Saving bookstores and fireflies
Summertime tips for making the world a more magical place
Better Strangers
Facing a bleak world with hope, curiosity, and imagination.
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Read 4 days ago and current, but nothing has been published for 14 months.
Latest episodes
Be more biased!
There is no such thing as "unbiased" news, so stop looking for it.
In memory of the Good Internet
Being done with the internet, going on hiatus, and cool publications to follow in the interim.
Disobedience takes practice
Or: The revolutionary potential of jaywalking.
Choosing optimism out of sheer spite
Fuck these pricks, I want to believe in a better future.
January Round-up: The Strategic value of optimism
This month on B.S., we looked at the rise and fall of the Nazis, the long view of history, and how to convert bleak times into opportunities for a better future.
Are you lazy, or is the world ending and it's making you sleepy?
Burnout, "Laziness Does Not Exist," and getting the rest you need.
How the never-ending horrors can guide us to a brighter future
In moments of catastrophe, humans inevitably turn to mutual aid to stay afloat. Could these moments pave the way to a future that doesn't completely suck?
Lessons Americans can take from "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich"
"History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, then as a farce."
What Stalinism and late capitalism have in common
The Wire, Luigi Mangione, and why we spend so much time in an "efficient" capitalist society dealing with Soviet-style bureaucracies.
The Top Better Strangers Articles of 2024
It was a B.S. year, and this was the best B.S. we put out.
Merry Spooky Christmas!
The chilling history of the "Coventry Carol," the Wild Hunt and the eerie Christmas classic "The Snowman," plus Santa's penchant for magic mushrooms.
Better Stranger's Best Books of 2024
Books about the Laziness Lie, werewolves, and the health benefits of masturbation all made our "Best Books" list for this awful year.
American Christianity vs. "My body, my choice."
The VVitch, Queer Eye, "American Fascists," and why happiness is so difficult in a country where self-care is considered Satanic.
How power works (and how it stops good things from happening)
What Game of Thrones (and New Jersey politics) can teach us about political power.
The internet is killing us
Nothing will change until we seize the memes of production!
Why Americans don't get to have healthcare
How the American understanding of what human rights are wrecks our ability to stay healthy.
The anti-despair reading list (2024 edition)
Oh, great, I guess this is something we still need.
Links to make you feel less hopeless
The election really sucked. Here's some perspective that can help you stay out of the dark place.
"The worst form of government, except all the others."
Why liberal democracy has failed to take over the world and bestow human rights upon all.