Caitlin Schneider

2 months ago | discourseblog.com | Caitlin Schneider

Did any of you have to learn “Fifty Nifty United States” as a child? This song has had a chokehold on me for decades. My idle mind will occasionally locate it for no reason and I’ll start singing it to myself while cooking dinner or brushing my teeth, and I assume that will continue to happen until I die. The clip above fails to capture what it was actually like to be a 3rd grader scream-singing this song with about 20 other 3rd graders, but you get the idea.

Mar 6, 2025 | discourseblog.com | Caitlin Schneider

There are few things in life that repel me the way artificial intelligence does. Not that it’s novel for me to detest it—far from it. AI is actively helping to destroy our world in many ways: mass misinformation, environmental ruin, stripping us of our humanity, labor theft (or not?) etc. We all know this. But there’s a particular shape to the ire that is distinct in my personal bouquet of enemies.

Feb 20, 2025 | discourseblog.com | Caitlin Schneider

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love awards shows. In our era of toxic positivity, we’ve all been told there’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure. But I’m here to bravely say that I do in fact feel a sense of shame and remorse about this passion, while loving it all the same. I not only love awards shows, I love awards season. Actually, I love awards seasonS, no matter the medium.

Feb 7, 2025 | discourseblog.com | Caitlin Schneider

A news item crossed my desk earlier this week that made me stop in my tracks (aka stop scrolling). According to the AP headline, “American bald eagles are having a moment, ecologically and culturally.”I relayed this to Jack, who had the appropriate reaction:Despite this truth, I persevered (clicked) and found out that the packaging here isn’t totally ridiculous.

Jan 23, 2025 | discourseblog.com | Caitlin Schneider

On Monday, former presidents, current members of Congress, and hordes of others politely smiled along as Donald Trump—a person that many of those in attendance had called a fascist—was sworn in as president. It certainly wasn’t a shock that the event went off without a hitch (well not exactly, Miss Underwood!), or that no one in the Washington elite or Democratic Party had any desire to break from the norm or cause a disturbance.