Luke Savage

Toronto

Freelance Journalist at Freelance

Words in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Toronto Star, New Statesman, Smithsonian. Columnist at Jacobin.

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Articles

Jordan Peterson, postmodern bullshit artist

1 week ago | lukewsavage.com | Luke Savage

By way of a quick update, I’ve enjoyed my first few months on Substack and am deeply grateful to everyone who has subscribed and commented so far. I recognize that not everyone wants or as the means to take out a paid subscription, so as always a paywalled post like this one is going to be only partially paywalled. Ultimately, I write things because I want people to read them, and the more who do so the better.
Canada's Royal Visit is a national embarrassment

1 week ago | lukewsavage.com | Luke Savage

Just days after Mark Carney was sworn in as Canada’s prime minister back in March, he flew to France and Britain for meetings with Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer. In context, the intended symbolism of these chosen destinations was subtle but obvious: amid Donald Trump’s trade war and intermittent annexationist threats, Carney was leaning into an older, less Americanized strand of Canadian nationalism. This week, however, any subtlety in the posture of Carney’s government has disappeared.
Carney-ism is off to a shaky start

2 weeks ago | lukewsavage.com | Luke Savage

The phrase “honeymoon period” is one of those cliches of political discourse I dislike, for no other reason than that it happens to be used so much. Nevertheless, in a narrow sense at least, it certainly refers to something real: namely, the period of generalized calm and sometimes enthusiasm that greets a new government after it takes office.
Between Seeger and Dylan

3 weeks ago | lukewsavage.com | Luke Savage

Late last year, I reviewed James Mangold’s film A Complete Unknown for the Toronto Star. Since the movie had just come out, I was more interested in writing about it as a movie than digging more deeply into the events it depicts (suffice it to say, I enjoyed A Complete Unknown despite some mostly friendly reservations and thought some of the performances were particularly good).
Why Severance is terrifying

3 weeks ago | lukewsavage.com | Luke Savage

“To this end we employ rigorous orientation protocols. Here are the 127 steps to maximizing glee and enforcing a productive workplace. From there, secure camaraderie with a jovial round of ball game. Make sure the ball is well-inflated and that players ensure mutual fondness by the end. Consider augmenting the game with jokes. But mind professional boundaries, as crossing these may necessitate toxic work environments. Well, there you have it. Remember managers: growth takes time.
Technology and Empire

1 month ago | lukewsavage.com | Luke Savage

“Unless we have our own national way, we will have the American way.
Economics as politics

1 month ago | lukewsavage.com | Luke Savage

The stock parlance of a particular era can often tell you a whole lot. When it comes to political eras, the phrases and flourishes that are most remembered tend to be the exceptional ones. But it’s in the quotidian speech of an age — its cliches, its recurrent tropes, its rhetorical ticks, etc. — that many of the latent values and most deep-seated assumptions are really buried. When it comes to body language, we communicate a great deal to those around us without always meaning to.
Economics as politics

1 month ago | open.substack.com | Luke Savage

The stock parlance of a particular era can often tell you a whole lot. When it comes to political eras, the phrases and flourishes that are most remembered tend to be the exceptional ones. But it’s in the quotidian speech of an age — its cliches, its recurrent tropes, its rhetorical ticks, etc. — that many of the latent values and most deep-seated assumptions are really buried. When it comes to body language, we communicate a great deal to those around us without always meaning to.
Why Trumpism 2.0 has already failed

1 month ago | lukewsavage.com | Luke Savage

First off, today marks three months since I created this Substack. I’m incredibly grateful to the nearly 1,700 of you who have subscribed so far, and to everyone who has read, shared, or commented on these posts. I’m especially grateful to those of you who’ve taken out paid subscriptions: thanks to you, I have enough of those to keep writing and publishing regularly on here. If you’ve been on the fence about upgrading to a paid subscription, I completely understand.
In Trump's shadow

1 month ago | lukewsavage.com | Luke Savage

(Note: I finished this piece yesterday, but since it was too late in the day to publish I decided to hold off until this morning. So to those who read on and are wondering about the various references to “last night”, that’s the explanation…) Results continue to trickle in from last night’s federal election, but a few hours after midnight the final picture was basically clear. Mark Carney and the Liberals have won, but have also failed to secure a majority.