Book: How We Got Here

- - - Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, QAnon, Fox News, etc., etc., etc. have kidnapped the last century of intellectual thought and philosophical investigation: poststructuralism, quantum physics, deconstruction, the current “crisis” in “nonfiction”-journalism- med … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Classic New York City Movies If They Took Place in Eric Adams’s New York

“As the budget process progressed, updated revenue projections showed that many of the cuts weren’t needed. Both fiscally conservative and liberal good government groups and the Independent Budget Office said City Hall’s revenue projections were inaccurate. But the mayor ordered … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

NFL Players Look Ahead to the Upcoming Fantasy Football Season

Mike Evans, WR A lot of times it happens on Labor Day. I’ve heard that from tons of guys and that’s usually how it is for me. Around Labor Day anyways. It’s like a draft. I think the “owners” even call it a draft. I’ve already been drafted before into the NFL. But this… this is n … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Imagined Messages from My Dying Plants

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Susan Sontag’s “Notes on (Summer) Camp”

What is camp? Well, it’s a vision. It’s unmistakable. It’s sharing a bunk with seven other girls and having a rotating schedule of who the entire bunk has decided to hate this week. Camp is big. It’s brash. It’s more often than not “Hate Katie” week. Camp is a way of seeing the w … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Quiz: What Have Republicans Accused Kamala Harris of So Far?

Republicans continue to lob various attacks at Kamala Harris. Which of these accusations have they made, and which are still to come? 1. Opposes saying “Merry Christmas” 2. Popular in Hollywood 3. Has fingers 4. Is hiding from the press 5. Lip syncs all of her speeches to a backi … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

X Sends a Cease and Desist Letter to a Former User

“X filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, a coalition of major advertisers, claiming that it had violated antitrust laws by coordinating with brands to dissuade them from spending money on the social media platform.” — New York Times - - - A … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Short Conversations with Poets: Alan Felsenthal

There’s a dreamy and appealing naturalism to Alan Felsenthal’s elegy, Hereafter. The poems are electric and vivid, but the book never romanticizes suffering. Voices in these poems have a sadness to them, a melancholy that retains some almost mystical buoyancy. But never treacly. … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

A New Hope Spreads Across a Galaxy Far, Far Away—Here’s Why That’s a Big Problem for the Republic

“America now has a choice between the former president’s nightmarish vision of national decline that only a strongman can fix and Harris’ optimistic vow that America is still a land of aspiration. But that dichotomy also points to a huge risk for Harris. Running a campaign rooted … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

An Oral History of My Aging Body

EYES: Not to brag, but we were among the first to go. We’ve required glasses or contact lenses for decades. STOMACH: Eyes said that? No, I was definitely the first—not to mention the worst. EYES: I guess I started to act up around the same time as Stomach. That was quite a year. … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Animal Farewells for the Sixth Extinction

Scientists largely agree that Earth is in the midst of a sixth mass extinction, so we will be called upon to say goodbye to animals with increasing frequency. Unfortunately, the average American knows pitifully few ways to do so. If you ask anyone on the street, their list will l … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Dad’s Last Will and Passwords

Dear Children: All my real estate, savings, and tangible assets are to go to all of you, and if you don’t want them, to Goodwill or the thrift shop. Or just find someone who looks like they need them. Some things that don’t look like much are more valuable than you might think, l … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

But Is She Electable?

I understand she’s wonderful. I have no serious critiques. My only concern is… is she electable? I know she’s a fantastic communicator. Every clip of her I see, I’m blown away by her knowledge, poise, and warm meme-able laugh. I just worry about what others think of her. Not ever … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Of Course I Understand Shakespeare

Shakespeare! Neither before nor since has there been a man with such mastery of words and humanity. It is the bedrock upon which the foundation of modern literature is comfortably perched. Most importantly, it’s something I fully comprehend, even though I choose not to explain my … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Sorry Not Sorry: CrowdStrike’s $10 Empathy Failure

A 2023 Column Contest grand-prize winner, Laurence Pevsner’s Sorry Not Sorry investigates why we’re sick of everyone apologizing all the time—and how the collapse of the public apology leaves little room for forgiveness and grace in our politics and culture. - - - Around the worl … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Help! I Accidentally Became Kamala’s Perfect VP Pick

