May 2020

by Thomas Frank,

[Letter from Hong Kong]

Dream State

The radical imagination of the Hong Kong protest movement

by Yi-Ling Liu,

[Letter from Washington]

The Malaysian Job

How Wall Street enabled a global financial scandal

by Andrew Cockburn,

Harper’s Magazine welcomes reader response.

Email us about articles in the magazine.

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of those dead ends that are in the United States : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who operate doors and sinks in public restrooms with paper towels to avoid germs : 65

[Harper’s Index]

Number of times that the price of an average U.S. domestic flight changes in a week : 59

[Harper’s Index]

Average percentage by which the price fluctuates with each change : 25

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of motor vehicles that crashed into non-residential buildings in the United States last year : 20,000

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of people inside those buildings who were killed : 500

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of time that ride-hailing vehicles on Manhattan streets lack passengers : 40

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of Americans who spend at least three hours commuting each day : 4,300,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of American commuters who “typically” use their commuting time to work : 14

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who believe that enjoying one’s career is essential to a fulfilling life for a man : 57

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Democrats who believe that their personal finances will improve over the next year : 60

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who say they are better off now than when President Trump took office : 61

[Harper’s Index]

Who said they were better off during President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign than they were when he took office : 45

[Harper’s Index]

Number of current members of the Trump Administration who have worked as Fox News contributors : 7

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Trump’s 2019 tweets that were live responses to Fox News or Fox Business programs : 1/10

[Harper’s Index]

Chance that an American has received a government document in the mail that he or she didn’t understand : 1 in 4

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans aged 65 and over who say it’s unlikely that they will fill out a census form : 6

[Harper’s Index]

Rank of African Americans among demographic groups most likely to fear that census information will be used against them : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the number of physical records in the National Archives has increased since 1991 : 3

[Harper’s Index]

By which the number of electronic records has increased since then : 1,654

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of years the National Archives will spend reviewing materials for George W. Bush’s presidential library : 250

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which Americans go to the library more often than they go to the movies : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage decrease from 2008 to 2017 in the number of full-time U.S. public school librarian positions : 26

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase between 2014 and 2018 in health care costs for Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance : 18

[Harper’s Index]

Average U.S. retail price for a vial of prescription insulin : $400

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated amount that Utah spent last year sending public employees to Mexico to buy cheaper medicine : $250,000

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of dead-end streets in the world : 17,680,000

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of those dead ends that are in the United States : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who operate doors and sinks in public restrooms with paper towels to avoid germs : 65

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of global ocean currents that have sped up since 1990 : 3/4

[Harper’s Index]

Average percentage by which those currents have accelerated : 10

[Harper’s Index]

Number of hurricane names that have been officially retired : 89

[Harper’s Index]

Number of times that the price of an average U.S. domestic flight changes in a week : 59

[Harper’s Index]

Average percentage by which the price fluctuates with each change : 25

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of motor vehicles that crashed into non-residential buildings in the United States last year : 20,000

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum number of people inside those buildings who were killed : 500

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of time that ride-hailing vehicles on Manhattan streets lack passengers : 40

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of Americans who spend at least three hours commuting each day : 4,300,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of American commuters who “typically” use their commuting time to work : 14

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who believe that enjoying one’s career is essential to a fulfilling life for a man : 57

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Democrats who believe that their personal finances will improve over the next year : 60

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who say they are better off now than when President Trump took office : 61

[Harper’s Index]

Who said they were better off during President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign than they were when he took office : 45

[Harper’s Index]

Number of current members of the Trump Administration who have worked as Fox News contributors : 7

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Trump’s 2019 tweets that were live responses to Fox News or Fox Business programs : 1/10

[Harper’s Index]

Chance that an American has received a government document in the mail that he or she didn’t understand : 1 in 4

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans aged 65 and over who say it’s unlikely that they will fill out a census form : 6

[Harper’s Index]

Rank of African Americans among demographic groups most likely to fear that census information will be used against them : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the number of physical records in the National Archives has increased since 1991 : 3

[Harper’s Index]

By which the number of electronic records has increased since then : 1,654

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of years the National Archives will spend reviewing materials for George W. Bush’s presidential library : 250

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which Americans go to the library more often than they go to the movies : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage decrease from 2008 to 2017 in the number of full-time U.S. public school librarian positions : 26

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase between 2014 and 2018 in health care costs for Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance : 18

