Was Ozark Actually About the Clintons?
In its last season, Ozark goes beyond family drama. It critiques the insidious ways that capitalism and political power work in America and the self-interested choices elites make to keep climbing the ladder.
31 Articles by: Ryan Zickgraf
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Ryan Zickgraf is an Alabama-based journalist and is the editor of Third Rail Mag.
The Two Souls of Pentecostalism
Early Pentecostal preachers railed against elites and uplifted the oppressed — a far cry from their recent efforts to elect right-wing populists like Donald Trump. There are deep contradictions at the heart of Pentecostalism, and they aren’t resolved yet.
Elon Musk Might Make It Worse, but Twitter Was Already Bad
Many fear that Twitter under Elon Musk will fall to bigots and harassers. Maybe. But instead of arguing over who should be kicked off Twitter, we should ask what it’s designed to do to those who stay on it.
Disney’s Affordable Housing Plan Is Self-Interest, Not Socialism
Conservatives are convinced that Disney is trying to implement a radical left agenda. But even with its altruistic-seeming new housing development for workers, the company is just looking out for the bottom line.
Sorry Grimes, Your Ex-Boyfriend Won’t Save Us
The avant-garde pop star Grimes has made a heel turn away from left-wing politics toward the Silicon Valley libertarianism of her ex Elon Musk. She calls herself “a bit of a socialist, but not economically.” Let’s just call her a manic pixie dream capitalist.
The Kids Are Alright. BlackRock’s President Isn’t.
BlackRock president Rob Kapito has a lot of nerve calling young Americans entitled brats. In reality, millennials and Zoomers are struggling to find a foothold in a harsh economic climate that BlackRock executives themselves helped create.
Were the 1990s Really Devoid of Politics?
Chuck Klosterman’s The Nineties imagines the decade as dominated by pop culture, not politics. In reality, Gen X was passionately political during the 1990s — and centrists were busy laying the groundwork for the politics of the next century.
Segregation Is Still Alive in Mardi Gras’s Birthplace
Decades after the end of Jim Crow, cities like Mobile, Alabama, are still shot through with racial segregation. That segregation is reflected in the city’s Mardi Gras culture, where some social societies still maintain white-only membership.
Abolish LA Rams Owner Stan Kroenke
All professional sports team owners are evil. But the sight of billionaire LA Rams owner Stan Kroenke hoisting the Super Bowl trophy on Sunday should inspire particular revulsion — he’s one of the most despicable owners on the planet.
No, America Is Not Sliding Into Civil War
Liberals have made a cottage industry out of breathless warnings about impending apocalypse at the hands of the Right. This rhetoric isn’t just overblown — it’s also politically useless.
McDonald’s HQ Is a Perfect Symbol of America’s Class Divide
Housed within McDonald’s Chicago HQ are both white-collar workers upstairs, enjoying a relaxed work environment and decent compensation — and restaurant workers downstairs, making the company’s profits but facing unsafe work environments and low wages.
The Lack of Hospital Beds Is a National Crisis
America is experiencing a massive shortfall in hospital beds, harmful to both COVID and non-COVID patients needing care. But the pandemic didn’t create the hospital bed crisis — it exacerbated an existing one that our government refuses to address.
Jeff Bezos’s Resemblance to Lex Luthor Isn’t Just Skin-Deep
Has anyone ever seen Jeff Bezos and Superman supervillain Lex Luthor in the same room?
Even Neo Can’t Log Off
The Matrix Resurrections makes a convincing case that the Matrix franchise is keeping us plugged into the Matrix. Unfortunately, it exhausts the viewer in doing so.
Nancy Pelosi: 2021 Wall Street Trader of the Year
Thanks to her investing prowess, the Speaker of the House’s wealth grew by an estimated $16.7 million in 2020, just as millions of Americans fell into poverty and struggled to make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic. Long live the Queen of Stonks!
Forza Horizon 5 Is Gaming’s Gateway Drug to Dystopia
Millions of players agree that Microsoft’s Forza Horizon 5 is a beautiful, fun, and endlessly seductive video game. It’s also an eerie transitional technology that hints at the dystopian metaverse to come.
The Opioid Crisis Hasn’t Gone Away. It’s Just Gone Underground.
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, which played a key role in creating America’s opioid crisis, has dissolved. But the crisis rages on, lives are still in danger, and the profits are still flowing — now to street dealers who manufacture synthetic drugs.
Mark Zuckerberg’s “Metaverse” Is a Dystopian Nightmare
The Facebook founder intends to usher in a new era of the internet where there’s no distinction between the virtual and the real — and no logging off.
Michael K. Williams Had a Future as a Serious Left Activist
Michael K. Williams wasn’t just one of the most talented actors in America. He was also in the middle of a political awakening, speaking out on a range of issues from police reform to fighting poverty.
The State of Illinois Is Killing My Family
Once the proud land of Lincoln, downstate Illinois — devastated by unemployment, deindustrialization, and an infamously corrupt political class — is quickly becoming a failed state.