Please help me. I’ve accidentally become the perfect choice to be Kamala Harris’s running mate. And I really, really don’t want to be VP. Last week, I had everything going for me: I am white male middle-aged governor of a crucial battleground state, have a 72 percent approval rat … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

The Items You Find in Your Kid’s Camp Backpack at the End of the Week Are Your Path to Inner Peace

A Rock: Feel how solid it is. How smooth. How heavy. Like, really heavy. Good lord. Was your kid lugging it around all week? Is this the burden we all bear—lugging around rocks that we thought, for just a fleeting moment, were special? What rocks in our own backpack can we unload … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

I Embark on the Hero’s Journey of Filling my Insulin Prescription

I receive my Call to Adventure in the form of a text. It is not from a real person. It states that a prescription beginning with INS is ready. The Call to Adventure comes at an inconvenient time. I am inhabiting my Ordinary World, which means I am having a snack and don’t have pa … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

I’d Be Lead Harpooner on the Pequod If It Wasn’t For These DEI Hires

You know, I wouldn’t say this to just anyone. I’m not one to gam and gossip around the old grog-cooler. But I know you’re a good New England boy working your hardest to crew this vessel just like me, so let’s talk straight. Be honest: Have you noticed the harpooners getting a lit … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Olympic Horse or SoundCloud Rapper?

1. Cash In Hand 2. Robb Bank$ 3. Bryson Tiller 4. Quincy B 5. Toto Jr. 6. Jagerbomb 7. Ghostemane 8. Bluetooth OLD 9. Wifisfuneral 10. Blueface 11. Zatchmo 12. Tiffanys Diamond 13. Ugly God 14. Russ 15. Wendy 16. Marcy Mane 17. Greek Air 18. Hit Plus 19. Eclips 20. The Real Melad … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

American Versus European Out-of-Office Replies

American: I am out of the office between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., I am so, so sorry. European: I am out of the office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (for tapas). - - - American: I am in the bathroom, and will respond to your email from the toilet. European: I am taking my government-mandated … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Sports That Would Have Been Introduced If Boston Hosted the 2024 Olympics

“The bid to bring the Summer Olympics to Boston in 2024 fell apart nine years ago… Many community leaders and residents were supportive of the idea, and some expressed disappointment when the bid was canceled.” — The Boston Globe, 7/24/2024 - - - Rotary Cycling No Blinker Merging … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Lesser-Known Goals of Project 2025

Replace all Department of Education employees with sunglass-wearing dudes filming themselves ranting in pick-up trucks. Abolish DEI hiring policies and ensure jobs are only given based on nepotism. School children will start every morning reciting the pledge of allegiance and/or … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Olympic Gymnast or Me, a Middle-Aged Woman?

1. I’ve put this body through a lot. 2. I’ve done the same routine over and over for years. 3. I wear a nerdy windbreaker. 4. One of my most important goals is getting as much gold as possible. 5. People suspect I’m a different age than I say I am, but no one’s been able to prove … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

If My Mom Wrote the Ads for Her Local NPR Station

Support for WNYC is brought to you by: It Needs More Lemon. Taste this chicken for me, will you? It’s missing something. Yep, more lemon. Okay, taste it again. Better? Use code MORELEMON at checkout for 50 percent off your first order. Wait, now it’s missing salt. Support for WNY … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Your Favorite Regional Theater’s (Honest) Season Announcement!

We are thrilled to announce our upcoming season, which absolutely must dig us out of the red or it will be our last season! But no one is stressed, because ART! We are excited to share this rich and extremely safe collection of shows with you, our patrons. Hurry now to order your … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Look Alive—The Dish You Ordered at This Restaurant Is Coming out on a Different Type of Plate from Everyone Else’s

Hey, I’m the manager of the restaurant you’re dining at, and— just a quick heads up— it looks like you ordered the only dish on our menu that comes on a different type of plate. How fun is that? Before you ask, yes, it’s flamboyant—excessively so. Yelp reviews have described this … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

The Backstreet Boys’ Commanding Officer Dresses Them Down After the Catastrophic Battle in Their “Larger Than Life” Music Video

(Click here for a refresher on the tragic events of the “Larger Than Life” video.) - - - I won’t sugarcoat it, boys: I’m incensed. We pulled you out of cryosleep after a millennium because we’d heard that, back in A.D. 1999, you’d conquered the Chartz—an evil alien race that’s de … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

I’m a Childless Cat Lady, and If Trump and Vance Win I’m Going to Start a Sexual Relationship with My Couch

This week, a resurfaced video of Donald Trump’s running mate, J. D. Vance, calling childless cat ladies like me miserable and uncaring went viral, making me more concerned than I already was about what my life might be like under an administration so hostile to women’s sexual, re … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Skills You Need as President of the United States or Skills You Need as a Stepmom?

