Dispatches From the Culture Wars – Wring in the New Edition

Year-end lists; Bluegrass at the end of the world; Bass action

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The Year That Was and Wasn't
Interviews by Hayden Higgins
The Morning News

Yes, 2017 went off the rails. But what pushed it? We asked 29 of our favorite journalists, writers, and thinkers: What were the most important events of the past 12 months, and what were the least?


The Top US Culture Stories of 2017: Get Out, Rightwing Comics and Christian Rock
By Benjamin Lee
December 27, 2017
Guardian

This year saw the downfall of many Hollywood heavyweights and confessions from many of its actors, and proof that diversity is both necessary and profitable.


17 Striking Findings From 2017
By Abigail Geiger
December 26, 2017
Pew Research Center

From an increase in Americans living without a spouse or partner to the impact of Donald Trump’s presidency, here are 17 findings that stood out to us in 2017.

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A Bigger Tent: A Frank Conversation About Diversity and the Future of Bluegrass
By Jewly Hight
December 28, 2017
NPR

Nashville's Jon Weisberger is a bluegrass lifer and one of the music's most thoughtful advocates, and he addresses perpetual worries about preserving the genre into the future with a clear-eyed perspective on its health in the present, recognizing that a welcoming attitude toward diversity is essential to attracting millennial musicians and fans.

How Come No One in the Justice Department Can Explain the ‘Black Identity Extremists’ Report to Rep. Karen Bass?
By Stephen A. Crockett Jr.
December 12, 2017
The Root

The FBI created a 12-page document titled, “Black Identity Extremists Likely Motivated to Target Law Enforcement Officers.” It claims that the August 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., was the tipping point for widespread anger and violence.