Mike Pilewski writes about life, politics and culture in the United States
It was my first camping trip as a Boy Scout, and already my life was in danger. For some reason, our scoutmaster had arranged for us to go camping — in tents — in the middle of winter. Our survival skills would be put to the test, and the discomfort we’d endure would, as they say, “build character”. We inspected … >>
Few things are certain in this world, but there’s one prediction I can make: When the Mayan apocalypse comes and goes this weekend, life will continue as it always has. Unfortunately for the United States, this means that mall shoppers, moviegoers and schoolchildren will be gunned down on a regular basis. It sounds cruel and cynical of me to say … >>
What if your teacher did not come to school? In Chicago, 350,000 students at public schools don’t have to ask this question, because it is reality for them: 26,000 teachers across the city are on strike. For the teachers and their employer, the city, this is purely a labor dispute. But to onlookers, it raises more general questions about the … >>
As children in America, we learned an English nursery rhyme that begins: “There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. She had so many children she didn’t know what to do.” This description is unfortunately a lot more current than it sounds. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, 44 percent of American children live in … >>
I have mixed feelings about this. The stated purpose of this column is to explain what America is really like, not to dwell on its extreme aspects. For example, I try to convince you that most Americans do not walk around carrying guns. But then something like this happens: once again, some deranged kid has brought a gun to school … >>
One of the most famous men in Pennsylvania died on Sunday. Joe Paterno, 85, had been the head coach of the Pennsylvania State University football team for the last 46 years. He was one of the most successful college football coaches ever. To sports fans, he was like one of the gods on Mount Olympus. There is even a statue … >>
My time in Catholic grade school was pretty uneventful. It was a small school, so all the students knew each other — and the teachers, half of whom were nuns, knew all of us. There were no drugs or bullies. There were a couple of kids who tried to bend the rules from time to time, but it was all … >>
My eight-year-old cousin Trevor wrote to me recently from Pleasant Gap, Pennsylvania, to ask for my help with a school project. Dear Michael, We are working on a Flat Stanley project. Stanley is a character in our book, Flat Stanley. He was flattened when a big bulletin board fell on him while he was in bed sleeping. In the book, … >>
Every little girl wants to be a princess — and my five-year-old niece is no exception. If she had her way (which she often does), she’d wear a fancy dress and a tiara every day. It goes without saying that she’d always be the center of attention. There’s something deep in the female psyche that responds to fairy tales — … >>
Eight years ago this Sunday, the child in us died, and we were all forced to grow up a little bit. That child was Fred Rogers — psychologist, musician, minister, TV star. For 33 years, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was the show that everyone in America watched when they were little. Rogers understood children like nobody else. He talked directly to … >>