(Against) Virus as Metaphor

Plus: “Desert Island Discs,” the future of the U.S. Census, and classic movies to stream for comfort. View in browser | Update your preferences Daily Comment (Against) Virus as Metaphor It may be that our fondness for virus as metaphor—and our disinclination to see viruses as literal—may have kept us from insisting on and observing the standards and practices that would prevent their spread. By Paul Elie Q. & A. How Governments Respond to Pandemics How leaders have reacted to health emergencies and why, even under different forms of government, “it’s the epidemic that’s calling the shots.” By Isaac Chotiner Letter from the U.K. The Rise of Coronavirus Hate Crimes Pandemics can intensify fears of “the other,” and exacerbate racist myths about foreigners being diseased or unclean. By Anna Russell PAID POST “A triumphant end to a spellbinding story.” —NPR HILARY MANTEL returns with the triumphant conclusion of the trilogy that began with Wolf Hall and continued in Bring Up the Bodies. Critics call THE MIRROR & THE LIGHT “a masterpiece…. Every bit as thrilling, propulsive, darkly comic and stupendously intelligent as its predecessors.” —The Guardian American Chronicles Will This Year’s Census Be the Last? In the past two centuries, the evolution of the U.S. Census has tracked the country’s social tensions and reflected its political controversies. Now its future is in question. By Jill Lepore Culture and More Cultural Comment My Obsession with “Desert Island Discs” The classic BBC radio program now seems less about music and creative inspiration than about the possibility of loneliness. How do you find meaning in total isolation? By Hua Hsu Annals of Nature Snow Science Against the Avalanche On slopes shallow enough to accumulate snow but steep enough for it to be unstable, chaos hides beneath the surface. By James Somers Photo Booth What We’re Buying for the Quarantine A look into the grocery carts of New Yorkers on the edge of a pandemic. By Helen Rosner The Front Row What to Stream: Classics for Comfort I’m turning to movies serious enough for the mood, compelling enough to provide ready distraction, and confident enough to look beyond the troubles that they evoke. By Richard Brody Humor from The New Yorker Daily Shouts Quarantine Tips from My Cat Clean behind your ears. Now do it again. By Nikki Palumbo Daily Cartoon Thursday, March 19th By Adam Douglas Thompson Sign up for more newsletters from The New Yorker. Visit The New Yorker shop. Question about your subscription? Contact Customer Care. New Yorker digital subscribers get unlimited access to everything on newyorker.com. Log in to your account here. We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please send your thoughts and suggestions to TNYinbox@newyorker.com. This e-mail was sent to you by The New Yorker. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, NewYorker@newsletters.newyorker.com, to your address book. View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2020. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.