December 2022

by Michael Robbins,

[Letter from Niger]

Corner Club Cathedral Cocoon

Audiophilia and its discontents

by Sasha Frere-Jones,

Harper’s Magazine welcomes reader response.

Email us about articles in the magazine.

[Harper’s Index]

Projected portion of the global population that will be myopic by 2050 : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of congresspeople who are older than 70 : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number who say that they or a relative traded stocks associated with a committee they served on : 97

[Harper’s Index]

Ratio of Americans who gambled online to those who traded cryptocurrency last year : 1:1

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of adults aged 18 to 44 who have gambled more since the start of the pandemic : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Number of slot machines on American military bases overseas : 3,141

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated revenue these generate annually for the Department of Defense : $100,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of active-duty U.S. soldiers who have a gambling problem : 56,000

[Harper’s Index]

Amount for which Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s gavel was sold at an auction this year : $20,400

[Harper’s Index]

For which a birthday card from Elon Musk was sold : $17,000

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of Leonard Cohen songs owned by a private equity firm as collateral against debt : 278

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of American adults who say they have gone viral : 3/10

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which more American women than men name true crime as their favorite genre : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who say they consume true crime content at least once a week : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Who think the genre helps solve crimes that wouldn’t otherwise be solved : 3/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Republicans who say they are in a militia or know someone who is : 25

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Republicans who say it would be unconstitutional to declare the United States a Christian nation : 3/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. adults who believe God learns and adapts to different circumstances : 51

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of American evangelicals who deny original sin : 65

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which religious people are more likely than non-believers to be satisfied with their sex lives : 35

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated year by which Christians will no longer constitute a majority of the American population : 2050

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum percentage of grocery store employees who left their jobs last year : 48

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of shoppers who say they have stolen something while using a self-checkout machine : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of retailers that have invested in additional security equipment this year : 52

[Harper’s Index]

That are using or planning to use facial recognition software to deter theft : 12

[Harper’s Index]

That are using or planning to use license plate recognition software : 19

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since 2019 in the number of “actively disengaged” U.S. workers under the age of 35 : 50

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of remote workers under the age of 35 who don’t know what their employers expect of them : 3/5

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of HR professionals who have discovered employees working outside of their home state or country : 2/5

[Harper’s Index]

Who are “very confident” that they know where most of their workers are : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who say they have traveled less or canceled a vacation because of inflation : 1/6

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. workers who remain concerned about COVID-19 exposure at work : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. dating app users who say it’s important to put one’s COVID-19 vaccination status in one’s profile : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated portion of COVID-19 patients who report “brain fog” six months after the initial infection : 2/5

[Harper’s Index]

Projected portion of the global population that will be myopic by 2050 : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number who say that they or a relative traded stocks associated with a committee they served on : 97

[Harper’s Index]

Ratio of Americans who gambled online to those who traded cryptocurrency last year : 1:1

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of adults aged 18 to 44 who have gambled more since the start of the pandemic : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Number of slot machines on American military bases overseas : 3,141

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated revenue these generate annually for the Department of Defense : $100,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of active-duty U.S. soldiers who have a gambling problem : 56,000

[Harper’s Index]

Amount for which Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s gavel was sold at an auction this year : $20,400

[Harper’s Index]

For which a birthday card from Elon Musk was sold : $17,000

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of Leonard Cohen songs owned by a private equity firm as collateral against debt : 278

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of American adults who say they have gone viral : 3/10

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which more American women than men name true crime as their favorite genre : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who say they consume true crime content at least once a week : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Who think the genre helps solve crimes that wouldn’t otherwise be solved : 3/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Republicans who say they are in a militia or know someone who is : 25

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Republicans who say it would be unconstitutional to declare the United States a Christian nation : 3/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of U.S. adults who believe God learns and adapts to different circumstances : 51

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of American evangelicals who deny original sin : 65

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which religious people are more likely than non-believers to be satisfied with their sex lives : 35

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated year by which Christians will no longer constitute a majority of the American population : 2050

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum percentage of grocery store employees who left their jobs last year : 48

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of shoppers who say they have stolen something while using a self-checkout machine : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of retailers that have invested in additional security equipment this year : 52

[Harper’s Index]

That are using or planning to use facial recognition software to deter theft : 12

[Harper’s Index]

That are using or planning to use license plate recognition software : 19

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase since 2019 in the number of “actively disengaged” U.S. workers under the age of 35 : 50

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of remote workers under the age of 35 who don’t know what their employers expect of them : 3/5

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of HR professionals who have discovered employees working outside of their home state or country : 2/5

[Harper’s Index]

Who are “very confident” that they know where most of their workers are : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who say they have traveled less or canceled a vacation because of inflation : 1/6

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. workers who remain concerned about COVID-19 exposure at work : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. dating app users who say it’s important to put one’s COVID-19 vaccination status in one’s profile : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated portion of COVID-19 patients who report “brain fog” six months after the initial infection : 2/5

[Harper’s Index]

Projected portion of the global population that will be myopic by 2050 : 1/2

Readings

[Essay]

Martha Stewart Living

by Martha Stewart, Chelsea Handler,

[Encounters]

“Bearogram #4,” a photogram of a black bear made in the forests of New York State by Zana Briski, from the series Animalograms. Briski’s work was on view last month in the Ten by Ten exhibition at FotoFest Biennial, in Houston.

Blueprint, a painting by Leigh Ruple, whose work was on view in October at PAGE (NYC), in New York City.

“Montgomery, Alabama, 1984,” a photograph by Baldwin Lee, whose work is on view this month at Joseph Bellows Gallery, in La Jolla, California. Lee’s monograph Baldwin Lee was published in September by Hunters Point Press.

Teach One, Teach Two (Laundry Day), a painting by Raul Rene Gonzalez, from the series Doing Werk. Gonzalez’s work will be on view in February at Spellerberg Projects, in Lockhart, Texas.

Blueprint, a painting by Leigh Ruple, whose work was on view in October at PAGE (NYC), in New York City.

Teach One, Teach Two (Laundry Day), a painting by Raul Rene Gonzalez, from the series Doing Werk. Gonzalez’s work will be on view in February at Spellerberg Projects, in Lockhart, Texas.