List #94: Best of 2019

The Allusionist: Best Language About Language, Rec. #855

The Art of Process: Best Art About Art, Rec. #863

Be Prepared: Best Reason to Stay Indoors, Rec. #851

Come From Away: Best Reminder That Not All of Humanity Is Terrible, Rec. #852

 
David Tennant Does a Podcast With ...: Best Listener, Rec. #847

The Guardian Blind Date: Best Vicarious Dating, Rec. #865

Knives Out: Best Time at the Movie Theater, Rec. #856

Nothing Like a Dame / Tea with the Dames: Best Overheard Conversations, Rec. #860

Alexandra Petri: Best Way to Reflect on the Year, Rec. #866

"Quite Good, Considering [Rosalind's a Nightmare]": Best Earworm, Rec. #858

Russian Doll: Best Worst Day, Rec. #846

Simone (The Good Place): Best Outfit for Any Situation, Rec. #854 

Superstore: Best Season-5-and-Going-Strong, Rec. #848

This Way Up: Best Depictions of Relatable Human Emotions, Rec. #862

Three Identical Strangers: Best Ripped-from-the-Headlines, Rec. #864

Alie Ward: Best Campaign Promise, Rec. #859

Wine Country: Best New Endless Rewatch Potential, Rec. #850

Rec. #866: Best Way to Reflect on the Year

Alexandra Petri's columns for The Washington Post are hilarious in a surreal, stab-you-in-the-neck way. Like much of 2019!

See Rec. #661 and Rec. #807 for a sampling and see her WaPo page for the full archive of her nearly 200 (!) columns from this year.

Rec. #837: Why Powerful Men Love to Cast Themselves as Victims

What: In this essay for New York Magazine's Intelligencer (news) section, Rebecca Traister examines how powerful men use language of extreme violence --- "lynching," "witch hunt," "mob," "guillotine," "beaten to death" --- when they are facing (generally mild) consequences or critiques for their actions.

It's infuriating and it's everywhere.


Representative quote: "This is the truly grotesque factor: It is power itself that renders people recognizable to us, affords them our sympathy and empathy; it’s power that makes them more likely to be believed when they tell us of the injustice they have suffered."

How to get it: The article was published on October 24.

Read more: Kate Harding (see List #66) has an upcoming book on this very subject - Victim Complex: On Snowflakes, Witch Hunts, and the Cult of Personal Responsibility.

Rec. #836: I Am Your Pug and I Have Heard the Call of the Wild

What: From McSweeney's Internet Tendency, please enjoy this short imagined monologue.

Representative quote: "You domesticated us. The cat is out of the bag. And now I’m scared of cats. And bags."

How to get it: "I Am Your Pug and I Have Heard the Call of the Wild" was published last week.

Connections to previous Wreckage: Enjoy more from McSweeney's Internet Tendency with Rec. #461: "If Literature's 'Complicated Men' Were on Tinder" and Rec. #522: "The First Female President."

Rec. #808: #StopTheBans

What: If you can't make it to a protest in person today, do set aside some time and mental energy for the clarity, resolve, and righteous fury of pieces like these ---

"The Messiness of Reproduction and the Dishonesty of Anti-Abortion Propaganda," Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker

"Anti-Abortion Lawmakers Have No Idea How Women's Bodies Work," Jessica Valenti, Medium

"The Harm Done for White Men," Jamil Smith, Rolling Stone

"Our Fury Over Abortion Was Dismissed for Decades as Hysterical," Rebecca Traister, The Cut

Representative quote: "And still those who are mad about, have been driven mad by, these injustices have been told that their fury is baseless, fictional, made of chewing gum and recycled copies of Our Bodies Ourselves." -- Rebecca Traister

Connections to previous Wreckage: Jia Tolentino, Rebecca Traister, and Jessica Valenti were all part of List #66: Public Voices to Pay Attention To. See also Traister's "When the Muzzle Comes Off" (Rec. #663) and Good and Mad (Rec. #737).

Rec. #807: When Life Begins and Ends, and Other Recent Pieces from Alexandra Petri

What: Alexandra Petri is an expert feelings-puncher. You start with a knowing chuckle, a moment of "ooh, that's a good line," but before you know it, Petri has ducked in and punched that bundle of emotions you'd been trying to keep protected.

Quite a streak she's had recently, too.

"When Life Begins and Ends"
"We should be able to view this scientifically. Science is very good these days. We can identify the species that human activity is driving to extinction with more accuracy than ever before."
(See also "I'm a State Legislator and I'm Here to Substitute Teach Your Biology Class")

"Other Questions to Go With 'Which Candidate Would You Like to Have a Beer With?'"
"Which candidate would you like to bite you gently on the arm?"

"You Have to Think About Electability"
"I just think people — again, not me, I’m on board, just … people — might not vote for this candidate. Because the candidate is a little, well, you know."

