Mark Oppenheimer

New England, New Haven

Writer at Freelance

"Squirrel Hill: Tree of Life ... Shooting & Soul of a Neighborhood." https://t.co/RLd9f2Fozg. https://t.co/tiyzXI0oxx

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Articles

Essay | Where Have All the Nicknames Gone?

6 days ago | wsj.com | Mark Oppenheimer

Calling a friend TJ, Curly or Crazy Legs used to be a sign of affection. Not anymore, thanks to fear of giving offense or sounding unprofessional. I have always liked nicknames, because they indicate intimacy. The silly, nonsensical names parents call their babies facilitate bonding, and as children grow, we still express warmth by calling them Timmy rather than Timothy or even Tim, or Suzie rather than just Susan.
Appreciation: John Casey (1939-2025)

2 weeks ago | wsj.com | Mark Oppenheimer

The novelist won the National Book Award for the sailing tale ‘Spartina,’ but he also wrote engagingly about his love of sports and exercise. In 1991, the summer before senior year, my high school assigned three books for reading.
The Rise of the Not Left

1 month ago | danieloppenheimer.substack.com | Meghan Daum |Mark Oppenheimer |Mana Afsari |William Deresiewicz

My guest on this episode of the podcast is William Deresiewicz, author of a number of books, most notably Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life, and the Substack newsletter Derisivist. Bill and I end up spending a fair amount of time discussing an as-yet-untitled essay of his that’s forthcoming in Salmagundi, and at what I'd say are the two poles of it.
The Disabled Are a Gift to Judaism

1 month ago | businessandamerica.com | Mark Oppenheimer

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Opinion | The Disabled Are a Gift to Judaism

1 month ago | wsj.com | Mark Oppenheimer

But there was clearly a disability. I doubt he could balance a checkbook. In conversation, he didn’t keep up the easy give-and-take that most adults do. He had to think harder. Mostly, he seemed to move at a slower pace. If you asked me if I would have left my children in his care, I would have said no. Not because he would harm them or because he didn’t have good judgment. One simply got the sense that in an emergency, he wouldn’t have moved quickly enough. He would have been overwhelmed.
Shame Bad Dads (Starting with Elon Musk)

2 months ago | markoppenheimer.substack.com | Mark Oppenheimer |Ira Stoll

The news item here is that Elon Musk is now the father of a thirteenth child by four mothers (I think; it’s hard to verify or keep track). This is bad news for the republic, and I am going to explain why. But first, let’s back up. Last week, I participated in a lively Substack discussion with reporter and editor .
In Praise of New England Chores

2 months ago | ifstudies.org | Mark Oppenheimer

On a recent cold morning, when our family woke up to four inches of freshly fallen snow, a few things were certain about our Sunday. There would be hot chocolate. There would be a viewing of some family-friendly movie in the afternoon, possibly featuring cartoons and most likely featuring musical numbers. And Davey, our six-year-old, would be up early, in his parka, snow pants, hat, and gloves, climbing on top of our cars.
Did Church Once Make Us Good?

2 months ago | arcmag.org | Mark Oppenheimer

Jonathan Rauch’s Cross Purposes: Christianity’s Broken Bargain with Democracy (Yale University Press, 2024) is both an apology and an apologia. It’s an apology to a dear Christian friend whose beliefs he once scorned, and it’s an apologia, or defense, of the role of Christianity in public life, a position that as a lifelong atheist he finds himself surprised to hold.
Six myths underpinning the Expropriation Act

2 months ago | sajr.co.za | Mark Oppenheimer

The African National Congress’s plan to change the property clause in our Constitution to allow the state to expropriate property without compensation (EWC) failed. However, President Cyril Ramaphosa has just signed the Expropriation Act which provides for nil compensation to be paid for land. The act includes a list of cases, but is open ended. However, it makes clear that no compensation will be paid where land is expropriated in the public interest under certain conditions.
Opus Dei, Embezzlement, and Human Trafficking

Jan 21, 2025 | arcmag.org | Mark Oppenheimer

Most Americans, if they know Opus Dei at all, know it as a fictionalized cabal in The Da Vinci Code. But the Catholic order is real, has branches all over the world, and, according to journalist Gareth Gore, has a deep history of unethical and illegal behavior, including fraud and human trafficking.