Culture | Opinion

The notion that you, too, can rise from the Barrio to Hollywood through sheer grit doesn’t speak to a generation disillusioned with the myth of meritocracy.

By Yarimar Bonilla

A fiction writer challenges an A.I. chatbot to a duel.

By Curtis Sittenfeld

Climbing is a sport in which the sexes are reaching parity. And that has led to pushback.

By Sasha DiGiulian

Pop culture is serving up dark visions full of labyrinthine bunkers, endless loops and characters who feel hopelessly mired. Welcome to the stucktopia.

By Hillary Kelly

On the other side of honesty is the possibility of change.

By Esau McCaulley

It would be so easy to find a new and less harmful way to celebrate the founding of a nation.

By Margaret Renkl

An alternative photographic history of the Pride march shows that real belonging starts in the crowd, where people find refuge and community.

By Jackson Davidow and Bruce Cratsley

The celebrated show is both a product of our unhealthy obsession with toxic restaurant culture and a potential remedy for it.

By Aaron Timms

Our kids’ lingo is not only better than any we used; it’s a useful window into the way they think.

By Stephen Marche

A pop diva inspires and unites fans in ways that few other cultural figures can. Which is why we should all be rooting for Celine Dion.

By Elamin Abdelmahmoud