What 7th Graders Taught Me About Prayer

What 7th Graders Taught Me About Prayer

“Mr. Braithwaite, today I want to pray for my mom because she took my phone last night and I was really bored and I pray that she gives me my phone back tonight.” A quick follow-up: “I also want to pray that she gets her phone back because I tried to call her ten...
Poverty in Film: Hillbilly Elegy vs. Parasite

Poverty in Film: Hillbilly Elegy vs. Parasite

This article contains some spoilers for Parasite (2019) and Hillbilly Elegy (2020) Netflix’s recent drama Hillbilly Elegy has gotten a lot of flack for its portrayal of poverty in rural America: critics have called it “exploitative”, “condescending”, “terrible”, and...
This Advent I’m Thinking About Death

This Advent I’m Thinking About Death

A few months ago, a friend introduced me to WeCroak. It’s an app for my phone, and it’s premise is simple. According to its ‘about’ page: “In Bhutan they say that contemplating death five times daily brings happiness.” So five times a day, with no discernible...