November 2020

by Danielle Allen, Jamelle Bouie, Jason Brennan, Sarah Smarsh, Astra Taylor,

[Letter from the Bekaa Valley]

State of Exception

Lebanon’s cruel solution to the refugee crisis

by Alexander Dziadosz,

[Essay]

Making Meaning

Against “relevance” in art

by Garth Greenwell,

Harper’s Magazine welcomes reader response.

Email us about articles in the magazine.

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who think neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump would make a good president : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of local U.S. parks that saw an increase in visitors this spring : 2/3

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. parks-and-recreation agencies that have been asked to reduce spending this fiscal year : 2/3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of dust particles in U.S. national parks that are plastic : 4

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the annual amount of plastic pollution accumulating in bodies of water is expected to increase by 2040 : 2.6

[Harper’s Index]

By which the amount accumulating on land is expected to increase : 2.8

[Harper’s Index]

Approximate number of square miles that have been lost from the Louisiana coast in the past one hundred years : 2,000

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage change by 2100 in the mortality rate in Accra, Ghana, as a result of temperature-related deaths : +19

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which the population of the average wildlife species has declined globally since 1970 : 68

[Harper’s Index]

Rank of deforestation among the causes of wildlife decline on land : 1

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of animals that have been killed or displaced by Australian wildfires over the past two years : 3,000,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage of wildland firefighters in California who are prisoners : 14

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which the U.S. prison population has dropped since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic : 8

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of its viewership that the cable channel A&E lost after canceling Live PD in the wake of George Floyd’s killing : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase in police stops of black drivers in the month after a Trump rally was held in a given area in 2016 : 4.2

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of stops for which this accounted : 30,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of black Americans who wish police officers would spend less time in their neighborhoods : 19

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage decrease in the length of the average work meeting since the onset of the pandemic : 20

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which employees in open-plan offices took more sick leave than those in private offices before COVID-19 : 62

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which the unemployment rate of recently graduated U.S. physics majors exceeds that of art history majors : 60

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated amount that South Korea was willing to spend to save a single life in the first phase of the pandemic : $6,682,000

[Harper’s Index]

Number of Americans who have become billionaires over the course of the pandemic : 24

[Harper’s Index]

Average factor by which countries led by men have had more COVID-19 deaths than countries led by women : 1.9

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. adults who think it is probably or definitely true that the outbreak was planned by “powerful people” : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which women are more likely than men to see some truth in the theory : 38

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which mainstream newspapers cite organizations that oppose climate action more often than those that support it : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who admit to not relying on the news sources they regard as the most trustworthy : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which Republicans are less likely than Democrats to say that health officials are handling the pandemic well : 24

[Harper’s Index]

By which they were more likely than Democrats to say so in March : 14

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who have yet to complete a census form who say they would refuse to answer the door for a census worker : 2/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of eligible U.S. voters who do not have a government-issued photo ID : 11

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum amount that five states have spent implementing voter-ID laws since 2006 : $36,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Number of hours that Texas state lawyers have spent litigating voter-ID laws since 2011 : 12,400

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who would support testing presidential candidates’ cognitive ability : 67

[Harper’s Index]

Who would support administering drug tests to candidates : 70

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who think neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump would make a good president : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of local U.S. parks that saw an increase in visitors this spring : 2/3

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. parks-and-recreation agencies that have been asked to reduce spending this fiscal year : 2/3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of dust particles in U.S. national parks that are plastic : 4

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which the annual amount of plastic pollution accumulating in bodies of water is expected to increase by 2040 : 2.6

[Harper’s Index]

By which the amount accumulating on land is expected to increase : 2.8

[Harper’s Index]

Approximate number of square miles that have been lost from the Louisiana coast in the past one hundred years : 2,000

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage change by 2100 in the mortality rate in Accra, Ghana, as a result of temperature-related deaths : +19

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which the population of the average wildlife species has declined globally since 1970 : 68

[Harper’s Index]

Rank of deforestation among the causes of wildlife decline on land : 1

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of animals that have been killed or displaced by Australian wildfires over the past two years : 3,000,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated percentage of wildland firefighters in California who are prisoners : 14

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which the U.S. prison population has dropped since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic : 8

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of its viewership that the cable channel A&E lost after canceling Live PD in the wake of George Floyd’s killing : 1/2

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage increase in police stops of black drivers in the month after a Trump rally was held in a given area in 2016 : 4.2

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated number of stops for which this accounted : 30,000

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of black Americans who wish police officers would spend less time in their neighborhoods : 19

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage decrease in the length of the average work meeting since the onset of the pandemic : 20

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which employees in open-plan offices took more sick leave than those in private offices before COVID-19 : 62

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which the unemployment rate of recently graduated U.S. physics majors exceeds that of art history majors : 60

[Harper’s Index]

Estimated amount that South Korea was willing to spend to save a single life in the first phase of the pandemic : $6,682,000

[Harper’s Index]

Number of Americans who have become billionaires over the course of the pandemic : 24

