The advent of radical centrism; journalists’ fantasy that they are part of the professional elite; the shuttering of local newspapers; the impending extinction of the book editor; your Comp Lit degree from Brown: All are symptoms and causes of the dissolution of American society. In June, the day after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s upset victory in the Bronx led many (but perhaps too few) to rethink the future of the Democratic Party, and the evening after we’d learned that Trump would be filling his second seat on the Supreme Court, Thomas Frank delves into his freakishly prescient book, Rendezvous with Oblivion: Reports from a Sinking Society. “The con-game is our national pastime,” he says. “And so we come to Donald Trump.”
Thomas Frank: Rendezvous With Oblivion
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Thomas Frank: Rendezvous With Oblivion
The Harper’s Podcast
Since 1850, Harper’s Magazine has provided its readers with a unique perspective on the issues that drive our national conversation, featuring writing from some of the most promising to most distinguished names in literature–from Barbara Ehrenreich to Rachel Kushner. Every week, host Violet Lucca joins her colleagues and contributing writers to provide listeners with a deep dive into these topics and the craft of long-form narrative journalism.
Since 1850, Harper’s Magazine has provided its readers with a unique perspective on the issues that drive our national conversation, featuring writing from some of the most promising to most distinguished names in literature–from Barbara Ehrenreich to Rachel Kushner. Every week, host Violet Lucca joins her colleagues and contributing writers to provide listeners with a deep dive into these topics and the craft of long-form narrative journalism.Listen on
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Thomas Frank: Rendezvous With Oblivion