We need to reckon with the control work has over our lives — People often glamorize the life of a boss. This was the appeal of Donald Trump's reality TV show, The Apprentice (and for some, his presidency in general). He had people present to him their ideas, and ultimately, with his infamous catchword, "You're Fired," he got to decide if they were…

The men (and women) selling false hope — Back in 2020, I wrote a piece called "The Men Who Sold the False Hope of Stimulus Checks" that chronicled an online trend of "finance gurus" reporting about news on the potential release of a second round of stimulus checks. This was after the Trump administration gave out $1200 checks…

When life gives you gasoline: deny, deny, deny. — Why hello there, traveler, and welcome to the "Apocalypse Tour." This is the walking and architecture tour for all those catastrophe lovers out there, where we note the locations that significantly impacted species 947's collapse (947 were also known as humanity [hyoo·ma·nuh·tee]). …

Can We Stop Romanticizing the British Empire? — The Bridgerton series has officially become an expanded universe with the series Queen Charlotte. The story chronicles the origin of the titular Queen and her tumultuous relationship with King George, which, in this alternate history, leads to the desegregation of British High Society. There’s a lot to unpack on this…

The Framers, the Constitution, and the weaponization of Utopia — The United States of America is both a country and an ideal. The Declaration of Independence put forth the principle that we would be a country where "…all men are created equal" and that citizens would have certain "unalienable Rights [such as] Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." It…

Disney, revolution, violence, & fascism — Dana Terrace's show, The Owl House, ended on April 8, 2023. It was about a nerdy woman named Luz Noceda who was transported to a magical land called the Boiling Isles. There she learned magic, gathered friends and allies, and faced off against a dictator named Emperor Belos, who wanted…

Unpacking how players misappropriate anarchy for lolz — If you have been following Minecraft for a while, you may have noticed the proliferation of so-called "anarchy servers." Places such as 2b2t & MC Prison where there are allegedly "no rules." Players are permitted to cheat, steal, and kill other players (virtually) with reckless abandon. These servers are entertaining…

The way we talk about optimism and pessimism is unhealthy — I talk to my friends, and the futures they paint for me are bleak: Gilead, Bladerunner, Max Max. They tell me that there are no good futures left: that we are irreversibly headed for constant wars, depleting water, food shortages, and reduced life expectancies. …

The YouTube channel’s limited imagination on climate change — Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell is a charming YouTube channel that attempts to demystify complicated topics in a way everyday people can understand. Each episode involves a narrator explaining subjects while adorable little animations help to illuminate the topics as clearly as possible. When focusing narrowly on science explainers, I…