The Inner Monologue

Let’s talk about the English language for a second—or, more accurately, let’s talk about how it’s actively gaslighting us at the grocery store. You’re in the snack aisle, just trying to live your life, when you see two labels that should make sense but instead feel like a personal attack: So to recap: Why? Who…

There is a comforting story we tell ourselves: that there is one shared world, one common experience, one reality in which all of us live our lives. It is a story built into civics lessons, moral lectures, economic theories, and the illusions of democracy and markets. It makes society feel rational, navigable, coherent. But wander…

In an earlier era, protest meant abstention. To boycott was to withdraw, to starve a system of attention, labor, and capital. We deprive the merchant by refusing his wares; we reclaim our dignity by denying him our dollars. It is an act of absence, a moral exit. But the modern economy has mutated. Platforms are…

Let’s talk about the great American paradox: people will drop tens of thousands of dollars on a house or a car, then proceed to treat them like disposable razors. It’s like buying a golden retriever and then forgetting to feed it—except in this case, the retriever is your mortgage and it’s actively losing value while…

Let’s talk about playbooks. You know, those things that everyone seems to follow when they’re about to do something terrible, but nobody seems to read when they could, you know, stop them. Monopolies? Oh yeah, there’s a playbook for that. Step one: Dominate a market. Step two: Crush competitors. Step three: Jack up prices while…

For decades, Baby Boomers have shaped the American landscape. Their sheer numbers forced the construction of new schools, the expansion of suburbs, and the widening of roads. Every stage of their lives demanded a response, and entire systems were built around them. Now, as Boomers age and eventually pass, Gen X will inherit not only…

Ah, the eternal wisdom of the eco-marketing gurus: “Replace your perfectly functional [thing] with this shiny new [thing] and SAVE MONEY!” Sure. And if you believe that, I’ve got a “net-zero carbon footprint” timeshare in a swamp to sell you. The Gas Guzzler Gambit A long time ago, I drove a car that drank gasoline…

In a bustling kingdom where the affairs of state flowed like rivers through stone channels, there lived a small but steadfast clerk. Each day the clerk bore scrolls and messages from one office to the next, ensuring the business of the realm marched onward. Now, this clerk dealt with folk of all kinds: some wise,…