cultural commentary Archives - Page 12 of 17

Visitors in a pristine white gallery gaze at blank walls, symbolizing the modern art fad of celebrating nothingness as high culture.

"Jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule.”

An Empty Museum Is the Newest Art Fad

philmaggitti cultural commentary, trump 12 months

The latest avant-garde gallery is drawing rapt attention and hordes of visitors by mounting absolutely no visual content. This newest art fad can be “seen”… Read More

Hyphenated last names image, featuring a red prohibition symbol over the letters ‘P-B’ separated by a hyphen, positioned above a detailed black and white skull and crossbones.

Two names, one hyphen, zero dignity.

Culture

Hyphenated Last Names: A Crime Against Humanity

philmaggitti cultural commentary, trump 12 months

Hyphenated last names are the linguistic equivalent of duct-taping two egos together and calling it a legacy. They are Frankensteinian name-chimeras, stitched from the vanity… Read More

A group of awkward, middle-aged people clapping out of sync in a beige room, their uncertain expressions capturing the quiet absurdity of offbeat enthusiasm and the end of civilization in microcosm.

Moments before rhythm—and civilization—collapsed completely.

Culture Music

Clapping Before the Beat: Hands Down the End of Civilization

philmaggitti cultural commentary, music, trump 12 months

Among the more rhythmically ambitious members of our species, there exists a sad affliction known as premature percussive enthusiasm. In layperson’s terms– clapping before the… Read More

The Farmer's Almanac Satire illustration: A humorous vintage-style ink drawing showing a grizzled farmer in overalls surrounded by absurd Almanac symbols — an onion, a striped sock, a crystal, and a scroll — all rendered in sepia tones against a textured beige background.

Farmer’s Almanac is never wrong.

Culture

The Farmer’s Almanac Satire for 2025

philmaggitti cultural commentary, trump 12 months

(The Farmer’s Almanac Satire has been forecasting folly since before climate denial was cool.) General Overview November arrives like an uninvited uncle with political opinions… Read More

A cartoon-style illustration for selfie deaths, showing a man teetering on the edge of a cliff as his phone slips away, symbolizing digital vanity and danger.

Moments before evolution hits the ‘unfollow’ button.

Culture

How to Avoid Selfie Deaths and Darwin Awards

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary, trump 12 months

In loving memory of the “brave” souls who met selfie deaths while chasing the perfect angle but meeting the ultimate exposure instead. Selfie Deaths, #1 Historians… Read More

A young boy of eleven trick-or-treating in a suburban neighborhood. He is wearing three vape pens around his neck as part of a “Serial Vapist” outfit—one of the funny Halloween costumes that shocked his neighbors.

“Don’t worry, It’s just nicotine… this time.”

Culture

Funny Halloween Costumes: Remember the Serial Vapist

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary, trump 1 year

Every Halloween some precocious child decides to split the difference between clever and concerning. Last year’s ignoble laureate in the funny Halloween costumes department was… Read More

Red-orange diner booth with a black knit watch hat, vintage cassette tape, and coffee mug on the table—evoking quiet nostalgia in a scene inspired by the Bruce Springsteen movie aesthetic.

Springsteen’s muse, circa 1982: one hat, one cassette, zero audience.

Culture

Deliver Me from Netflix: The Bruce Springsteen Movie Sucks

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 1 year

The book on which this tragedy was based, Warren Zanes’s solemn ode to Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, attempts to canonize a lo-fi cassette as if it… Read More

Taylor Swift sitting on a bed with a guitar writing a song. An illustration for this article about Taylor Swift songs and their inspirations.

Taylor Swift pretending to write about your feelings instead of hers — again.

Culture Music

Ten People Who Believe Taylor Swift Songs Are About Them

philmaggitti cultural commentary, music 1 year

It requires a colossal kind of self-delusion to believe that an artist with 100 million followers wrote a tune specifically about you. Yet every time… Read More