Personal Soundtracks
Two decades of mix-and-match music--and a more harmonious world
Music
The Politics of Plenitude
The marketplace multiplies cultural identities and creates true diversity. No wonder the right and the left are upset.
Mind Over Matter
In the information economy, intellectual property is bringing huge returns. But just how will society split up the bounty?
Who Killed Culture?
From barbarism to democracy, elites seek a suspect in the reported death of art.
Reasonable Doubts: Their Own Petard
Fans of activist litigation discover the other guy can sue too.
The Embarassment of Riches
For today's independent artists, integrity can be financially rewarding. Can punk rock and alternative comics make peace with entrepreneurial capitalism?
Adieu to the Avant-Garde
As the artistic regime shifts, realism, rhyme, and representation make a comback.
Youth Appeal
Self-appointed Web watchers are worried that virtual smoking and drinking might lead to the real thing.
Judge Dread
Robert Bork's hyperbolic assault on contemporary culture is a best-seller. But it has even his conservative allies backing away.
Assimilation, American Style
Universalist ideals, capitalism, a plethora of associations, and a love of progress are the secret to interethnic identity.
On Campus: Purging Bingeing
Students will always drink, but colleges can try to control the consequences.
The Good Old Days Are Now
Forget what you've heard about "working harder and getting less." Most Americans have both more leisure and better goods than they did 20 years ago.
The Contents of Our Character
What defines American culture? Books every new immigrant should read.
Borders Patrol
Book sales are surging. Superstores are booming. And the American Booksellers Association doesn't like it.