"Some Math Problems for Donald Trump's Tax Returns"

"Q: It costs $0.08 to buy a banana. You have -$0.05. Can you afford to buy a banana?
A: I don’t know, let me ask Deutsche Bank."

"Bill Barr Goes to Hell. And Finds a Client."

"Here, do you want the remnants of the credibility of the Justice Department? If not, I’m going to toss it next to the little chunk that is all that remains of John Kelly’s soul."

How to get it: Alexandra Petri is a columnist for the Washington Post. Find her there. 

Connections to previous Wreckage: See also Rec. #661 ("Some Impersonal Verbs, Conjugated by Gender"). Petri was also on List. #66.

Rec. #793: Spoiler-Free Recap of Every Episode of Queer Eye

What: Captain Awkward is so, so great --- hilarious and smart and also wise in the ways of the world. "Spoiler-Free Recap of Every Episode of Queer Eye" is a very funny thing that she wrote.

Representative quote:
Tan: "Ok, let's back up. Could you NAME a color. Literally, any color, just say the word out loud."

How to get it: Read it on Captain Awkward's Patreon. This piece is free by now, but while you're there, buy her a cup of coffee.

Connections to previous Wreckage: See more about Captain Awkward on Rec. #487 and Rec. #705.

Rec. #792: The Mystery of Shipwrecked Garfield Phones - Solved

What: Novelty Garfield telephones have been washing up on beaches in Brittany for more than 30 years.

This is true, and now we know why.

How to get it: At the end of March, this story was covered in many, many places, including the BBC, The Guardian, The AV Club, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Vulture.

It's worth clicking through each source to see the images they chose. Some are extra creepy!

Rec. #789: Heaven or High Water

What: In the article "Heaven or High Water," author Sarah Miller dives into the cognitive dissonance necessary for the luxury real estate market in Miami to even exist, much less be doing well.

The reporting itself is fascinating, but Miller also gives us sharp vignettes of the real estate agents who, one after another, make the case (apparently sincerely) that rising water levels are nothing to worry about.

Representative quote: "The Zen-like bedrooms all looked like ideal places for thinking about not looking at screens at night, while looking at a screen."

How to get it: "Heaven or High Water" was published this week on Popula.

Rec. #784: Reality Bites and Helen Childress

What: The title is "Reality Bites Captured Gen X With Perfect Irony," but this article from The Atlantic is centered on giving a long-overdue spotlight to Helen Childress, the movie's screenwriter. Her name is likely unfamiliar even for those who are highly aware of the movie, despite the story being roughly autobiographical.

This article should help that a bit, but it also explains the movie for a new generation (including descriptions of several scenes) and clarifies that most people have been using the title all wrong.

All of which is good and interesting ... but I'd also like an all-out profile just on Childress, please.

Representative quote: "These snarky asides, surrounding a central romance, formed an ad for a generation that appeared to prefer, in the end, to be overlooked."

Comparable to: Women not getting credit or recognition for their own work happens all the time, in every field I can think of. A very recent example is the framing of a couple of articles about a new Hulu series.

How to get it: "Reality Bites Captured Gen X With Perfect Irony" was published online at The Atlantic earlier this month.

Rec. #774: "Jane Curtin Is Playing It Straight"

What: It was great to see Jane Curtin as an agent in Can You Ever Forgive Me? and it was great to see her as a parent in The Spy Who Dumped Me and it is great to read this new interview with her from The New Yorker. 

Representation quote: "What did I? — Oh, I know what I did. I know exactly what I did! (Laughs.) So I thought, Good for me."

Connection to previous Wreckage: See Rec. #725 for more on The Spy Who Dumped Me. See Rec. #743 for more on Can You Ever Forgive Me?

How to get it: "Jane Curtin Is Playing It Straight" was published on The New Yorker website this week. 

Rec. #766: What CTA Workers Know

What: The marvels of public transit are only possible because of its workers. Chicago magazine interviewed a dozen CTA employees and heard about the good, the bad, and the alarmingly violent.

Representative quote: "You get singing groups, you get shell games, you get people dressed up like it’s Halloween when it’s not Halloween. There was even a guy in a diaper once. But you know, this is Chicago."

How to get it: "What CTA Workers Know" appears in the January 2019 issue of Chicago magazine and is also available online in a very attractive layout.

Rec. #761: Treemail in Australia

What: This story is from a few years ago, but it's lovely. In 2015, the Melbourne city council mapped every tree in the city to better track any that were struggling. They assigned each tree a digital ID and email address so people could report issues they saw.

People took those email addresses and started writing personal messages to the trees, sending them thanks and good wishes and compliments. The mapping project is still going strong, and one can only hope that the positive messages are as well.

How to get it: Read the BBC story here to see some examples of messages people have sent. Explore the map here. Click on any tree to find its email address.

Rec. #715: Best Insight Into the Food World for Non-Foodies

***BEST OF 2018***

As a food correspondent for The New Yorker, Helen Rosner has written about #MeToo in the restaurant industry, the politics of a spice retailer, hair dryer cooking techniques, the truth about MSG, the thematic use of food in various tv shows, and justice for iceberg lettuce.