“Will Chamberlain, a conservative lawyer who worked on Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign, posted on X that Harris ‘shouldn’t be President’ because she doesn’t have biological children; ‘becoming a step-parent to older teenagers doesn’t count,’ he said." —New York Times, 07/23/ … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

If They’d Told Me We Were Poor, I Wouldn’t Have Tolerated the Cynics

Though her family sometimes received food stamps and occasionally had their utilities cut off, Marcie Alvis Walker’s parents led her to believe that they were an average middle-class Black family. They encouraged her to pursue her dreams and told her that if she worked hard enoug … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

We Went Ahead and Made an AI Olympian

One hundred-meter breaststroke for computers, one giant leap for mankind. We at OpenlyBadAI are thrilled to debut our most awesome leap yet in artificial intelligence: the first-ever AI Olympians. If you’ve been on the fence about AI, get ready to have your mind blown watching ou … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 3 months ago

Preorder Book Sales Are Key

We are so proud to be publishing your masterpiece. We want this book to be huge. We want the face of every commuter buried in its pages. We want every e-reader in America to glow with it. To make this happen, preorder sales are essential. We have to spread the word! But you alrea … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 months ago

So, What Are the Logistics Behind the Apocalypse Orgy?

Sorry, everybody, I hate to be that guy, but what’s going on with the apocalypse orgy? It’s happening, right? Do we have any more details about it, or are we just going into this whole doomsday orgy thing completely off the cuff? Seriously, what are the logistics behind the apoca … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 months ago

You Are Almost Out of Google Storage Space

You are using 85 percent of your Google storage. If you don’t upgrade soon, you will lose the ability to receive emails and upload new photos. Click here to upgrade. - - - You are using 87 percent of your Google storage. If you don’t upgrade soon, you will lose the ability to rec … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 months ago

Table Options for Your Dinner Reservation

Dining Room High Top Even Higher Top Low Top (normal chairs around a coffee table) Bar Seating Outdoor (sidewalk) Outdoor (back patio) Outdoor (overgrown garden that’s a breeding ground for mosquitoes) Table in Striking Distance from Pool Table The Pool Table Table in Collision P … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 months ago

Kamala Harris is a DEI Hire; We Need a President Who Earned Everything Himself

“MAGA Republicans are subjecting Vice President Kamala Harris to a barrage of racist and sexist attacks as she has stormed out in front as the likely 2024 nominee…GOP Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee said that “100 percent, she was a DEI hire” insisting of Biden’s choice of Harris: … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 months ago

If You’re a Wealthy, Divorced, and Fascism-Curious Dad, You Need My Twelve-Step Video Program about Herbs

Attention: If you’re a single man over thirty making at least $150,000 a year but you’re ashamed of your pestos and bouquets garnis, stop what you’re doing and register for my twelve-part video program. In just six short months, I will turn you into a black-belt-certified fresh h … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 months ago

Sherwin-Williams Paint Color or Potential Kamala Harris Running Mate?

“Ms. Harris, 59, could be inclined to turn to someone from a swing state that the party needs to win. She is also likely to turn to a male running mate, Democrats said, to give the ticket balance.”- The New York Times - - - 1. Reliable White 2. Nice White 3. Polite White 4. Incre … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 months ago

The Béchamel Test

In 1985, the cartoonist Alison Bechdel first published her friend Liz Wallace’s joke that she wouldn’t watch a movie unless it had two female characters who exchanged dialogue about something other than men. Over the last forty years, the Bechdel Test has proven far too challengi … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 months ago

Here at VeriMark, Our Home Page Tells You Nothing About Who We Are

VeriMark. Welcome to Us. This is our website. Here you will come to find who we are. Because you’ve seen our name. Somewhere. VeriMark. A trusted name. Because it’s so ambiguous and strong, you won’t question it. You’ve got your veri, and you’ve got your mark. As in, we very much … | Continue reading


@mcsweeneys.net | 4 months ago