Culture

What Is Literature For?

The U.K. removes American classics from required reading lists.

Jane Miller

Don’t Let Nina Be Misunderstood

The problem with Zoe Saldana playing Nina Simone.

Miriam Petty

Nationalize the Ivy League

We need to go further than the meritocratic reforms proposed by William Deresiewicz.

Chris Lehmann

In ‘Snowpiercer,’ Revolution is Brutal—And Necessary

The sci-fi flick doesn't fall into the trap of romanticizing the struggle.

Jude Ellison Sady Doyle

The Yes Men Secure the Homeland

A group of activists—disguised as government officials—get Homeland Security Congress attendees enthused to address climate change.

The Yes Men

Jan Palach: Prague’s Human Torch

A new film takes a rare look behind the Iron Curtain.

Michael Atkinson

The Uses of Enchantment

In Enchanted Objects, David Rose rhapsodizes about the coming Internet of Things. But can high-tech objects really reconnect us?

Jessica Stites

Use Your Words, Wolverine

The bad lessons of superhero movies.

Michael Atkinson

Piketty and Meatballs

What we talk about when we talk about Capital.

Chris Lehmann

Artisanal Union-Busting

Whole Foods has attempted to crush anything resembling a union drive among its employees.

Chris Lehmann

The Summer Movie Road Not Taken

1977's Sorceror was the antithesis of Star Wars, and we could learn from it

Michael Atkinson

Beyond the Right to Choose

When is 'choice' the wrong approach?

Jane Miller

The Deal That Never Died

The New Deal's still all around us

Theo Anderson

Whitewashing Godzilla

The latest adaptation of the classic flick all but ignores the original monster's anti-nuclear message.

Steve Ryfle

Death of a Hacktivist

A new documentary on Aaron Swartz.

Patricia Aufderheide

Dimwits and the Dark Ages

Pervasive sexual violence has become a black eye for HBO's popular Game of Thrones series.

Katherine Don

Mansplaining, Explained

How Rebecca Solnit articulated a millennia-old phenomenon.

Jude Ellison Sady Doyle

The Ambiguities of Care

As they grow older, women may find themselves once again enlisted as unpaid caretakers.

Jane Miller