[Harper’s Index]

Average U.S. retail price for a vial of prescription insulin : $400

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated amount that Utah spent last year sending public employees to Mexico to buy cheaper medicine : $250,000

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of dead-end streets in the world : 17,680,000

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of those dead ends that are in the United States : 1/4

Readings

[Essay]

To Infinity and Beyond

by Maël Renouard,Translated by Peter Behrman de Sinéty,

[Charges]

Killing Time

by Jean Giono,Translated by Jody Gladding,

[Ballots]

Freegrets III

by Anselm Berrigan,

Sarah and Lea, a painting by Doron Langberg, whose work was on view in October at Yossi Milo Gallery, in New York City.

“Twilight Dusk” and “Delicate Nests,” photographs by KangHee Kim, whose work was on view in March at Benrubi Gallery, in New York City.

Courtesy the artist and Benrubi Gallery, New York City

The Frick Museum as “Nature,” a painting by Gretchen Scherer, whose work is on view this month at Monya Rowe Gallery, in New York City.

“View of Catskill Mountains from Cole’s House, Catskill, August 12, 2019,” a camera-obscura photograph by Shi Guorui, whose work is on view this month at the Museum of Photographic Arts, in San Diego.

Sarah and Lea, a painting by Doron Langberg, whose work was on view in October at Yossi Milo Gallery, in New York City.

“Twilight Dusk” and “Delicate Nests,” photographs by KangHee Kim, whose work was on view in March at Benrubi Gallery, in New York City.

Courtesy the artist and Benrubi Gallery, New York City

The Frick Museum as “Nature,” a painting by Gretchen Scherer, whose work is on view this month at Monya Rowe Gallery, in New York City.

Sarah and Lea, a painting by Doron Langberg, whose work was on view in October at Yossi Milo Gallery, in New York City.

[Letters]

A skull previously thought to belong to Cleopatra’s sister was found to be that of an Italian boy with a deformed jaw.

[Findings]

The collapse of the Qing Dynasty was driven by the quadrupling of its population and consequent rural impoverishment, an overabundance of qualified applicants for elite academic degrees, rising costs and trade deficits, and falling productivity, which were variously associated with internal unrest, opium imports, and the depletion of silver reserves.

[Findings]

Men can rate the facial attractiveness of women without paying attention, but women cannot do the same for men; gay men find the faces of purportedly fertile women and men more attractive; adolescents and adults both rate the faces of children younger than 4.6 years old as more appealing than those of older children; and body odors associated with fear quicken the visual processing of others’ facial expressions of fear.

[Findings]

The collapse of the Qing Dynasty was driven by the quadrupling of its population and consequent rural impoverishment, an overabundance of qualified applicants for elite academic degrees, rising costs and trade deficits, and falling productivity, which were variously associated with internal unrest, opium imports, and the depletion of silver reserves.

[Findings]

Men can rate the facial attractiveness of women without paying attention, but women cannot do the same for men; gay men find the faces of purportedly fertile women and men more attractive; adolescents and adults both rate the faces of children younger than 4.6 years old as more appealing than those of older children; and body odors associated with fear quicken the visual processing of others’ facial expressions of fear.

Illustration by Dan Bejar Microfiche

May 2020

The Pessimistic Style in American Politics

And its eternal war on reform

Dream State

The radical imagination of the Hong Kong protest movement

The Malaysian Job

How Wall Street enabled a global financial scandal

Percentage of Americans who operate doors and sinks in public restrooms with paper towels to avoid germs : 65

Readings

To Infinity and Beyond

Permanent Record

Killing Time

Politics as Usual

White Light/White Heat

Cat Burglar

Lana Del Rey

Bedside Planner

Freegrets III

Letters

The Striking Gesture

Harper’s Index

The Pessimistic Style in American Politics

And its eternal war on reform

Fifty-One Percent

Dream State

The radical imagination of the Hong Kong protest movement

Common Enemy

The emerging resistance to Chinese Empire

Carrying On

My first years in America

The Malaysian Job

How Wall Street enabled a global financial scandal

I Incriminate Myself So No One Else Can

New Books

Difficulties Everywhere

Can Kierkegaard tell us how to live?

Constant Delighted Astonishment

On Jacques Tati

Long Time Coming

Findings

A skull previously thought to belong to Cleopatra’s sister was found to be that of an Italian boy with a deformed jaw.