B. Duncan Moench

3 days ago | unherd.com | B. Duncan Moench

Social mobilityNBADEIYuriko KoikeNBA draftSocietySportUS Tonight is a big night for basketball. It’s the NBA draft: the moment the world’s top 30 basketball teams line up to select the next generation of prodigies. And the worst performing of those 30 get first dibs. This should, theoretically, mean they have better odds at landing top talent.

1 month ago | countyhighway.com | Drew Bratcher |Tama Janowitz |B. Duncan Moench

Jeremiad If not for cosmic-level screwups by Germany and Japan, America would still be an ass-backwards shithole. That, plus the serpentine genius of F.D.R., birthed the alternate-timeline universe that we inhabit today, which is now run by Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Palm-sized mind-control devices stream an endless feed of sex, violence, and outrage porn while our neurodivergent elites plan gated communities on Mars. B.

Nov 3, 2024 | tabletmag.com | B. Duncan Moench

In our wise minds, we all know that U.S. politics as presented by legacy media operations is mostly make-believe. A performance put on by the folks in charge to keep us entertained. When a parent plays hide-and-seek with their kid, they loudly stomp around, telegraphing every move, pretending not to see that tiny foot poking out from behind the couch cushions. The child too knows the game, but they giggle anyway. American national politics is little different.

Jun 16, 2024 | tabletmag.com | B. Duncan Moench

Nothing allows one to dismiss, demean, and murder fellow humans quite like a widely held myth. Whether old or new, left or right, progressive or reactionary, myths allow one to view others as obstacles to the erection of the ideal world. Most people have a hard time justifying murder—or, say, ruining a stranger’s career—out of naked self-interest.

Apr 17, 2024 | tabletmag.com | B. Duncan Moench

Place your hand on the ground of American politics. Keep it there a moment. You’ll feel a deep rumble like A Minor Forest “math rock” song playing off in the distance. The sound of uncontrollable discontent hangs in the air. The country’s demise beckons. Like the clown from Stephen King’s It, our national breakup smiles dementedly from beneath the storm drain, urging us toward bad choices and worse outcomes. This is the message, more or less, of Alex Garland’s new film, Civil War.