Source: Washington Post
by Megan McArdle
“Nostalgia used to be something produced and consumed on an artisanal scale. You could rifle through the attic and stare at glassy-eyed daguerreotypes, or huddle around the fire on a winter evening and let grandpa tell you ‘bout the fine, hardworking folks he fought with at the Second Battle of Bull Run. … Today nostalgia is mass-produced, and I fear it is getting out of hand. I follow five Facebook pages devoted to mid-century kitsch, a few more dedicated to vintage appliances and influencers who specialize in old recipes or costumes. I heartily urge this pleasant pastime upon all my readers. But I also urge you to remember that these delightful snapshots of history are not the whole thing. The inability to put history into perspective is not just deforming our perception of the past; it is deforming our politics.” (11/02/25)