Dialogues on American Ennui: Down in the Hole

Illustration by Michael DiMilo Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Mark M., Michael D., Dave S., Mark O., Dennis C., John K., and Geoff Carter Hello bots, Are you out there? Have we declared radio silence? Gone undercover? Or are we all laid up with Brewer fever—or the dreaded Parsons Disease? Writing as we’re headed out to …
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The Truth of the Matter

Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter The shocking assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was horrifying and despicable, but—unfortunately—not all that surprising, considering the catalog of political violence over the past several years, including the murders of Minnesota lawmakers Melissa and Mark Hortman; the brutal attack on Paul Pelosi; the conspiracy to kidnap Governor …
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Revenge of the Nerds

Attribution: Rhoda Baer (Photographer), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter In the 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds, two socially inept but brilliant—and dorky—misfits go to college and are immediately teased, tortured, and bullied by more popular students. They call them nerds. Denied admittance to any of the fraternities, the nerds, who by this …
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Working Class Blues

Illustrated by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter We marched in the Labor Day parade yesterday. I fell in with my old union, the MTEA, as we lined up with firefighters, machinists, ironworkers, electricians, plumbers, and hospitality workers. Thousands participated. It can be argued that what truly made America great was not the rugged individualism embodied by …
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Kickass and Workers Over Billionaires

Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joined the keeper and Phyllis and several hundred enthusiastic sign carriers, bell-ringing alderwoman Joanne Pritchett, the singing “Raging Grannies” and a multitude of “Silver Badgers” in wheelchairs, with walkers and using canes at the intersection of Tree Lane and Gammon Road Monday to wave …
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Kickass and Badass Badger

Attribution: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports receiving a message from Badass Badger who provides security for the keeper and Phyllis from his post on their 5th floor Vista West balcony. That message, when its language was cleaned up for public consumption, was: “On this Wisconsin Badger …
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Kickass and ICE Confrontation

Attribution: Ratel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, in consultation with his new partner Bad Ass Badger, informs the keeper and Phyllis that the recommended response to confrontation by a ICE agent is to ask the masked agent if his or her mother knows what they are up to …
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