And White People Win Again! |
Of the 17 Supreme Court chief justices in this country's history, every single one of them have been a white man; not to mention, the recent ones were educated and Ivy-League universities (John Roberts himself earned his law degree from Harvard). For yet more proof of the power of elite educations, he need look no further than the fact that, of his current fellow justices, all but one—Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett—were educated at Harvard or Yale. The problem is Roberts and his "conservative" affirming court weren't looking forreal forreal. If they were, they would've found that there's been no such thing as equal protection or access in academia. Not Roberts' nor anyone else's legalese should obfuscate this obvious truth: The campaign and eventual overruling of affirmative action is an act of white supremacy. |
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| What It Was Like to Spend a Summer With JFK Jr. |
Sailors invariably get asked about the storms. No one ever asks, "Did you swim with whales out there?" Or "Is there any place still untouched by man?" They want to know about the waves. The big ones. They want to know if their own fears of the deepest blue are founded or not. Here's the truth: It can get scary out there, especially if you go alone. I've spent years at sea with no other soul aboard. If I'd fallen overboard, it would've been to my certain death. The boat would simply sail over the horizon without me while I treaded water until my limbs gave out or the heat seeped from my bones. Sailing alone on long voyages is like living on the tip of a butte in the middle of the desert. Every edge of the boat is a cliff over which you'll fall to your death. The only semblance of a railing on mine is a stainless-steel lifeline the thickness of a pencil that runs the perimeter. Smart sailors wear a harness and strap themselves to the boat when they're at sea, even if someone is sleeping down below. |
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Mourning the Trans Boyhood I Never Got |
I often think about him. I wonder about what he would have worn at eight, at thirteen, at twenty. I wonder about who he would have been friends with. I wonder who he would have had a crush on. I wonder who he would have dated. I wonder who he would have taken to prom. I wonder who he would have had sex with, at what age. I wonder if he'd have done the same stuff I did — singing in choruses, acting in plays, reading endless books. I wonder if he'd have done so exceptionally well in school. I wonder if like me he'd have been so hard on himself. I wonder if I'd have been some whole other person. Especially in terms of how others might have seen me. My qualities were frequently ones others made clear were unbecoming of a little girl (talkative, assertive, funny, smart). Would more people have loved me better, if instead I'd gotten to be my actual self? All the time, figure especially back then, I felt the unfairness, the arbitrariness, of all this. |
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I'm Ready For The Idol to End. (For Good.) |
You know, I've never seen a show quite as unsettling as The Idol. The series—created by Euphoria's Sam Levinson and Able "The Weeknd" Tesfaye—explores the life of Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), a pop star who tries to revamp her image after a mental breakdown. One night, she meets Tedros (Tesfaye), a volatile producer who promises to take her career to the next level—by any means necessary. It should have been a hit. The Idol has a juicy plot, a massive budget, and a star-studded cast. On the call sheet: Jennie from BLACKPINK, comedian Rachel Sennott, plus singers Troye Sivan and Moses Sumney. The marketing had me sold, too. A year before The Idol's premiere, the trailer was projected during The Weeknd's stellar "After Hours til Dawn Tour." Think about it—The Idol had a successful pop star promoting a show about a failing pop star. The Idol was meta! It was exciting! It was supposed to be great! And yet, here we are, nearing the end of the season, and all I can think is, What the hell did I just watch? |
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How One Man Stole $2 Billion Worth of Art |
"Athing of beauty is a joy forever," John Keats once wrote. "Its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness." The poet's immortal words should be emblazoned on the family crest of Stéphane Breitwieser: aesthete, depraved genius, and according to author Michael Finkel, "perhaps the most successful and prolific art thief who has ever lived." From 1994 to 2001, Breitwieser romped through Europe on a breathtaking crime spree: roughly three weekends out of every four, he nicked priceless works of art from museums, galleries, and auction houses, amassing a collection that ultimately totaled more than 300 works of stolen art valued at upwards of $2 billion. But Breitwieser's heists looked nothing like Ocean's Eleven or To Catch a Thief. Unmasked, undisguised, and armed only with a Swiss Army Knife, Breitwieser waltzed into these sanctuaries with no target, no master plan, no meticulous map of the nearest exits—rather, he stole impulsively, making off with whatever entranced him. |
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Paul Wesley Brings Captain Kirk Down to Earth |
Captain Kirk is wearing a black hoodie and jeans. In the third episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season Two, James T. Kirk trades his gold Starfleet uniform for some 21st-century threads (thanks to some time travel shenanigans), and, in doing so, becomes an everyman. As played by Paul Wesley, this version of Kirk isn't a larger-than-life hero; instead, he feels like someone you know. Or, better yet, someone you might aspire to be like. "He's a classic," Wesley tells Esquire. "I feel like Kirk would like classic clothing. He's like jeans, leather jackets, boots, hoodies, white t-shirts, black t-shirts, boom, done. I never want to wear things that will go out of style." Although the idea of James Kirk might conjure up images of William Shatner fighting a rubber lizard in slow-motion, or, perhaps the wise-cracking Chris Pine, the character of Kirk is far more relatable and real than his reputation suggests. "If you actually watch The Original Series, yes, there's some exaggerated stuff there, but for the most part, Kirk is pretty down-to-earth," Wesley explains. "He's not like the caricature people think of, or as big as people have made him out to be in their heads over the years." |
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