It’s Not About Hypocrisy by Laura Wagner

Reminding me of my favorite McSweeney’s article, Laura Wagner writes about the the proud left-wing elation in response to Jon Stewart’s recent interview with a Republican lawmaker from Oklahoma. A clip made the rounds of Stewart catching the callous ghoul in hypocrisy that is supposedly devastating and reputation-demolishing. Out here in the real world, though, there are no substantive results from these exchanges. The Republican lawmaker won’t change his mind and his supporters will simply take pride in the exasperation of the comedian in the other chair. Wagner’s assessment is spot on, and progressives would do well to stop taking victory laps over inconsequential media moments and instead get down to the business of making actual legislative and social change happen. This article is published by Defector.

‘My Love, You Can Do This’: A Dangerous Journey in a Quest for a Better Life by Oscar B. Castillo

In a photo-driven article for The New York Times, Oscar B. Castillo does the vital work of revealing the people — the actual living human beings with hopes and fears — behind the U.S. political debates around immigration. I general, our shared understanding of why people are crossing borders would be stronger if more column inches and broadcast news airtime was given over to those individuals and far, far less to the political leaders and pundits.