cultural commentary Archives - Page 6 of 17 - Postcards from The Pug Bus

Watercolor illustration of two young men from West Chester, PA, crouched over a red flammable gas canister on the grounds of a building flying a West Chester University pennant. One man ignites a spectacular flame while the other laughs.

"Are you sure this is safer than lighting farts?"

West Chester, PA, Considers Its Legacy

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 7 months

West Chester, PA, was known as the “Athens of Pennsylvania” in the 19th century for its proliferation of Greek Revival architecture — columned facades, pediments,… Read More

A cartoon illustration from Toni Tennille: A Memoir, depicting Toni in a purple jumpsuit wielding a broom at Daryl Dragon, who is in a captain’s hat, sunglasses, and near a $10,000 silence generator.

Do That to Me One More Time

Culture

A Review of Toni Tennille: A Memoir

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 7 months

The following review of Toni Tennile: A Memoir is issued from the damp, velvet-lined interior of the Pug Bus, where the windshield wipers are currently… Read More

Weight loss horoscopes illustration: cosmic scale balancing zodiac signs with diet foods in space.

You are what you don't eat!

Culture

Weight Loss Horoscopes

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 8 months

The cosmos has decided that your collective size is too bloated to ignore. In response, it presents the weight loss horoscopes, which put your forecasts… Read More

Office worker tries to meditate at cluttered desk while emails, phone alerts, and a grocery list pile up, illustrating the modern crisis of too much mindfulness meditation.

Too much mindfulness meditation. Please return immediately to mild panic.

Culture

⚡ The Dangers of Too Much Mindfulness Meditation

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 8 months

Federal health officials issued a stern advisory today, warning Americans about the growing dangers of too much mindfulness meditation, which has been linked to chronic… Read More

Satirical fine dining scene where diners experience a conceptual tasting menu experience: empty plates, cardboard candles, and a violinist playing mournful notes.

A server delivers atmosphere, implication, and the faint aroma of regret.

Culture food

Restaurant Éthéré: The Invisible Tasting Menu Experience

philmaggitti cultural commentary, food 8 months

Restaurant Éthéré offers a unique tasting menu experience. Food is obsolete and flavor is a mindset. The menu is composed entirely of aromas, narratives, and… Read More

Political cartoon depicting Gandhi’s shortcomings, showing Gandhi engaged in several of them..

History remembers the halo. The footnotes remember the man.

Culture

Speaking Ill of the Dead: Gandi’s Shortcomings

philmaggitti cultural commentary 8 months

The question of Gandhi’s shortcomings is, for many, an unwelcome one. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869–1948) occupies a position in the global imagination normally reserved for… Read More

People sitting in a circle of folding chairs at a support group meeting while one person stands and speaks about the personal consequences of going viral online.

Going viral wasn't such a good idea after all.

Culture

When Going Viral Ruins Your Life

philmaggitti cultural commentary 8 months

One tweet about sandwiches should not ruin a life. Unfortunately, social media excels at turning small accidents into permanent identities via the phenomenon known as… Read More

Cartoon illustration of a dog ghostwriting your autobiography at a desk with a typewriter, surrounded by papers, coffee, and beef jerky in a cozy home office.

He insisted on final cut and premium jerky.

Culture

How to Tell If Your Dog Is Ghostwriting Your Autobiography

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 8 months

1. Trash as Origin StoryThe first red flag is your memoir’s sudden fixation on garbage. If your formative years are catalogued not by events but… Read More