Dish Columns: An Archive
Dish Columns: An Archive
Find all the main pieces of The Weekly Dish in one convenient place.
They are listed below in reverse-chronological order. Most of the smaller pieces are behind the paywall, but the headlines with the biggest font are main columns available to all. Subscribe here to get access to everything, including the full episodes of the Dishcast and the VFYW contest.
November 2024
The Energizing Clarity Of Democracy
What this election has taught us about America and its future.
Does Liberal Democracy End Next Week?
Yes, our tribalist hysteria sucks. But don't count liberalism out just yet.
A “Normal Gay Guy” Checks In
Rogan’s podcast with JD Vance aired a real and fascinating divide.
October 2024
Project Fear Is Not Enough
The profound limits of Kamala Harris’ flat-lining candidacy.
The Trans Issue And The Election
It turns out this allegedly esoteric issue is a key focus of Trump’s closing stretch.
Rachel Levine Must Resign
A case study in politics and ideology overruling science. With children as victims.
Sinwar And Proportionality
He’s Winning This Right Now
And Harris’ fawning media blitz didn’t help much. It might even have hurt.
Why Vance Matters
Conservatives and liberals need to take a longer view of the right's future.
September 2024
Harris For President
An anguished but emphatic endorsement.
The Use And Abuse Of Science
On right and left, theology and ideology trump empirical reality. That has to end.
The Things She Didn't Say
Kamala Harris won the debate — but missed a critical opportunity.
“They’re Eating The Dogs!”
The Sane-Washing Of Donald Trump
The case against media coverage is over-wrought. But he’s still out of his mind.
Biden Has Solved The Immigration Problem!
August 2024
The Rise And Stall Of Kamala Harris
So near ... and yet still not so far.
The Never Trumpers And Kamala Harris
It’s an agonizing moment of truth, isn’t it?
July 2024
The Kamala Chimera
The Dems’ weakest and wokest candidate becomes the nominee.
Regime Change In America?
Something really has shifted these past two weeks. Will it hold?
Wanted: An American Starmer
Auditions are now possible. Which Democrat is up for victory in November?
June 2024
For God's Sake, Withdraw
Joe Biden cannot win this election. There is time to make way for someone who can.
The Real Reasons For Transing Children
Blockbuster news about Rachel Levine pressuring WPATH.
My Problem With IVF — And Ours
The creation of human embryos as a means to an end.
My Problem With IVF: Your Stories And Thoughts
We hear from many readers who underwent IVF.
A Word About Keir
I keep being asked to offer my insight into him, because we went to school together.
The Calculation Of J.D. Vance
The Senator tries — and fails — to defend Trump alongside Trumpism.
How Elites Have Empowered The Far Right
The US, UK, EU and Canada went far left on immigration — and are paying the price
May 2024
The Consistency Of Their Genius
In praise of two extraordinary duos: South Park and Pet Shop Boys
The Psychology Of Being In A Minority
How the Biden left is hurting and disempowering non-majority Americans.
Gay And Lesbian Independence Day
It's becoming clearer and clearer what we have to do to protect gay kids.
Getting Away With It, Yet Again
The attempt to defeat Trump with legal prosecutions has ground to a halt.
Biden’s Gamble On Rafah
How To Re-Elect Donald Trump
Woke students and a weak president show the way.
April 2024
Katherine Maher Is Not A Liberal
An insight into the illiberal ideologues now running America’s major institutions.
Will Big Trans Be Held To Account?
The Cass Report has definitively destroyed their case for child sex-changes.
Bomb First, Ask Questions Later
The WCK tragedy wasn’t a deviation from IDF tactics. It was a demonstration of them.
Scotland’s Police State
March 2024
The Intensification Of Christianism
Trump’s GOP has corrupted faith in ways that are destroying our liberal democracy.
The Real Legacy Of Joe Lieberman
What Have I, What Have I Done To Deserve This?
The blight of public noise from Bluetooth speakers. Yes, I’m talking to you, asshole.
The Transqueers Take The Mask Off
Judith Butler and Andrea Long Chu explain their gender revolution. It’s wild!
Not Dead Yet
The old man gets his dander up — and delivers — at the SOTU.
