In July 2001, I was working as an editor and documentary filmmaker, often on celebrity-focused TV programs, when MSNBC commissioned me to make something more substantial: a one-hour film about life behind bars. The idea was for me to work with a dozen inmates, helping them record daily video diaries from their jail cells. I… Read More September 11th and the Holdenville redemption
Scientifically speaking, the one thing Covid-19 has proven itself most effective at killing – other than unvaccinated people – is right-wing bullshit. —- People with right-leaning politics in the US, Britain and other countries are literally willing to put their lives on the line, rather than wear masks or get vaccinated. Every day, there are… Read More Why the right is willing to die for Covid
There has been a lot of sneering lately about the pointlessness and hypocrisy of people “virtue signalling” on social media. To the cynics, this is the act of calling attention to your moral stances or publicly criticizing bad behavior in others. The BBC has told their journalists to avoid the appearance of it. And some… Read More The virtues of virtue signalling
Republicans are being oppressed! They tell us that atheists are taking away their ability to say “Merry Christmas.” Transgender activists are invading their bathrooms. Black people are tearing down all their beloved civil war monuments and gay couples everywhere are forcing God-fearing Christian bakers to create an endless spectrum of rainbow-themed wedding cakes. The “real”… Read More Republican like me
My 12-year-old daughter is about to become a teenager and I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my own adolescence. As a parent, naturally, you want to share some of the things you enjoyed when you were young. But not everything. The other day, I asked her what she thought about the music of Led… Read More Better dead than Led
06 May My name is Luke McGuffee and I am writing this guest blog post because I have an important message for all my fellow Republicans. I am a card carrying member of the NRA and the Republican party and I’m here to tell you we can do better. We NEED to do better. Not… Read More “No, your a moran”: Its a grammer and spelling guide for Republican’s
In 1989, when I was a student living in a dormitory at New York University, I was assigned a new roommate. Usually, you get to choose who you live with, but I hadn’t named a preference, so the housing office assigned me a random match. Come September, we met for the first time, when a… Read More How to burn flags and influence people
This is a true story. I’ve changed the names of everyone involved, partly because, even all these years later, I’m still a little bit worried that a middle-aged “Johnny Kaminski” might read it, recognise himself, hop on a plane from upstate New York, cross the Atlantic, go through customs, struggle with the Heathrow Express ticketing… Read More The dork who could dunk
My daughter believes that – this very morning – a giant mystical hare visited central London, dodging traffic to come up the stairs in our building, straight to our door and left a big basket of chocolates and small toys outside just for her. This is the same kid who questions core premises of Christianity,… Read More A magical rabbit? Are kids stupid?
For more than three years, I wrote a blog about being an American expat living in Britain. Despite all my time abroad, I never became an expert in “expat stuff.” You wouldn’t want me giving you advice on filing your taxes, absentee voting, or getting an international driving license. So I kept my blog focussed… Read More New York doesn’t love you back