All posts tagged: late ’60s

Don’t panic about Russian space weapons

Don’t panic about Russian space weapons

Published by skeptic

This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. A brief hubbub erupted in Washington this week over an unspecified “national security threat” that some sources now believe is related to a Russian plan to use nuclear weapons in space. The prospect is cause for concern but not panic. First, here are four new stories from The Atlantic: For All Mankind Yesterday, Representative Mike Turner, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, issued a cryptic request to President Joe Biden, asking him to declassify information regarding a “serious national security threat.” Turner’s statement angered some of the more extreme members of his own GOP caucus. Representative Andy Ogles claimed that Turner was just trying to whip up some fear about Russia, in part to help passage of a bill authorizing more aid to Ukraine, and he has asked Speaker Mike Johnson to begin an investigation into Turner’s public …

How to Be Happy Growing Older

How to Be Happy Growing Older

Published by skeptic

Want to stay current with Arthur’s writing? Sign up to get an email every time a new column comes out. Next to one’s birthday, the passing of the calendar year induces us to reflect on the march of time in our life. This is not a welcome subject for many—which is perhaps why a lot of people simply redefine old age virtually out of existence. When Americans were asked in 2009 what “being old” means, the most popular response was turning 85. Yet the average life span in the United States in 2022 was only 76. Apparently, then, the average American dies nine years before getting old. The impulse to define old age as “older than I am now” is not surprising, given all the ways our culture worships youth—its beauty, vitality, and entrepreneurial energy—and offers us any number of options for spending time and money to stop or slow down the clock of aging. And as if the adulation of youth weren’t enough, the stigmatization of seniors is always at hand, through overt discrimination, …

Why America Abandoned the Greatest Economy in History

Why America Abandoned the Greatest Economy in History

Published by skeptic

If there is one statistic that best captures the transformation of the American economy over the past half century, it may be this: Of Americans born in 1940, 92 percent went on to earn more than their parents; among those born in 1980, just 50 percent did. Over the course of a few decades, the chances of achieving the American dream went from a near-guarantee to a coin flip. What happened? One answer is that American voters abandoned the system that worked for their grandparents. From the 1940s through the ’70s, sometimes called the New Deal era, U.S. law and policy were engineered to ensure strong unions, high taxes on the rich, huge public investments, and an expanding social safety net. Inequality shrank as the economy boomed. But by the end of that period, the economy was faltering, and voters turned against the postwar consensus. Ronald Reagan took office promising to restore growth by paring back government, slashing taxes on the rich and corporations, and gutting business regulations and antitrust enforcement. The idea, famously, was …

“Priscilla” Recognizes the Irresistible Pull of Girlish Fantasies

“Priscilla” Recognizes the Irresistible Pull of Girlish Fantasies

Published by skeptic

In Priscilla, Sofia Coppola’s sensitive, minor-key portrait of Elvis Presley’s ex-wife Priscilla Presley, there’s a fleeting shot of the King (played by Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi) performing onstage. His back is turned to the camera; as he opens his arms to the crowd before him, he lifts his signature cape and his body blocks out the lights. It’s an unusual perspective. In the many depictions of the icon, Elvis tends to be seen the way his fans saw him: in the spotlight, with his artistry on full display. But Priscilla—as rendered by Coppola and embodied by Cailee Spaeny—had a different point of view. He was a silhouette, a shadow, a man she could not see clearly. Melancholy young women searching for escape are one of Coppola’s favorite subjects, and Priscilla may be her most haunting endeavor thus far. The film, based on Priscilla’s memoir, Elvis and Me, tracks its subject for about a decade of her life, from the time she met her husband-to-be, when she was a 14-year-old ninth grader, to the moment she left …

The Problem With Fox News Goes Way, Way Back

The Problem With Fox News Goes Way, Way Back

Published by skeptic

The cable-news industry that Americans know today is a cautionary tale in what happens when democracy collides with consumerism. For years, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News raked in profits while amplifying partisan rancor in varying ways. Starting in 2015, CNN pumped its ratings by playing up Donald Trump, whose presidency then buoyed all three cable-news giants. But now CNN is in turmoil after a recent change of ownership and the departure of its president, Chris Licht, after 15 months. After the 2020 election, Fox News amplified false claims about voting irregularities rather than offend its disproportionately pro-Trump audience—and subsequently settled a defamation suit by Dominion Voting Systems for more than $700 million. These cable-news networks have long relied on receiving fees from cable companies for each basic-cable subscriber. Now the networks need to replace that income with subscription dollars as more and more Americans cut the cord, and the scramble for money does not bode well for investment in deep, factual reporting about the United States and the rest of the world. Cable news, in …