Theater historian. Little League coach. Cruciverbalist. American citizen opposed to tyranny.
Remember that Atlantic article on the End of Reading from 2,000 news cycles ago? I have thoughts. Hot off the press!
The End of Reading is Not HereContrary to a recent article in The Atlantic, reading and writing isn't coming to an end. But it is changing—and we should think hard about those changes because they're going to affect everything.open.substack.comNo, reading isn't over. But we do need to rethink literacy. My response to Rose Horowitch.
The End of Reading is Not HereContrary to a recent article in The Atlantic, reading and writing isn't coming to an end. But it is changing—and we should think hard about those changes because they're going to affect everything.open.substack.comThe assignment hasn't changed. Yale, you can't make a deal with these people. Don't do it.
stevelevitskyWith Ryan Enos. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/27/o...
Gonna have to punish a lot of people when this is over. Gonna have to forgive a lot of people when this is over. Let's talk about it.
Accountability and ForgivenessOnce the fascists have been defeated, we need to hold people accountable—and learn when and how to forgive them.open.substack.comI am extremely excited for this. Huge Wile E. Coyote fan.
Every Film NowFinal trailer for ‘COYOTE VS. ACME’ has been released. In theaters August 28. #CoyoteVsAcme
Strong case for Wallace Shawn's The Fever as a key play for this moment.
Aaron RuparNewsmax host pines for McCarthyism: "Do people forget what it was like under the Red Scare in the early '50s? My goodness, if they even thought you were a communist sympathizer, you would be fired from your job. You couldn't even have any communist ideas. And now it's almost become popular!"
A few minor thoughts for this week, including brief comments on Nolan's Odyssey.
Miscellany (July 2026)Miscellaneous comments on gods and angels.open.substack.comSome thoughts after seeing Birthright by Jonathan Spector at MCC.
Birthright and Jewish IdentitySome personal reactions to Jonathan Spector's play at MCC.open.substack.comLet's replace the Supreme Court justices with the real constituents of our polity: the people.
Derek MillerSupreme Court reform is essential. What if we tried something truly different?
Supreme Court reform is essential. What if we tried something truly different?
Constitutional JuriesYou cannot resolve constitutional questions without the authority of the constituting power, to wit, the people.open.substack.comThis guy is such a fucking liar. It's a disgrace that Harvard honored him with a fellowship.
We Need to Talk About KevinKevin McCarthy to the Harvard Institute of Politics? I have thoughts about that in The Harvard Crimson.open.substack.comAcynKevin McCarthy on Platner Allegations: That one thing I know about Republicans is when we had a very bad candidate, we didn't vote for that person. We walked away.
Some thoughts on the new Spielberg film, which I liked.
Looking with SpielbergWhat Disclosure Day teaches us about visual culture.open.substack.comI try to imagine having this little self-respect, but, I confess, I can't wrap my head around it.
Aaron RuparBURGUM: The reflecting pool has been a big success STEPHANOPOULOS: You say it's been a success, but the pool is gonna be drained this week, isn't it? BURGUM: Even though there was damage done by vandals, 99.99% of the pool bottom is perfect
Ugh. So good. Thank you as ever, @davidjroth.bsky.social!
Dead Country Fair | DefectorThings come out of Donald Trump’s mouth, then just keep on coming out of it. If he says something once, he will say it again, primarily to reinforce how powerfully and unprecedentedly successful he wa...defector.comTell Yale not to cut deals with murderers and thieves (aka, the Trump regime).
Tell Yale: Don’t cave to Trump Administration demandsOn Friday, the New York Times broke the news that Yale is in the midst of settlement negotiations with the Trump administration over an investigation into its admissions policies at the college, law s...actionnetwork.orgSomeday, kids, with hard work and no ethics, you too can become a lackey for a fascist, personalist regime.
Aaron RuparMarco Rubio on why Trump's son in law, Michael Boulos, who has no government role, was in his official meetings in Kuwait: "He was just here because his brother lives here and I'm a good friend of Michael's, so we had a chance to catch up"
A few words on the politics of Fiddler on the Roof.
Derek MillerI'm two weeks late to this brief online kerfuffle, but it's still worth explaining.