Author Archives: Noah Berlatsky

Utilitarian Review 9/2/17

Posted on by

 
Patreon

On pundit’s obsession with protecting on campus speakers and chattering class solidarity.

On using openmindedness as a smokescreen for ugly views.

On pretending racism is cultural borrowing.

For patron’s, a first draft of my piece on the zookeeper’s wife and gentile saviors.

 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the Verge I explained toe James Cameron that Wonder woman has always been a feminist icon and a sex symbol both.

At Quartz I reviewed a new book about how we need to let refugees work.

At Playboy I wrote about Jack Kirby’s weaknesses and honoring him by making art he wouldn’t.

At Slate I wrote about Joanna Russ’ We Who Are About To, which is better than William Golding’s Lord of the Flies.

At Patreon I interviewed Botanist about eco apocalypse black metal.

At Splice Today I wrote about

—Stephen King’s It which is both mediocre and memorable.

—Predator and camouflaging America’s Latin American wars.
 

Utilitarian Review 8/30/17

Posted on by

News

Steven Grant, comics writer, provided a nice blurb for my book Your Favorite Superhero Sucks.
 
On Patreon

Murakami vs. Pollock for title of avant gardiest.

The left shouldn’t define itself in opposition to Democrats. (and vice versa)
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At Splice Today I wrote about:

—Robert Altman’s Mash and the confused idea that misogyny will overthrow the status quo.

—drone artist Saito Koji and the album that wasn’t there.

Utilitarian Review 8/19/17

Posted on by

 
Patreon

On Angela Nagle’s excellent critique of counter-culture misogyny and how her book does the exact thing she decries.

I explained why the term alt left is bad and should be avoided.

On the Hooded Utilitarian

Somewhat randomly, we had a couple posts on HU for various reasons.

Nix on what Meghan Murphy doesn’t get about feminism and sex work.

Paul Austin on Television’s great forgotten album.

 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At Quartz I wrote about:

—how the ACLU shouldn’t defend fascists.

—Atypical and how autism is used in the media to excuse sexism.

At Playboy I interviewed N.K. Jemisin about her book the Stone Sky, racism, and apocalypse.

At the Verge I wrote about the goofy original Defenders comics, which are not much like the television show.

At the Reader I wrote about the Scorched Tundra metal festival.

On Splice Today I wrote about:

—Eastern Condors, a Honk Kong Vietnam picture which makes all other Vietnam pictures look like half-assed messes too.

—how Facebook is so cheery it depresses me.

—how the left is pretty unified, relatively.

At Bandcamp I reviewed a new drone/spoken word album from Heinali and Matt Finney.

Utilitarian Review 8/11/17

Posted on by

Los Jaivos

 
On Patreon

Advice for academics talking to journalists, and vice versa.

For Patrons, the first draft of my essay on race in Hateful Eight.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At Playboy I interviewed Zinnia Jones about straight men claiming they don’t find trans women attractive.

In the romance criticism series I’m editing at Public Books, Qiana Whitted wrote about Alyssa Cole and the possibility of love for black women.

At Bandcamp I put together a list of awesome Latin American prog.

At Splice Today I wrote about

—Lee Fang, neoliberal shill.

—Jacob’s Ladder and Vietnam as American dream.

At the Reader I wrote a short blurb about British R&B newcomer Jorja Smith.

Utilitarian Review 8/5/17

Posted on by

 
Patreon

I talked about Katie Halper’s interview with Angela Nagle and why taking the arguments of Nazis at face value is bad.

I did a brief list of best albums of the year so far.

For $5 patrons, the first draft of my piece on Atomic Blonde, this time with more cursing and Freud.

 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the Forward I wrote about Eli Roth’s Death Wish and fascist empowerment fantasies for white Jews.

At Splice Today I wrote about

—Al Franken’s enjoyable and startlingly honest campaign biography.

—Zero Dark Thirty and tough decisions about torture as cynical marketing ploy.

On twitter I tweeted through the entirety of Angela Nagle’s Kill All Normies about internet culture and the alt right. Spoiler: it’s not any good.

Utilitarian Review 7/28/17

Posted on by

Patreon

On Chapo Trap House’s Wonder Woman episode, and leftist Clintonian triangulation.

On why the Vulture is not a working-class hero.

For $5 Patrons, the never-before-seen first draft of a piece on how Elvis didn’t invent rock and roll.

Utilitarians Everywhere

At Quartz I wrote about

—why conflating Judaism and Zionism is bad.

—Atomic Blonde, and why Jane Bond is better than James.

At Splice Today I wrote about Iron Man, and why it makes sense that a dumb superhero narrative is our iconic Afghan war film.