The ridiculous arguments we keep having.
Real essays, argued in good faith — for and against — on the fights society can't stop having with itself. No tribal shorthand. No party line. Just the argument, made honestly.
Latest Essays
View all →The Ounce That Disappeared
The price stayed the same. The product didn't. A look at why shrinkflation works precisely because outrage needs a number to point at.
GovernmentEverything But a Tax
Governments learned the same trick private industry did: rename the cost, skip the vote. An accountability argument, not a partisan one.
IndustryThe Tollbooth Defense
Publishing's moral panic over AI has a familiar shape — the same one taxi medallions and car dealerships used on their way out.
Debates
View all →FLOCK CAMERAS ON YOUR STREET
The Block Got Safer
A stolen catalytic converter has an owner. A porch package has a name on it. Cameras just make the neighborhood harder to victimize quietly.
The Block Is Being Watched
Nobody voted on this network. Nobody audits who pulls the footage or why. A porch camera is a choice. A block-wide grid is infrastructure.
EU RULES, US COMPANIES
Market Access Has Terms
Every market sets its own rules for entry. A company that wants European users plays by European rules — same as anywhere else.
Reciprocity, or It's Just Leverage
Fine — but then the rule has to run both directions. If Brussels can fine an American company for its terms, Washington can fine a European one for its.
The Standard
We publish essays that make real, well-reasoned arguments — for or against — on the ridiculous debates society keeps having. A piece has to earn its position, reasoning from premises most readers would grant regardless of politics. No tribal signaling. If a piece only works because the reader already agrees with you, it's not ready yet.
Read the full editorial standard →