NFTIB Best Posts Of 2016

At the end of every year I like to go back and look at my handiwork, such as it is. Here are the posts that I think are the best. I invite you to take a look!

Our Endangered, Outmoded Constitution
I wrote this months ago and still stand by it.

A Historical Analysis Of Baseball's Divisional Era
I'd love to make this a book someday, if I only had the talent and time.

Suffer Little Children
News of abuse in a charter school network got me thinking about my own abusive experience in kindergarten.

Billboard Top Ten February 2, 1985
My favorite from this series this year.

It's The Nation, Stupid
I wrote a LOT of posts on this theme this year. This was the first.

A Letter From Nebraska
Some thoughts about my homeland, more cogent than usual.

Don't Adjunct
Back to the post-academic well just one more time.

Untangling Race, Class, And The "Good Old Days"
Well, this seems prescient:

"The thing is, a lot of those whites unhappy at the economic turn are not turning to hate. The Democratic party has to reach those voters. I am not making the usual call for Democrats to appeal to working class whites at all costs, because those days are over and the Democrats ought to prioritize those loyal to them. Instead, I want the party to solidify its connections to those working class white voters willing to be in a multiracial coalition. While there is a stereotype that the white working class is overwhelmingly Republican, that is actually skewed by the numbers from the South. Outside of the South, it's much less the case. The Democrats can use the "good old days" narrative in a more positive way by arguing for worker protections, strong unions, and support for college and child care. Trump is actually handing them an opportunity, I only hope that they take it."

I also wrote about it here.

The Age Of Resentment
Looking at the above in a global context.

Dr. Sillylovesongs, Or How I Stopped Worrying And Learned To Love Paul McCartney
Getting old means reevaluating one's taste.

Grand Funk Railroad, "We're An American Band"
My favorite Track of Week post of the year.

Moneybeer
I might have spent the most time of any post this year on this one, about quality cheap beer.

Trump And German American Identity
I want to turn this into a bigger essay and get it published.

On Watching The Wizard Of Oz With My Daughters
Sad dad time.

Why Now, More Than Ever, We Need To Talk About Reconstruction
It is the great failed revolution in American history, and I am seeing parallels to it today which should frighten all of us.

Notes On A Night Ramble In Central Park
Probably my most coherent response to the election.

Trump And Fortress Suburbia

Forget rural areas, the suburbs and their culture of racialized fear put Trump over the top.

Are America's Brezhnev Years Over?

Another one I want to make into a longer essay.