The Medical Abuse Of Children — In Plain Sight
Google’s Brave New Woke-AF World
When DEI merges with AI, the post-truth dystopia will become impossible to escape.
February 2024
A Profile In Courage - And Laughter
Alexei Navalny is still teaching us something.
Neoracism, Finally On Defense
Coleman Hughes makes a defense of color neutrality in law and politics.
The Ruth Bader Ginsberg Syndrome
Has anything hurt the Democrats as much as old lions refusing to leave the stage?
The Immigration Compromise
I’d have voted for the bill — as a downpayment on a more potent package later.
The Meaningless Incoherence Of "LGBTQ+"
Time to drop the ubiquitous term. It obscures and misleads more than it clarifies.
January 2024
The Tyrant Who Is Also A Joker
Gauging the dangers of a second Trump presidency.
Race, IQ, And Twitter
This week has seen an epic fight between Steve Sailer and Will Stancil.
Brideshead Revisited, Revisited
Memories, class struggle, and young love at Oxford. What a movie unlocked for me.
It's Not Genocide. But It Is Infanticide.
At some point, a civilized country has to ask how many children it is prepared to kill.
December 2023
The Second Coming Of Donald Trump
And other brutal truths from 2023.
The Gay Science
On the resignation of the Harvard president
The Day The Empress' Clothes Fell Off
Did the Congressional hearings finally expose the scandal of the Ivy League?
Uh-Oh. Here We Go Again.
Anti-incumbent performative populist rage is now the rule, not the exception.
November 2023
"Christianity Is False But Useful"
Ayaan Hirsi Ali makes a classic neoconservative case — and calls it conversion.
The "Genocide" Canard Against Israel
It's actually the opposite of the truth. And that matters.
That Trans Manifesto
The Resilience Of Republican Christianism
Mike Johnson, the latest manifestation of the fundamentalist psyche.
October 2023
For Israel, There Are No Good Options Now
How the Jewish state finds itself in a dead end. Thanks in part to its US supporters.
A Party Unfit For Government
From Trump to Jordan, the GOP is a nihilist, incoherent shit-show.
Narratives, Truth, And That Hospital
Darkness Visible
Hamas perpetrates a pogrom in Israel itself. And so it begins again.
A Culture Primed For Indecency
Ever-Polarizing America: Where the Freshly Murdered Are Tribal Weapons
September 2023
Could MLK Give A TED Talk Today?
Not without an internal struggle. Why wokeness is not dead. And why that matters.
The Huddled Masses At The Border
Our immigration paradigm has shifted. Our policies need to as well.
The Kendi Scam, Unraveled
The Nihilism Of Trump's GOP
There's not a democratic institution they won't vandalize for power.
How BLM Took Over 3,000 Black Lives, And Counting
It's Time For Biden To Leave The Stage
The president's greatest legacy would be to make way for someone else in 2024.
August 2023
Bowie RIP
The Dish's mascot and soul
Why Can't Americans Take A Vacation?
Excepting the Dish, of course. But I'm still kinda European I guess.
Liberal Democracy In The ICU
The extinction-level event is here — and the indictment of Trump proves it.
July 2023
The Importance Of Saying "Yes" To The "But"
The essential practice of qualification in a liberal democracy.
The Tao Of Marty
Marty Peretz's memoir — and a story of American liberalism.
A Normal Summer And A Normal President
And I, for one, am grateful.
A Live Boy Or A Dead Girl?
Obama The Disappointer
On race in America, I miss his former nuance, balance, and hope.
June 2023
Just Breathe
How to inhale and exhale, and why it's getting harder and harder.
A Normal Court
Gay Rights And The Limits Of Liberalism
How the far left broke the gay settlement. And reignited homophobia.
The Fault Is Not In Their Stars But In Themselves
The character question with Trump and Johnson.
The Turning Gender Tide
The Choice Trump Has Forced Us To Make
At some point soon, the Republic either lives or dies. Hold tight.
When Diversity Works On Stage And Screen
The Unstoppability Of Mass Migration
And the dangers of a reactionary revolt.
Biden’s Legislative Success
May 2023
The Resistance Resists ... DeSantis!