As a prolific tweeter, Helen Rosner (@hels) is a clever, prickly, chatty, devoted dog owner who has no patience for bad faith arguments.

(See also Rec. #438 and List #66)

Rec. #691: Behind the Scenes with the Biggest Soul Stars of the '70s

What: Photographer Bruce Talamon spent a decade following R&B and soul artists in the U.S., and now 300 pictures from his archive have been collected into a book.

The Guardian shares some of the images, as well as insight from Talamon, in this article.

Representative quote: "Backstage, publicists [back then] didn’t snatch the Jack Daniel’s out of the artist’s hand or take the spliff out of Bob Marley’s mouth. I could shoot all night long and nobody ever said: ‘Put your camera down.'"
How to get it: "Behind the Scenes with the Biggest Soul Stars of the '70s" was published in The Guardian this past July.

Rec. #687: I Pulled a 1,500-Year-Old Sword Out of a Lake

What: When this piece appeared in The Guardian last week, I saw more than one person declare it to be the only good thing on the internet.

They are not wrong.

Representative quotes:
"Daddy was begging me to rush so he could watch the World Cup final, but I like to take my time about things so I ignored him."

"People on the internet are saying I am the queen of Sweden ... I am not a lady – I’m only eight – but it’s true I found a sword in the lake. I wouldn’t mind being queen for a day, but when I grow up I want to be a vet."

How to get it: "I Pulled a 1,500-Year-Old Sword Out of a Lake," from Saga Vanecek, was published in The Guardian on October 19. The original story about the sword's discovery was published in the same source on October 5.

Rec. #670: An Axe for the Frozen Sea

What: We all have our own coping strategies. I adopted a dog at the end of 2016. Author Megan Stielstra has taken up axe throwing. The beautiful essay "An Axe for the Frozen Sea" details the rage, tension, release, exhaustion, ... and rage that underlies her life now.

Also, she shares some axe-throwing tips.

Representative quote: "Of the two [axe-throwing centers] in Chicago, one is twenty minutes west of our apartment. I learned this in September on the day Betsy DeVos rescinded sexual assault protections on college campuses."

How to get it: "An Axe for the Frozen Sea" was published in The Believer (Logger) at the end of last month.

Rec. #663: When the Muzzle Comes Off

What: Like other content I'm highlighting this week, "When the Muzzle Comes Off" is about the current allegations against Brett Kavanaugh. It's also about Anita Hill and Tarana Burke and Amber Wyatt, about horrors and coercion and no-win situations. 

The article is also, maybe, possibly, a little bit about hope.

Representative quote: "There may not be a legal or political outcome that is satisfying: The perpetrators may not face real repercussions. But part of what #MeToo has always been about — despite the obsessive focus on the consequences faced by men — is what happened to the women ... It’s been about the exposure of their realities."

Connections to previous Wreckage: The writer of this article is Rebecca Traister, who is the author of the forthcoming book Good and Mad (Rec. #655). Traister was also part of List #66: Public Voices to Pay Attention To.

How to get it: "When the Muzzle Comes Off," by Rebecca Traister, was published in The Cut on Monday.

Rec. #661: Some Interpersonal Verbs, Conjugated by Gender

A completely unrelated image from Kei Imazu

What: There have been many, many Bad Takes on the current Kavanaugh situation, several of which appear to ignore basic facts of law, punishment, justice, and, indeed, humanity itself. (He is not facing a criminal verdict! "Due process" is a nonsense phrase in this context. He will maybe, possibly not get a big, lifetime appointment job promotion. That is not "being punished." Assaulting people is not just a "phase" that half the population goes through. I could go on and on.)

I will not be giving those Bad Takes any additional clicks or views. Instead, this week I would like to acknowledge and praise the good work that is being done.

We start with Alexandra Petri, who is generally known for her humor column in The Washington Post. Her recent piece, "Some Interpersonal Verbs, Conjugated by Gender," could plausibly be described as "infused with dark humor." It is mainly devastating, though. Beautiful and poetic and heart-piercing and devastating.

Representative quote: "She should have been responsible. He cannot have been responsible."

Connections to previous Wreckage: Petri was part of List #66: Public Voices to Pay Attention To.

How to get it: "Some Interpersonal Verbs, Conjugated by Gender" was published in The Washington Post on September 19.

Rec. #651: Book Title Anagrams

Scrambled title for The Great Believers

What: Are you looking for a fun weekend game? You could do worse than a few rousing rounds of Book Title Anagrams. For inspiration, enjoy some great examples from Parnassus Books, an independent bookstore in Nashville.

Representative anagrams:

• Eggs That Betray [The Great Gatsby]
• I Had Lamented Hats [The Handmaid's Tale]

How to get it: Parnassus Books published "Literary Fun: 7 Ridiculous Book Title Anagrams" on their blog at the end of August.