I have lived long enough to watch the soil of the Midwest turn from something we plowed into something we paved over for data centers. I see the world through a window pane that is cold, clean, and increasingly expensive. Being a man of quiet habits and a fair amount of book-learning, I spend long Read More …
Tag: studs terkel
The Gospel According to San Jose
There was a time when the architectures of greed were at least pleasantly straightforward. One could stroll down to the riverfront, observe the soot-choked brick factories, and point a gloved finger directly at the man with the loudest watch and know exactly who was shortening his lifespan for a nickel. It was a dreadful arrangement, Read More …
The Gospel of the Scarcity Hustle
The wind comes off the lake cold sometimes, even in June, whistling through the gaps in the elevated train tracks down on Wells Street. It’s the kind of morning where people duck their heads, hurrying to get inside, some to the high-rise trading floors with the panoramic views, others to the windowless cubicles where the Read More …
A View from the Pavement
They still shout about the Dream, you know. They shout it from the floors of Congress, which has fast become the most lucrative country club in the modern world, a place where a slick tongue and a reliance on campaign money can secure a lifetime of wealth and comfort. Don’t forget the pension and free Read More …
The Gilded Pew: A View from the Street
Channeling the Spirit of Studs Terkel The tape is rolling. It’s 2026, and the air in Chicago is thick with the same old promises, just wrapped in newer, shinier digital foil. We’re talking about faith today folks. Not the kind that moves mountains, but the kind that moves poll numbers. I’m sitting here thinking about Read More …
A View from the Floor
Workers everywhere feel very bad about their job security By Studs Terkel (as if today) I was talking to a fella the other day, let’s call him Joe. Joe’s a machinist, or he was, until the shop “realigned” its priorities. He’s got calloused hands and a Bible on his nightstand that’s seen better days. Joe Read More …
The Gospel of the Bottom Line
I’ve been walking the blocks of Chicago lately, from the glass canyons of the Loop to the bungalows of Canaryville, and I’m hearing a new kind of silence. It’s the silence of a machine, specifically, those Waymo rigs now prowling our streets, cameras spinning like the eyes of a mechanical spider. They call it “testing.” Read More …