Sunday Morning Reads 12/27/20
Before we get into my picks for this week I want to apologize for not posting anything new this past week - my IRL life ended up being much busier than I anticipated! I didn’t forget about you guys, and hopefully next week I’ll be able to get back on schedule.
Speaking of the upcoming week, we are now in the limbo time between Christmas and New Year’s. The kids are out on winter break (for whatever that’s worth this year), nobody is really in work mode, and we’re all looking back over the year that was. For me, this time of year has always been one for introspection and taking stock; I think some of my picks this week reflect that mood.
If you missed this piece and the social media mini-freakout over it last Sunday, be sure to check out Stephanie Clifford’s piece on the torrid relationship between former Bloomberg reporter Christie Smythe and Martin Shkreli.
Joshua Rothman writes about the allure of thinking about the paths we didn’t take and the choices we didn’t make in life
It may be a bit meta to include this, but Substack posted a piece explaining their procedures and philosophy on content moderation. What’s notable about it is less Substack’s position on content moderation and more the strong critique of the incentive structures on other social media platforms and how Substack plans to combat them on this platform.
Tim Skellett writes about how the COVID pandemic has caused some members of the IDW to lose their damn minds
Originally written in March 2019 but relevant again in the waning days of the Trump presidency, Oliver Traldi wonders what those who have built careers around Trump will do once the man himself is gone
Derek Robertson goes deep on the broken trust between the residents of Flint, Michigan and the local government in the aftermath of the water contamination scandal, and how once broken that trust does not come back easy (hint hint)
To end my recommendations on a happy note, Jan Hoffman reports on the surge of optimism and excitement around the COVID vaccine now that it’s available and being administered
I hope everyone has a happy New Years’ Eve / New Years’ Day and I wish you health and wealth in 2021!
See you back here on Sunday Morning Reads next year!