Drew Downs

Make a New Normal

Culture

What’s going on, who we are, and what the big deal is.

  • I’m starting to really distrust network television.  It is almost as if they actually want their viewers to hate them.  With the cutting of Cougar Town and Community, ABC and NBC (respectively) are showing disrespect for their fans, who are particularly rabid and consistent. The 20th Century broadcast model was built on getting butts on couches to…

  • The headline should read: Presidential Candidate Eager for Gilded Age‘s Return Instead it reads: Newt Gingrich: Child Labor Laws Are ‘Stupid’ Gingrich’s position is, of course, more nuanced than it sounds. And you have to give him credit for this characteristic bit of brainstorming on his part. But, as is always the case with this…

  • You have to admit that there are some things that you know intuitively and when they are confirmed, it is all less shocking than it should be.  Having said that, it was still pretty amazing to see this headline: “Fox News Viewers Know Less Than People Who Don’t Watch Any News: Study.” The study, which…

  • I’m sorry.  You don’t really have a choice.  You may try to avoid clicking on the link below, but your resistence is futile.  You’ve already lost.  Seriously.  Do it already. They Might Be Giants cover Tubthumping I do have only one question: why even resist?  Seriously the best thing you saw today. You are welcome.

  • You should be mad at Joe Paterno. I wouldn’t be surprised if, when the whole Penn State child sexual abuse scandal is over, it is possible that he is at the center of a great-big cover-up. But Paterno shouldn’t be our scapegoat. And neither should the whole coaching staff. We can’t march these people out…

  • In the United States we have two politics. Competitive Politics The first, I’ll call “Competitive Politics,” is the two-party system of pugilism, evidenced by our incessant competitive metaphors.  We talk about horse races, boxing matches, and football.  So outdated is this vision of politics, that we even use war metaphors as evidence of only two…