Look Alive Out There: Essays

alas, there is no known cure for symbolism

You say you’re born with the sociopathic strain that compels you to burn ants with a magnifying glass? Sure, fine, whatever. Be crazy. But if you are not this person, if you are more or less regular, we will spend the rest of your life teaching you to believe in the power of your mind over the matter of your body. This belief is vital to our existe

If you spend a certain amount of screen time playing yourself, you are no longer yourself but a version of yourself—a stereotype of you.

The Epley was invented in 1980, a detail I find dubious in the same way I find the fresh ink in the Mormon Bible dubious.

But it turns out that identity is one of those things you have to fight for, even in your sleep.

Some philosophical confusions arise—for both the winner and the prize—when it comes to packaging real people and presenting them as if they were objects to be bid upon and bartered, as if their allotted hours on Earth were more valuable than yours.