Wisecrack

How ‘cute’ came to challenge the Japanese establishment

The guru wears Prada.

On midi-chlorian and other unfortunate choices

When healthcare becomes performance

When Joe Pera talks, we all should listen.

Don’t bash it before you think about it.

On the strange appeal of social awkwardness

What’s the source of our scatological anxiety?

When the moral scourge of society becomes quaint

A plea to understand.

On Jellicles and Jedi

The rise, fall, and rise again of mature cartoons

How much is a gold coin really worth?

The notion of “cuteness” is also a product of culture — one that only really developed in the past century.

The philosophy behind television’s most morality-obsessed show.

Beer and business imitate art

It’s not all fun, personalized playlists.

A theory.

Does the pizza business corrupt one’s soul?

Sometimes, an ad can be a perfect distillation of the nightmare in which we live. Earlier this year, Burger King tried to “start a…

We don’t usually associate post-Edwardian aristocracy with contemporary South Korean capitalism. But we should.

The box office flop tried to do what made Terminator great — and failed.

How society’s most pretentious individuals might become our unlikely saviors.

The awkward intertextuality of ‘Doctor Sleep’