PS Picks: The Renaissance of Lisa Simpson
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
Pop Culture
What Makes You So Smart, Chuck Klosterman?
The writer talks to Pacific Standard about being a dilettante, his brief consideration of graduate school, and why having an intellectual inferiority complex might prevent you from becoming a jerk.
The Highest-Impact Examples of Hubble Space Telescope Images in Pop Culture
Hubble's free-for-the-public images offer a big bang for zero bucks.
Has Anita Sarkeesian Been Silenced?
Gamergate is a cautionary tale that may dampen others’ willingness to speak out, but the problems of video game misogyny and the online harassment of women are more visible than ever.
Can Feminist Ryan Gosling Really Make Men More Feminist?
A small study suggests the meme that delighted many a straight feminist woman may actually increase support for feminist ideals among men. But true progress will be made when more men buy into the movement’s message without a glistening male spokesperson telling them they should.
What Fifty Shades of Grey Says About Attitudes Toward Sexual Violence
An analysis of Fifty Shades of Grey finds the novel perpetuates the notion that intimidation and emotional abuse are acceptable in intimate relationships.
What Is Cool?: Kanye, Jay-Z, J. Cole, Killer Mike, and El-P
With the American rock star falling by the wayside, rappers have become the ultimate arbiters of cool. Some, though, do it better than others.
Pop Charts Still Dominated by Men
New research finds predictions made in the late 1990s that women were nearing equality in pop music have failed to materialize.
Female Pop Stars: Prepare to Disrobe
An analysis of Rolling Stone magazine covers finds female artists are increasingly sexualized and presented as sex objects.
Song Lyrics Reflect Narcissism in Our Culture
New research finds a shift in emphasis in pop song lyrics over the decades, from “we” to “me.”
Tracking the Decline of the Omnivore
A new NEA study finds the group of people who regularly attend arts events is both shrinking and getting less active.
Autumn of the Republic?
Three books suggest America has slipped into a polarized state of undermined self-government. None convincingly suggests how we can slip back out.