Sterling Minor
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A vendor's table next to a street in Mexico City's Centro neighborhood. Photo by Sterling Minor 2026
Experiences and thoughts
Number of years since there were so few summer jobs for American teenagers: 77
Date on which Texas implemented a statewide cell-phone ban in publicschools: June 20, 2025Percentage increase in the number of books checked out in the Dallas Independent School District in the following school year: 25
Date on which Texas implemented a statewide cell-phone ban in publicschools: June 20, 2025Percentage increase in the number of books checked out in the Dallas Independent School District in the following school year: 25
Harper's Index is a trademark owned by the Harper's Magazine Foundation. Harper's Magazine is published monthly by the foundation, 666 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, Jackson Lears, Chairman, John R MacArthur, President. The archive of its 176 years of issues is available at harpers.org/archive
Numbers from Harper's Index®, August 2026
Commentary i have read that I want to share
But I urge cooler heads to see something else in the rising populism within both parties — a potential political alliance. Neither income nor wealth are zero-sum contests in which some people’s success can be achieved only at the cost of other people’s losses [as some, especially on the right, have argued]. But power is a zero-sum contest. And as power has gone to the [leftist cultural elites and the rightist fabulously wealthy, our society has not been improved. Both the Declaration and the Constitution center power in "the people" and the people simply cannot be substituted for by corporations, oligarchs, entertainers, or pastors who take over] . Both never-Trumper Republicans and “moderate” Democrats are [failing] to articulate a message that isn’t just “we’re not Trump.” Robert Reich, June 26, 2026 The problem of oligarchy in America is very real. It is also a problem this nation has confronted before — and solved. The message of the analysis in this post is that in the early 20th century the United States had a troubling concentration of wealth and power in a few hands, but that we greatly diminished that concentration largely through high tax rates at the top. This does not mean, however, that we need to go back to the tax code of 1955. [There are different solutions for today.] Paul Krugman, PhD, Substack post, July 20, 2026
Does consuming art, music, literature and the rest of what we call culture make you a better person? Ages ago, Aristotle thought it did, but these days a lot of people seem to doubt it. Surveys show that Americans are abandoning cultural institutions. And yet I don’t buy it. I confess I still cling to the old faith that culture is vastly more important than politics or some pre-professional training in algorithms and software systems. I’m convinced that consuming culture furnishes your mind with emotional knowledge and wisdom; it helps you take a richer and more meaningful view of your own experiences; it helps you understand, at least a bit, the depths of what’s going on in the people right around you. David Brooks, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/25/opinion/art-culture-politics.html?unlocked_article_code=1.408.3Qhm.eVTBybqm_xr_&smid=em-share
But I urge cooler heads to see something else in the rising populism within both parties — a potential political alliance. Neither income nor wealth are zero-sum contests in which some people’s success can be achieved only at the cost of other people’s losses [as some, especially on the right, have argued]. But power is a zero-sum contest. And as power has gone to the [leftist cultural elites and the rightist fabulously wealthy, our society has not been improved. Both the Declaration and the Constitution center power in "the people" and the people simply cannot be substituted for by corporations, oligarchs, entertainers, or pastors who take over] . Both never-Trumper Republicans and “moderate” Democrats are [failing] to articulate a message that isn’t just “we’re not Trump.” Robert Reich, June 26, 2026 The problem of oligarchy in America is very real. It is also a problem this nation has confronted before — and solved. The message of the analysis in this post is that in the early 20th century the United States had a troubling concentration of wealth and power in a few hands, but that we greatly diminished that concentration largely through high tax rates at the top. This does not mean, however, that we need to go back to the tax code of 1955. [There are different solutions for today.] Paul Krugman, PhD, Substack post, July 20, 2026
Does consuming art, music, literature and the rest of what we call culture make you a better person? Ages ago, Aristotle thought it did, but these days a lot of people seem to doubt it. Surveys show that Americans are abandoning cultural institutions. And yet I don’t buy it. I confess I still cling to the old faith that culture is vastly more important than politics or some pre-professional training in algorithms and software systems. I’m convinced that consuming culture furnishes your mind with emotional knowledge and wisdom; it helps you take a richer and more meaningful view of your own experiences; it helps you understand, at least a bit, the depths of what’s going on in the people right around you. David Brooks, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/25/opinion/art-culture-politics.html?unlocked_article_code=1.408.3Qhm.eVTBybqm_xr_&smid=em-share
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