Brad Rourke

Category: culture

  • Stop The Presses: Writing In The Internet Age

    This article first appeared in Pajamas Media Just a couple of days ago, I sought in vain for a “recall” function on my email application. Of course there was none. My message had already been delivered, to the wrong recipient and containing thoughts I wished it hadn’t. That person had sent me a note earlier,…

  • Hard, Ain't It Hard

    This column first appeared (with a different title) in Pajamas Media. There’s not much I do that’s actually difficult anymore. It didn’t used to be that way. When I applied to colleges, it was suggested to me that I create a number of tiers of schools: the long-shots, the probables, and the back-ups. I collected…

  • Hard, Ain’t It Hard

    This column first appeared (with a different title) in Pajamas Media. There’s not much I do that’s actually difficult anymore. It didn’t used to be that way. When I applied to colleges, it was suggested to me that I create a number of tiers of schools: the long-shots, the probables, and the back-ups. I collected…

  • The Pressure of High Anxiety

    This article first appeared in Pajamas Media. They say Americans are under more pressure than ever these days. Students must pass high-stakes tests in order to graduate. Competition to get into top-tier universities is crushing. The middle class is squeezed economically. Schedules are hectic. Commutes brutal. It’s just harder and harder to get by. This…

  • Living Like Xerxes

    This essay originally apppeared in Pajamas Media. When first we lay eyes on the evil Xerxes, in the visual revolution known as 300, he is riding a monstrous platform carried by a throng of people whom (we presume) are slaves. It’s a floating throne and court all in one, massive and imposing. He wants to…

  • Porn Nation

    This column originally appeared in Pajamas Media. As luck would have it, we have a late-summer camp-gap as we get ready for school to start. In our household, both my wife and I work at home. So, day-in, day-out, parents and children are spending a lot of time together. I was reading what looked like…