Those most opposed to Trump are now busy clearing the way for him.
Should We Eat Animals? Your Thoughts.
The Queers Versus The Homosexuals
We are in a new era. And the erasure of gay men and lesbians is intensifying.
The Intermission Is Over
CNN has done us a favor in a way: Trump remains the central issue of our time.
Truths, Damned Truths, And Statistics
A Paean To Failed, Greedy, Unethical Assholes
Ben Smith writes a first draft of the history of online media.
April 2023
The Tucker-Bobby Insurgencies
Why Carlson should join Kennedy and run.
The Strange Minstrelsy Of Dylan Mulvaney
How a theater queen in search of fame jumped on the trans bandwagon and won.
America's Leaders In The Twilight Zone
Time for the over-80s to make way for the next generation.
Re-Booting Social Media
March 2023
The Sunak-Starmer Re-Balancing Act
There's a British version of the Biden-DeSantis "post-populist" moment.
The Press And The Nashville Shootings
Culture War Politics And The English Language
Orwell and the mind-deadening neologisms of our time.
The Biden-DeSantis Re-Balancing Act
A new era of normality and stability is possible. Let's nurture it.
The Eradication Of An "Ism"
The creeping illiberalism of the anti-woke right.
The Post-Truth Nihilism Of Moira Donegan
Rupert Murdoch's Post-Truth Nihilism
The only thing that will get you fired at Fox is telling the truth.
Biden’s U-Turns On Crime And Immigration
February 2023
The War Is Right And Just. But Is It Prudent?
A year later, the end-game of the war in Ukraine is dangerously murky.
The Greatest Scandal In Gay Rights History?
How journalists — yes, journalists — want to shut down reporting on child transition.
William Jefferson Biden Triangulates
The president is successfully stealing Trump’s economic populism.
When The Media Narratives Meet Reality
Three stories the woke-captured press have struggled to explain.
January 2023
The Other Black Lives That Matter
The victims of violent crime, rather than the perpetrators.
Lies, Damned Lies, And Coverage Of DeSantis
Off The Coast Of Modernity
Martin McDonagh's poignant and hilarious parable
Why The Right Is Losing The Young
And what the woke actually get right.
Corrections Matter
This is a small point, but it does suggest a deeper problem in mainstream journalism.
The Return Of The Evil Gays
It's about time ...
December 2022
The Boomers In The Twilight Zone
How exactly are they going to die? And how much choice should they have in it?
Boomers In The Twilight Zone: Your Stories
And Our Ukraine Strategy Is … ?
He Is What He Always Was
An anatomy of a tyrant's degeneracy
How Does A Movement Protect Itself?
England, His England
Thoughts on a cultural and demographic revolution
November 2022
The Essential Moderation Of Marriage Equality
The bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act is a sign of a reviving center.
The Normie Center Strikes Back
Democracy works, survives, and can surprise us (including me). A great night.
Will Biden And The Dems Finally Get It?
Their far-left record has made the far right more electable.
Will Biden And The Dems Finally Get It? Your Thoughts.
October 2022
The British Barack Obama?
The unlikely rise of Rishi Sunak — and the American left's staggering silence.
The Tory Present Is The GOP's Future
The New Right buckles under its own contradictions.
The Oliver And Stewart Method
I used to enjoy the daily riffs of Jon Stewart and John Oliver.
The Placebo Of Affirmative Action
It's time to abolish a distraction from the actual causes of racial inequality.
The GOP Is Herschel Walker
A clarifying glimpse into the values of the Party of Trump
September 2022
The Tories' Weird Incoherent Collapse
The contradictions of Brexit and a choice for conservatism
The Gender Identity Of ... Eunuchs
Or dolphins. Looking at the nebulous nihilism of transgenderism.
The Gender Identity Of ... Eunuchs: Your Thoughts
The Swedes Turn To The Far Right
A Cold Reckoning In Europe
And a confession that I've been too gloomy about the war in Ukraine
Some Myths About Marriage Equality
The Sexual Revolution: Your Thoughts
An Icon, Not An Idol
The genius of a monarchy embedded in a democracy.
Putin’s Economic WMD
August 2022
Taking Summer Seriously
See you after the break.
