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1. In the last issue, New York’s team of political commentators took on the full slate of presidential candidates — and even one wishful-thinking independent — fueling a lively discussion among readers. Responding to Jonathan Chait’s story on conservatives who loathe the possibility of a Trump presidency (“Why, Exactly, Is Trump Driving Conservatives So Crazy?,” March 7–20), andrey.kolmogorov wondered if Republicans will learn any hard truths from Trump’s popularity. “The denial is pretty deep at the moment. Most conservative ‘thinkers’ seem genuinely surprised that their rhetoric and tactics would have anything to do with the creation of a Trump candidate. Until they confess their sins on that count, their party is either doomed to lose or doomed to become an even uglier monster.” Gabriel Sherman’s report on why Michael Bloomberg strongly considered, and ultimately decided against, running (“And Might America Have Confused Its New York Billionaire Saviors?,” March 7–20) prompted DaveT to argue that “The political market for a candidate with Bloomberg’s profile is consistently overestimated … The reason for that is pretty simple. Bloomberg lines up well with the policy outlook and social norms of a lot of the big donor class, think tank scholars, professional pundits, and political media who disproportionately live in New York and D.C.” And to Rebecca Traister’s analysis of Hillary’s odds of winning (“Could Hillary Clinton Ever Have Imagined This?,” March 7–20), commenter DCSpence wrote that Traister underestimated Hillary’s good fortune. “Clinton’s opponents on her path to the White House will be a 74-year-old self-described ‘socialist’ and Donald Trump. In other words, she’s the luckiest major party candidate in modern American history.”
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2. Robert Moor’s profile of Dr. Sandra Lee, a dermatologist who has gained a massive online following thanks to the pimple-popping videos she posts on YouTube, may have brought Lee many new followers (“Pop!,” March 7–20). “I’m so sorry I saw this article,” wrote LCNYC. “I could spend all day on her channel.” “I am typically a very squeamish person, also I find internet videos tedious,” added Aeolis, “but I felt such inexplicable pleasure. I shall now commence at least an hour of watching her handiwork.” “I just like … I’m just so happy,” tweeted Sadie Dupuis. “If you think this is good,” wrote Leah3t, “check out the earwax removal videos on YouTube.” Commenters described — some quite poetically — their own experiences popping pimples. “My boyfriend had a black spot on his back with a subcutaneous lump. I thought it was an ingrown hair and offered to pull the hair. It was only when I went in, I realized it was the biggest blackhead I had ever seen. A pearl of waxy dead skin and oil came out. It was SO satisfying to pull out.” The Toast’s Nicole Cliffe took the opportunity to confess her niche popping interest, prompting others to follow suit. “I am one of the weirdos who loves watching these videos,” she tweeted. “I prefer ingrown hair ones to blackheads.” She added: “I feel almost snobbish about it! ‘I’m an ingrown hair person, myself.’ ” “me too,” responded @JuliaHass. “I love it all. Scabs, pimples, ingrown hairs, earwax …” “I actually had to look up one of my faves before I could fall asleep the other night,” wrote @annaqque. And at least one person found the pimple popping less disgusting than our democratic process: “The GOP debate is grossing me out,” tweeted Salon’s Elias Isquith. “So I’m going to read this instead.”
3. “A teenager sent her depressed boyfriend hundreds of messages encouraging him to commit suicide,” wrote Marin Cogan in her recent story (“Death by Text,” March 7–20). “Does that make her his killer?” Most readers felt that the question could not be answered simply. “I’ve been this girl (but I was 28),” tweeted @amylorrainelong. “Seems unfair to make her a black widow. She was in a rough position & so young.” Commenter PatrickR agreed, adding: “One factor is surely that both of them were adolescents, and teens are unable to bring full adult judgment to bear upon evaluating the long-term consequences of their actions. Second, if she was depressed herself she may have ultimately felt that she was doing him a ‘favor’ by helping him to leave a life that both he and she did not think worth living.” “It’s wrong but not illegal,” wrote MC0325, though taylor.g disagreed. “The fact that he was in the car on his way out of this world and she coerced him into getting back in is reason enough to convict her … She deserves a punishment but sadly I foresee her walking off with a slap on the wrist.” Commenter yuck3000 wondered if they “should test her for psychopathy. It’s a term that gets thrown around a lot … but darn if she doesn’t exhibit some of the classic signs (outwardly charming, manipulating vulnerable people, parasitic, lack of empathy). And yes, I am literally in an armchair as I type this.” Commenter suntzu felt that technology might shoulder some of the blame: “As a result of the almost obsessive reliance on the cell phone for communication, a lot of young people are becoming desensitized to real emotional connections. So all the feelings that need an outlet become channeled into texting relationships, and kids may forget that at the other end of the connection is a real human being with feelings, thoughts, and problems.”