Unbalanced Lines

Bullshit is the hallmark of the present age. Consider: fake news; alternative facts; gaslighting; trolldom; corporate journalism; social engineering. It is impossible to engage with the news, log in to social media, or function as a person in the world without wading in some degree of bullshit. By calling bullshit what it is we assert, in a small way, that there is still an objectively knowable reality.

This is where I grew up and, by turns, bought a house and started a family. Living here is occasionally bizarre  and maddening , but there are also moments of joy , lovable local institutions , a respectable food scene , and groups of people advancing the civic good simply by tending their respective gardens . It's a lot like anywhere else in that respect.  I genuinely believe all of that. A friend (who I had a hand in convincing to move here) asked me whether and how the feeling in Baltimore now compares to the Bad Old Days of the mid-90s. I don't have a single answer to this question, so I've fired up a blog again to try. A few points for context: I grew up in the city's most privileged neighborhood. The neighborhood where I grew up, and where my parents still live, literally invented the restrictive housing covenant . It is within the boundaries of Baltimore City but is better thought of as an internal upper-class suburb. The neighborhood where I n