The Law and Mr Trump
The Bodies Of Children
Don't Take The Trump Bait
We have begun to move past him. Don't let the FBI take us back.
Exceptions Prove Rules
The Joy Of Doing Nothing
A summer reflection from the end of the world
Yes, Politics Works — Even On Abortion
July 2022
Can The Biden Presidency Be Saved?
If he can sustain the deal-making, why not?
Yes, The Trans Madness Is Real
What Orbán Believes
Putin's Long Game In Ukraine
It's coming into clearer view. Will it work?
Putin's Long Game In Ukraine: Your Thoughts
Marriage Equality Is Safe
The DeSantis Dilemma
Is he the only politician who can save us from a second Trump term?
The DeSantis Dilemma: Your Thoughts
Ditching The Disrupters
Can the GOP follow the Tories and leave their toxic but transformative leader behind?
The Meaning Of Patriotism
This July Fourth, two Republican women are keeping the flame of this republic alive.
And The Band Plays On
June 2022
Drag Queen Conservatism
A toxic, stupid sideshow is defining the post-liberal right as scolds.
Is Obergefell Next?
A Man And A Mob
Our Constitutional crisis is due to Donald Trump. And Donald Trump alone.
What Is Conversion Therapy?
The Vibes They Are A-Shiftin'
Bye, Chesa! Bye, Felicia! And much of the ideology they represent?
A Clear And Present Danger
The Power (And Powerlessness) Of Gays
A brilliant new history tells the real story of the 20th Century gay rights movement.
May 2022
Can A Cult Become A Movement?
Some signs of a Trump-free Trumpism emerged on Tuesday.
American Grieving
On the Uvalde massacre
The Sinister Symmetry Of CRT And GRT
The extremes of right and left on immigration are fueling each other.
Great Freedom
On the film
How Not To Change Your Mind
The curious case of Bill Kristol's ideological transformation
How Dare They!
The left's attitude problem when it comes to democracy. [the end of Roe]
How Dare They! Your Thoughts.
The Rumblings Of Rome
April 2022
When Will They Cancel Karl Marx?
Never, of course. On the revealing double standards of the woke left.
Why The Democrats Can’t Fight Back
The Fast-Gathering Storm
How close are we getting to a full-on war between Russia and the West?
The NYT’s Deliberate Disinformation
Who Is Looking Out For Gay Kids?
The risks of imposing critical gender theory on young children
Who Is Looking Out For Gay Kids? Your Thoughts.
The Problem With Jon Stewart
How painfully, cringingly super-woke must a comedian get to stay relevant?
The Problem With Jon Stewart: Your Thoughts
March 2022
The Strange Rebirth Of Imperial Russia
And why it could be here to stay.
The Hipness Of It All
An abridged Dish for the week, with apologies.
Realism On The Trans Question
Putin's Challenge To The American Right
An invasion in Europe has exposed the flimsiness of post-liberalism.
The GOP Cares About Winning. Do Democrats?
Biden should take a page from McConnell’s playbook. [by Josh Barro]
February 2022
Ukraine Now. Taiwan Next?
Putin has called the West's bluff. Xi will not have failed to notice.
The Backlash Against Trans Extremism
It's now happening in schools, and could take gay people down with it.
Between The World And Men
Truckers, Rogan, Peterson and the revolt of masculinity.
The Anti-Semitism In Anti-Whiteness
Whoopi Goldberg just brought it out into the open.
Boris Is Not Trump, Part CLX
January 2022
The Right's Ugly War On Woke Schooling
There is a better way to defeat left indoctrination than banning books.
Diversity Without “Equity” Is Possible
On Rishi Sunak
How Biden Lost The Plot
Listening to interest groups and activists is no way to get re-elected.
The Trans Movement Is Not About Rights Anymore
It's about a cultural revolution and the abolition of biological sex.
The Unraveling Of Boris And Biden
A Denial-Of-Service Attack On Our Minds
The plague, the web, and our predicament
Why Isn’t BLM Celebrating?
December 2021
Biden's Annus Horribilis
And the terrifying tenacity of Trump's cult
The Woke: On The Wrong Side Of History
We need a racial politics for 2119, not 1619. Latinos will lead the way.
