isagreatbook

The secret life of the first millennial saint

Global warming is the opposite of Kanye West: we want to pay attention but we don’t

Years ago, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Kanye West had hardly anything in common. Now their pursuit of publicity has morphed them into versions of the same persona—the attention troll. And, despite ourselves, we can’t look away

Across centuries, thinkers have sought to fend off distraction. But the loudest calls to attention have been directed toward subordinates, schoolchildren, and women. “Atten-tion!” military commanders shout at their men to get them to stand straight. The arts of attention are a form of self-discipline, but they’re also ways to discipline others.

Although today’s critics rue our inability to get through long novels, such books were once widely regarded as the intellectual equivalent of junk food. “They fix attention so deeply, and afford so lively a pleasure, that the mind, once accustomed to them, cannot submit to the painful task of serious study,” the Anglican priest Vicesimus Knox compl... See more

There are awards for the year’s best films but not for its best TikTok videos. That’s too bad, since 2024 yielded several tiny masterpieces. From @yojairyjaimee, a flawless, minute-long re-creation of some bizarre 2009 stage patter by Kanye West (who now goes by Ye). From @accountwashackedwith50m, twelve seconds of chocolate-covered strawberries, f... See more

You know when something bad happens, worse than your worst nightmare, and the pure drama of it fills you with a weird sense of satisfaction? Satisfaction laced in endorphins. There was something almost euphoric about the sheer intensity of seeing my name on that website. I felt starstruck, knowing I was watching a seminal life moment take shape bef... See more