When you’re writing a profile of Naomi Klein for the New Yorker, you need to put things in terms your base readership can understand, or at least drop some cultural cues as to why Klein is polished enough for that full-page photo despite her dirty, dirty, plebey politics.
“She was wearing dark jeans tucked into tall brown boots, a crisp white shirt, and a long black blazer. She was dressed for a fox hunt. She looked terrific.”
“[Klein's home] is furnished simply, as though on one quick trip to Crate & Barrel.”
I guess a more cynical reading would be that the author is trying to undermine Klein’s thesis here. But then they really seem to genuinely love the outfits and the furniture over at the New Yorker.
Anyone want to help me shoot a depressing documentary on foreclosure, the housing crisis and the collapse of the nouveau riche debt-ridden American dream this coming spring/summer? Some camera/sound help would be nice. C’mon, kids, road trip!!
No, not actually for kids. Well, maybe. I don’t know. It’s Tuesday, give me a fucking break.
Researchers learned that ants that perform specific tasks are no more efficient than regular ants. “It turns out,” said scientist Anna Dornhaus, “that the ones that are specialized on a particular job are not particularly good at doing that job.” … Ann Coulter had her mouth wired shut. … Planned Parenthood of Indiana announced plans to offer holiday gift certificates that can be applied toward the cost of checkups, contraception, or abortions. “They deserve coal in their stockings,” said Sister Diane Carollo of the Indianapolis Archdiocese.
And on that whole Wal-Mart stampede thing:
“It was crazy,” said a worker in the electronics department. “The deals weren’t even that good.”