[Harper’s Index]

Average factor by which countries led by men have had more COVID-19 deaths than countries led by women : 1.9

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of U.S. adults who think it is probably or definitely true that the outbreak was planned by “powerful people” : 1/4

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which women are more likely than men to see some truth in the theory : 38

[Harper’s Index]

Factor by which mainstream newspapers cite organizations that oppose climate action more often than those that support it : 2

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who admit to not relying on the news sources they regard as the most trustworthy : 1/3

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage by which Republicans are less likely than Democrats to say that health officials are handling the pandemic well : 24

[Harper’s Index]

By which they were more likely than Democrats to say so in March : 14

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who have yet to complete a census form who say they would refuse to answer the door for a census worker : 2/5

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of eligible U.S. voters who do not have a government-issued photo ID : 11

[Harper’s Index]

Minimum amount that five states have spent implementing voter-ID laws since 2006 : $36,000,000

[Harper’s Index]

Number of hours that Texas state lawyers have spent litigating voter-ID laws since 2011 : 12,400

[Harper’s Index]

Percentage of Americans who would support testing presidential candidates’ cognitive ability : 67

[Harper’s Index]

Who would support administering drug tests to candidates : 70

[Harper’s Index]

Portion of Americans who think neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump would make a good president : 1/4

Readings

Download PDF

[Essay]

Ad Nauseam

by Tim Hwang,

[Complaint]

Mother Knows Best

[X-File]

Deep Space 19

by Edward J. Steele,

[Profile]

Bleat House

by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling,

[Poem]

Person

by Blanca Varela,Translated by Carlos Lara,

[Property]

Penal Estate

[Offense]

Whine On You Crazy Diamond

by Russ Diamond,

[Blurbs]

Blue Lives Batter

[Adaptation]

Eyes on the Prize

by Cameron Radford,

[Dissent]

Garden-Variety Racism

by Bernette Johnson,

[Grievances]

Grave Concerns

[Fiction]

Fata Morgana

by Wolfgang Koeppen,Translated by Michael Hofmann,

[Drawing]

Fuzzy Math

[Threat]

Militia Intent

by Darryl Daniels,

[Complaints]

A Gobble Without a Cause

Portrait of My Anxiety, a painting by Margaret Curtis, whose work was on view in August at Tracey Morgan Gallery, in Asheville, North Carolina.

The Handshake, a painting by Peter Uka, whose work was on view last month at Galerie Voss, in Düsseldorf, Germany.

“Midwest Materials,” a photograph by Julie Blackmon, whose work was on view last month at Robert Mann Gallery, in New York City.

“Palmistry in the Shadows,” a photograph by Devin Yalkin, from the series Alone Together, which is on view at the Photo Vogue Festival, in Milan.

“Liminal Reflections,” a photograph by Devin Yalkin, from the series Alone Together, which is on view at the Photo Vogue Festival, in Milan.

Portrait of My Anxiety, a painting by Margaret Curtis, whose work was on view in August at Tracey Morgan Gallery, in Asheville, North Carolina.

The Handshake, a painting by Peter Uka, whose work was on view last month at Galerie Voss, in Düsseldorf, Germany.

“Midwest Materials,” a photograph by Julie Blackmon, whose work was on view last month at Robert Mann Gallery, in New York City.

“Palmistry in the Shadows,” a photograph by Devin Yalkin, from the series Alone Together, which is on view at the Photo Vogue Festival, in Milan.

“Liminal Reflections,” a photograph by Devin Yalkin, from the series Alone Together, which is on view at the Photo Vogue Festival, in Milan.

Portrait of My Anxiety, a painting by Margaret Curtis, whose work was on view in August at Tracey Morgan Gallery, in Asheville, North Carolina.

[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.

Cover design by Tina Smith Microfiche

November 2020

What’s in a Vote?

Electoral politics in an ailing democracy

State of Exception

Lebanon’s cruel solution to the refugee crisis

Making Meaning

Against “relevance” in art

Portion of local U.S. parks that saw an increase in visitors this spring : 2/3

Readings

Ad Nauseam

Mother Knows Best

Deep Space 19

Bleat House

Person

Penal Estate

Whine On You Crazy Diamond

Blue Lives Batter

Eyes on the Prize

Garden-Variety Racism

Grave Concerns

Fata Morgana

Fuzzy Math

Militia Intent

A Gobble Without a Cause

Letters

You Say You Want a Revolution

Harper’s Index

What’s in a Vote?

Electoral politics in an ailing democracy

The Sultan of Sewers

State of Exception

Lebanon’s cruel solution to the refugee crisis

The Grove

The Enemies Briefcase

Secret powers and the presidency

Three Poems

Making Meaning

Against “relevance” in art

Is America Ungovernable?

The difference between protest and reform

New Poets

New Books

Because God Did Not Relax

The difficult pleasures of William Gaddis

A Swing and Amis

On the perils of novelizing one’s life

Tree Leaves

Findings

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