‘Stock ownership is what really divides Americans’
Matthew Walther at The New York Times
The “greatest division in American life” is “between those who own stock and those who do not,” says Matthew Walther. For “those who do, economic security can be measured in portfolio statements; the rest — roughly 40 percent of Americans — must make do with such antiquated metrics as the cost of housing or even the price of eggs.” The “result is a kind of ideological capture in which any policy that does not serve the immediate interests of shareholders is dismissed.”
‘Why not attend your own funeral?’
Daniel Pink at The Washington Post
The “dramatic possibilities of attending your own funeral have made it a staple of storytelling,” says Daniel Pink. Now, “life (and death) is imitating art.” Much as “they’ve done for weddings, divorces and cohabitation, baby boomers are seeking to do death their way.” Living celebrations “afford the dying person a rare measure of control over their final days, a chance to find clarity and peace amid uncertainty,” and can “be less burdensome, logistically and emotionally, for families.”
‘Can reality TV redeem Jake and Logan Paul?’
Naomi Fry at The New Yorker
“Authenticity and depth of character haven’t exactly been top of mind for either of the Pauls,” says Naomi Fry. As their “careers grew, Logan’s and Jake’s brand building grew more and more cartoonish.” Their “aim has been to attract the maximum number of viewers and likes, which the pair freely discuss on the show,” and you “can’t make these leopards completely change their spots.” The act is a “hard thing to shed, and, after all, it’s where the money is.”
‘How the euro can replace the dollar’
Ryan Cooper at The American Prospect
Something “odd is happening amid the great market instability touched off by Donald Trump’s lunatic tariff announcements,” says Ryan Cooper. The “dollar is falling against other currencies, and interest rates on American debt are increasing.” The EU “just might have a once-in-a-century opportunity to provide that stability and security to governments and investors, and swipe some or all of the dollar’s status.” But this will “require permanently ditching the traditional European allergy to debt and printing money.”