Why Roe Will Fall And Obergefell Won't
The case for returning the abortion question to politics
“There Is No More Time To Reform France”
November 2021
It Wasn't A Hoax. It Was Media Overkill.
Parsing the truths in the "collusion" narrative
Boris Is Bombing
The Ever-Radicalizing Republicans
How do we fight back against left extremism if the alternative is worse?
Jonathan Last’s Weak, Lame Defense Of The MSM
When All The Media Narratives Collapse
In case after case, the US MSM just keeps getting it wrong.
The Woke Meet Their Match: Parents
Glenn Youngkin's mix of populist policy and moderate style is a breakthrough.
October 2021
How To Turn The GOP Green
We need both parties to prevent environmental catastrophe. Here's how we do it.
Turning The GOP Green: Your Thoughts
The Betrayal Of Our Gay Inheritance
How has the new trans left come to resemble the old religious right?
I Was Wrong: An Update
No, The Personal Is Not Political
The truism that is tearing at the fabric of liberal democracy.
Dave Chappelle Is Right, Isn't He?
The comedian defends reality. Which is currently under siege.
How Biden Could Bring Back Trump
He's losing control of events, and immigration is front and center.
The Risks Of Dem Over-Reach
September 2021
The Deepening Menace Of Trump
The more we learn, the worse it gets. The emergency is far from over.
Back When “Queer” Was A Slur
“I Am Person: Hear Me Roar”
Can’t you just see Helen Reddy belting out that lyric?
The Boldness Of Biden And Boris
Whatever you think of them, they're making big decisions
Liberalism’s Antibodies Watch
An update on the ongoing social justice cultural revolution.
Emerging Cracks In The Woke Elite
Some small signs of hope for liberal society
Our No-Limits Presidency
August 2021
Two Men Falling
The long war in Afghanistan is finally ending. Thank God.
The Price Of Tucker Carlson's Soul
Going cheap for a corrupt, fashy kleptocrat in Central Europe
Biden's Not-So-Great New Normal
The reality checks keep coming
Saving The Pigs
Pigs are highly intelligent, and yet we torture and terrorize them before we kill them.
July 2021
Let It Rip
How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Live With The Virus
The Deepening Republican Degeneracy
The Darkness Visible In China
And the realism that requires we live with it
The High-Tech Outing Of A Gay Priest
Introducing "Out On A Limb"
A selection of my writing from 1989 to 2021
What Happened To You?
The radicalization of the American elite against liberalism
Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part III
July 4 edition
The Insouciance Of Evil
On the death of Donald Rumsfeld
June 2021
Our Very Catholic President
The strange miracle of Joe Biden
The Actual Diversity Of The Gay World
Don't Ban CRT. Expose It.
There's a liberal way to fight illiberalism. And it's beginning to work.
The Grim Trade-Off Of BLM?
Fewer African-Americans killed by cops; many more killed by civilians
Our Politics And The English Language
What would Orwell say about our debased discourse?
Yes, He’s Still Out Of His Mind
An update on Trump
May 2021
Removing The Bedrock Of Liberalism
What the "Critical Race Theory" debate is really about.
The Triumphs Of Gay Black Men
On Lil Nas X
The Shame Of NYC Pride
We cannot attend a Pride parade that excludes some openly gay people.
When A Canceler Is Canceled
On Nikole Hannah-Jones and UNC
The GOP's Massive Missed Opportunity
It's called Trumpism Without Trump. But they can't get there, and he won't let them.
Israel’s Incipient Civil War
April 2021
The Strange Fate Of Joe Biden
The unlikeliest would-be revolutionary in American history
Are Face-Masks The New Condoms?
Some thoughts on plagues, rationality and recovery.
The Missing Context In The Police Shootings Debate
The American Political Crisis Deepens
Beneath the surface, the center continues to collapse.
The Right’s Missed Covid Opportunity
A Truce Proposal In The Trans Wars
There is a compromise available. Here's one version.
Religion And The Decline of Democracy
We may miss it when it's gone.
The Use And Abuse Of “Queer”
March 2021
What Biden Doesn't Get On Immigration
We're in a new era. It's time to adjust to it.
