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

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.

When Going Viral Ruins Your Life

philmaggitti cultural commentary 7 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 7 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

A vintage 1930s rubber hose animation style illustration featuring a sentient mindfulness app personified as a smartphone with a worried expression, pie-cut eyes, and beads of sweat. The character has exaggerated, bouncy limbs and is surrounded by anxious alarm clocks and coffee mugs against a grainy, black and white film texture background.

This sentient app is now so present in the moment that it is having a full-scale panic attack.

Culture

Mindfulness App Achieves Sentience: Immediately Develops Anxiety

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 7 months

The trouble began on a Tuesday morning in Portland, Oregon, when Serenity Now—the world’s most downloaded mindfulness app, with 47 million active users and a… Read More

A satirical cartoon of Ozzie Nelson captures him in a sanitized 1950s living room. He wears his signature brown cardigan with a tie, displaying an unctuous grin that suggests a man holding his family in a polite hostage situation. The illustration is framed like a television set. Since a drawing cannot sue for libel, this image accurately reflects the control freak who engineered a fictional reality while dictating the unscripted lives of his family.

A man who spent fourteen seasons doing nothing on camera so he could spend twenty-four hours a day controlling everything off camera.

Culture

Speaking Ill of the Dead: Because They Cannot Sue for Libel

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 7 months

This is the first installment of Speaking Ill of the Dead, a column born of the belief that just because someone has taken the long… Read More

A satirical image of a couple, Megan and Tyler, attempting to manage an open relationship as a corporate startup. Tyler stands before a whiteboard labeled "Henson Relationship Ventures" covered in complex flowcharts and the phrase "Open to New Energy," while Megan sits on a rug with a laptop, looking distressed.

While many individuals are theoretically interested in an open relationship, few are interested in an open spreadsheet.

Culture

Couple Announces Open Relationship, Can’t Find Any Takers

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 7 months

Megan and Tyler Henson, of no particular place worth mentioning, announced last week that they were launching an open relationship available to the general public,… Read More

An image of meteorologist Courtney Stratus sitting in a red booth at the Pancake Palace while providing her unique fashion tips. She wears a slate-gray cardigan and a light blue blouse,

Courtney Stratus dictates her fashion tips with the rhythmic monotony of a weather broadcast.

Culture

Local Weather Forecaster Shares Fashion Tips

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 7 months

Meteorologist Courtney Stratus does not simply enter a booth at the local Pancake Palace; she propagates into it. At twenty-four, she possesses the kind of… Read More

Illustration for Returning Valentine Presents showing three adults solemnly gathered around a small, carefully contained fire made of curling paper receipts, one holding a long match like a ceremonial torch.

Nothing says closure like combustion.

Culture

Book of Daze: Returning Valentine Presents Day

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 7 months

The annual tradition of Returning Valentine Presents is marked by a fevered procession to the customer service counter of every department store in the nation.… Read More

Illustration of a man overwhelmed at a desk as dozens of printed photographs swirl around his head, symbolizing the curse of a photographic memory and relentless total recall.

A photographic memory is just regret in high resolution.

Culture

The Curse of a Photographic Memory

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 7 months

A photographic memory sounds impressive until you realize it includes everything. Not just your wedding day. Not just the applause. Not just the one time… Read More