The Post-Partisan Emporium

"Blue-and-yellow obsessions." The United States of O.C.D. Patrick Lawrence To know it not is to love it.  Washington, Feb. 25.  (John Brighenti, Flickr, cc by 2.0) This is the second of four essays, to appear occasionally, on the “bubble of pretend” within which most Americans shelter their psyches. The thought binding these pieces is that we must come to terms with our crippled psychological and emotional states if we are to find our ways beyond them. The first of these essays can be found  here . —P. L. 11 MAY—Just before Easter I ventured forth from my remote village to a lively market town called Great Barrington to shop for the holiday lunch—spring lamb, a decent bottle of Bourgogne. Easter is much marked in my household, one of the few feasts we allow ourselves, and it is a reminder this year of a truth that could scarcely be more pertinent to our shared circumstances: After all our small and large crucifixions, there is new life to come. Great Barrington lies in th...

Disinformation Board Confirms Rachel Levine Is A Woman BabylonBee.com 56.9k Shares WASHINGTON, D.C.—The official DHS Disinformation Governance Board, more popularly known as the Ministry of Truth, confirmed today their latest disinformation findings: Rachel Levine is a woman. The declaration occurred at a press conference held this morning at the Ministry's gigantic, pyramid-shaped, 1000-foot-tall building that towers over Washington. "There's a lot of disinformation going around out there, with people pointing out Rachel Levine's low voice register, prominent Adam's apple, and propensity to not ask for help at Home Depot," said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas standing at a towering lectern in front of a banner reading "War Is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Rachel Levine Is A Woman." "These are all hallmarks of classic Russian disinformation campaigns designed to destabilize our society and help Putin beat us." Other pieces of...

Consumerism versus life The choice is yours Frank Wright In one generation we have progressed from a state of aimless stability with a broad expectation that society would coast into more of the same, to a vertiginous chaos of social decline. If we are honest, we no longer expect to see the standards of living rise in any meaningful way. It is enough to hope we can hold on to what we have. Is there any way to calculate the success of a society in a bureaucratic model? We are usually treated to quarterly forecasts of GDP, which have taken a back seat recently to soaring inflation. The interest rate is always of interest, since so many of us, like our governments, live on debt. We pay the monthly interest on the credit cards and mortgages and hire purchase agreements we have. This is called ‘servicing’ our debts, and is perhaps how our ‘service economy’ is understood. In place of rising aspirations, comfortable and unchallenged freedoms, stable communities and a human scale society we ha...