How Far Back Does The Sex Abuse Crisis Go?
When The Narrative Replaces The News
How the media grotesquely distorted the Atlanta massacres
When The Narrative Replaces The News: Your Thoughts
Biden's Revolution Takes Shape
If you ever believed he would govern like Obama, it's time to rethink.
The Dawn Of Mass Child Migration
Killing The SAT Means Hurting Minorities
The evidence is clear. But the woke refuse to accept it.
The Post-Modern Barbarism Of Bush And Cheney
A movie review of The Mauritanian.
February 2021
Two Sexes. Infinite Genders.
How the world changes and yet stays the same
The Over-Reach Of The Equality Act
The "Majority-Minority" Myth
Our racial future may not be what we have come to believe.
The "Majority-Minority" Myth: Your Thoughts And Stories
Rush To Judgment
On the death of Rush Limbaugh
Convict Him
This really shouldn’t be hard.
The Magic Money Tree Of 2021
One of the few lasting legacies of Trump is the end of fiscal conservatism.
The Unbearable Whiteness Of The Classics
The woke argue that the study of ancient Greece and Rome should be junked. Oy.
The Unbearable Whiteness Of The Classics: Your Thoughts
January 2021
The Vaccines' Race Against Time
As the virus adapts, these months may be the hardest of them all.
Counter-Insurgency In America
On the January 6 mob.
Biden’s Culture War Aggression
He may have needlessly crippled his chances for lowering the temperature already.
The Big Lie That Must Die
The core legitimacy of our democracy is in the balance.
This Is The Face Of The GOP Now
The descent from conservatism to nihilism is now complete.
December 2020
Why 2021 Is Going To Be Epic
A new president, a vaccine, a boom, and you’ve got yourself a party.
Christianism And Our Democracy
The fusion of religion and politics on the right has made moderation impossible.
Do All Black Lives Matter? Or Just Some?
On the soaring toll of civilian violence against African-Americans
Do All Black Lives Matter? More Of Your Dissents.
All Black Lives Matter: A Reader Forum
November 2020
Where Have All The Lesbians Gone?
They're coming out as nonbinary or as men. [by Katie Herzog]
The Minorities Within Minorities
And how they can help us revive liberal democracy
The Cult Is Now The Party
Trump Is Winning. Democracy Is Losing.
The Weimarization of American politics may be picking up steam.
Trump Is Gone. Trumpism Just Arrived
The air has been cleared. And democracy is working.
October 2020
Healing From The Center Out
Joe Biden, a president for all Americans, period.
The Psychedelic Election
A new issue arrives on the horizon. Why it matters.
Why Is Wokeness Winning?
The astonishing and continuing success of left illiberalism
The Germaphobe Who Let The Virus Rip
Dreaming Of A Landslide
I know I'm tempting fate, but a landslide is what this country so desperately needs.
The Achievement Of The Veep Debate
Reality Ends The Reality Show
Is this a chance to start over?
Trump Lost. But Did Biden Win?
On the first presidential debate
September 2020
Yes, This Is The Face Of A Tyrant
And a competent one at that.
We Are All Algorithms Now
Is that what's really destroying the legitimacy of our democracy?
Critical Race Theory And The Epidemic
The Logic Of Bell Curve Leftism
A twist not many of us saw coming.
The Metastasizing Cancer Of Trump
Vote as soon as you can. Vote Biden.
August 2020
The Trap The Democrats Walked Right Into
If law and order are what this election is about, they will lose it.
The Cascading Complexity Of Diversity
And why the New York Times still doesn't get it.
Burning the GOP To The Ground?
Here’s the gist of a platform I think could work.
The 1620 Project
This year has been a demoralizing one for this little town at the very end of Cape Cod.
July 2020
The Roots Of Wokeness
It's time we looked more closely at the philosophy behind the movement.
The President vs The Election, Once Again
The Summer Of Menace
How plagues can inspire social revolt — and a potential reaction against it.
In Defense Of J.K. Rowling
Pining For An Analog World
I’ve found myself deliriously lost in HBO’s new series, Perry Mason.
See You Next Friday: A Farewell Letter
My last column at New York Magazine, announcing the launch of The Weekly Dish.
