| The remarkable cover story for our November issue is out online this week, by Rebecca Solnit, one of America’s most agile and insightful writers. The author of Hope in the Dark (2004) and Men Explain Things to Me (2014) has a history of going to the places that explain our politics and our society. When Solnit focuses her attention on a subject, things start to make sense. She gets us beyond the talking points, the spin, disinformation and nonsense that pass for political discourse and explains what’s really at stake—often by recognizing that our chaotic state of affairs is making very rich and powerful people even richer and more powerful.
That’s what Solnit has done with “(Mis)Adventures in the Manosphere,” where she explores how the right has turned hatred of women into an ever-expanding, multi-platform Internet grift. In just a few days, it’s garnered an enthusiastic audience online, and we believe it will become an essential statement on how, as she explains, “The Internet has increasingly become a predatory monster that exploits its own: the people it was made for.” “Today,” she warns, “a vast array of online platforms—misogynistic porn, crypto, sportsbetting and prediction markets, masculinity influencers, and right-wing and racist propaganda—gnaws through minds, hearts, and souls on its way to wallets.” We hope you enjoy reading Solnit’s piece along with the other features, editorials, and books and arts pieces in the issue.
—Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor & Publisher, The Nation
—John Nichols
Executive Editor, The Nation |
