The Bullies Of Brutalism

“Those who wish to preserve examples of the the style aren’t simply fighting against indifference, they’re combating avowed foes—antagonists who would gladly take a turn at the wrecking ball—who view sympathy for the style as willful contrarianism of the ‘Bach or Before, Ives or After’ variety, not just divorced from reasonable taste but purposefully set at odds with it.”

Why It’s Getting Much More Difficult To Read Seriously

“In the past, having satisfied myself that the postman really had come and gone, the day then presented itself as an undisturbed ocean of potential—for writing (by hand), reading (on paper), and, to pay the bills, translating (on a manual typewriter). It was even possible in those days to see reading as a resource to fill time that hung heavy when rain or asphyxiating heat forced one to stay indoors. Now, on the contrary, every moment of serious reading has to be fought for, planned for.”

‘Veep’ Vs. ‘The Thick Of It’: Why Did They Make The American Political Satire Less Sharp Than The British?

“So what changed when the same writers turned their attention to American politics? Why did their British satire bite so hard, when the American Veep prefers to nibble at the edges? … American political culture doesn’t encourage the contempt for its leaders that British political culture expects as standard.”