In small towns, bored teenagers turn their eyes longingly to the exciting doings in the big cities, pining for urban amenities like hipster bars and farmers' markets and indie-rock festivals. Like everyone else, they want the vibrant and they will not be denied. Thomas Frank amenitybarbig share on social
Every city is either vibrant these days or is working on a plan to attain vibrancy soon. The reason is simple: a city isn't successful - isn't even a city, really - unless it can lay claim to being 'vibrant.' Thomas Frank attaincityclaim share on social
Just as the financial crisis has created toxic assets and 'zombie' financial institutions, so has it transformed conservatism into a movement of the living dead. Thomas Frank assetconservatismcreate Change image and share on social
Journalism has a special, hallowed place for stories of its practitioners' persecution. Thomas Frank hallowjournalismpersecution Change image and share on social
Presidential legacies are valuable things, too valuable to be left up to historians. Thomas Frank historianleavelegacy Change image and share on social
For decades Republicans have made policy with a higher purpose in mind: to solidify the GOP base or to damage the institutions and movements aligned with the other side. Thomas Frank alignbasedamage Change image and share on social
There are few things in politics more annoying than the Right's utter conviction that it owns the patent on the word 'freedom' that when its leaders stand up for the rights of banks to be unregulated or capital gains to be untaxed, that it is actually and obviously standing up for human liberty, the noblest cause of them all. Thomas Frank annoybankcapital share on social
In America, we no longer have an institutionalized, organized way of calling business to task - of taking them to account for what they've done - and this is especially true in the cultural realm. Thomas Frank accountamericabusiness Change image and share on social
As you watch the world crumble, try taking your Armageddon with this sprinkling of irony: Over the last three decades, business has got virtually everything it wanted, and its doomsday scenario from the 1970s has come true because of it. Thomas Frank 1970sarmageddonbusiness share on social
As you may recall, Truman was extremely unpopular when he finally left Washington in 1953, thanks largely to the Korean War. Today, however, he is thought to have been a solidly good president, a 'Near Great' even, in the terminology of those surveys of historians they do every now and then. Thomas Frank extremelyfinallygood share on social