Today's Opinions: Spotify Wrapped tells us: It’s okay to make yourself the center of attention

Every time I think the inflation discourse can't get dumber, I'm proven wrong; The unnecessary deaths in Oxford remind us: School shootings cannot be the price of 'freedom'; Our surreal fight to get Kevin Strickland released; Why does Congress only act at the last minute?; How the presidents look to the CIA officers who brief them ; The death of 'Roe' will raise the stakes in three races you aren't focused on; In case you missed the abortion argument, here's about how it went; On abortion, the Supreme Court is set to overturn decades of wrongs; What can we expect from the Supreme Court on abortion? Ruth Marcus and Henry Olsen answered.; Chris Cuomo risked his career to help his brother. Was anybody listening?; Is Kevin McCarthy really suited to be speaker?; A son of Anacostia is up for the Baseball Hall of Fame; What restricting abortion is really all about; The Grand Old Contradiction; Donald Trump: Superspreader in chief ; Biden is hiking lumber tariffs at the wrong time; For the sake of global stability, the U.S. must deter a Russian invasion of Ukraine ; Congress needs to act on Xi Jinping's genocide now; Rich countries have failed the rest of the world on vaccinations. Omicron is the result.; In ditching monarchy, Barbados proves a role model for the world; Canada's current travel bans are a discriminatory mistake ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sign up for this newsletter Read online Your morning dose of Post commentary and guest opinions.       By Drew Goins Assistant editor  Email Allow me to introduce you to John Paul Brammer. He's just joined The Post as a contributing columnist, but you may already know (and love!) his work from his time as a guest writer and illustrator. Around the one-year mark of the pandemic, he reflected on what anniversaries mean, how we mark time and why Sarah Palin rapping "Baby Got Back" will always signal the start of the coronavirus for him. His illustrated essay on reconnecting with his Mexican heritage during Día de Muertos is gorgeous, and his piece about gender reveals is a blast. Now, in his official debut, he breaks down the biggest festivity of the holiday season: the release of Spotify Wrapped. Each year, it seems everyone races to post what the streaming service reveals as their most-listened-to music. But who really wants to see all that? "It is a Dionysian feast of vanity, a day when people drop the masks and admit that no one asked and no one cares, but they want to share their top songs of the year anyway," Brammer writes. Really, all our Internet participation falls into this bucket of self-indulgence, he says, so it's particularly nice to have this one jubilee that recognizes that. I hope you enjoy, and find a friend in J.P.  ADVERTISEMENT   (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg) Spotify Wrapped tells us: It's okay to make yourself the center of attention It is a Dionysian feast of vanity, a day when people drop the masks and admit that no one asked and no one cares. By John Paul Brammer ●  Read more »   Every time I think the inflation discourse can't get dumber, I'm proven wrong Partisan factions have concocted such unreasonable theories they're basically inflation fan fiction. By Catherine Rampell ●  Read more »   The unnecessary deaths in Oxford remind us: School shootings cannot be the price of 'freedom' It seems no atrocity will be enough for our elected officials to pass laws that actually keep guns and ammunition out of the hands of would-be school shooters. By Eugene Robinson ●  Read more »   Our surreal fight to get Kevin Strickland released I never realized until the Strickland case how difficult it would be to try to free an innocent man. By Jean Peters Baker ●  Read more »   Why does Congress only act at the last minute? The people running our country should do better. By Donna F. Edwards ●  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   How the presidents look to the CIA officers who brief them A revealing agency study contains some zingers about how our leaders behave within veil of secrecy By David Ignatius ●  Read more »   The death of 'Roe' will raise the stakes in three races you aren't focused on In gerrymandered states, Democratic governors could become the last line of defense on abortion. By Greg Sargent and Paul Waldman ●  Read more »   In case you missed the abortion argument, here's about how it went Stare decisis is for losers! By Alexandra Petri ●  Read more »   On abortion, the Supreme Court is set to overturn decades of wrongs The liberal justices did not make any substantive arguments to defend "Roe v. Wade" as rightly decided. By Marc A. Thiessen ●  Read more »   What can we expect from the Supreme Court on abortion? Ruth Marcus and Henry Olsen answered. Read a transcript of the Reader Q&A. Read more »   Chris Cuomo risked his career to help his brother. Was anybody listening? The CNN host crossed ethical lines and drew a suspension from his employer. And for what? By Erik Wemple ●  Read more »   Is Kevin McCarthy really suited to be speaker? McCarthy has yet to demonstrate the aptitude to take on this role. By Henry Olsen ●  Read more »   A son of Anacostia is up for the Baseball Hall of Fame Maury Wills's base-stealing prowess was and is legendary. Plainly spoken, no one stole bases like Wills, not even Ty Cobb. By Gregory Orfalea ●  Read more »     Editorial Cartoons What restricting abortion is really all about The Supreme Court heard arguments about the Mississippi abortion law, a potential precursor to overturning Roe v, Wade. By Ann Telnaes ●  Read more »   The Grand Old Contradiction By Michael de Adder ●  Read more »   Get breaking news alerts, offline reading lists and more. Download the app     The Post's View (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images) Donald Trump: Superspreader in chief Trump kept secret his positive covid test in 2020. He endangered others. By the Editorial Board ●  Read more »   Biden is hiking lumber tariffs at the wrong time If the president wants to fight rising inflation, reducing lumber tariffs on Canada would be a good place to start. By the Editorial Board ●  Read more »   For the sake of global stability, the U.S. must deter a Russian invasion of Ukraine An all-out Russian military invasion of next-door Ukraine could destabilize all of Europe and potentially draw in Ukraine's neighbors. By the Editorial Board ●  Read more »     Global Opinions (Al Drago/Bloomberg) Congress needs to act on Xi Jinping's genocide now Economic reasons at home are no reason to slow passage of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. By Josh Rogin ●  Read more »   Rich countries have failed the rest of the world on vaccinations. Omicron is the result. Nationalistic policies toward the pandemic are now revealing their costs By Fareed Zakaria ●  Read more »   In ditching monarchy, Barbados proves a role model for the world The seamless nature of Barbados's constitutional change is a reminder that monarchs are hardly irreplaceable in the modern age. By J.J. McCullough ●  Read more »   Canada's current travel bans are a discriminatory mistake We already know that travel bans are more political theatre than sound, evidence-based practice. By David Moscrop ●  Read more »     Try our new daily mini meta crossword It's a week-long adventure that connects a daily 5x5 mini puzzle with a special reveal on Saturdays. Play game   We think you'll like this newsletter Check out Follow Sergio Peçanha for email alerts every time Sergio publishes a new opinion column. Sign up »

Manage my email newsletters and alerts | Unsubscribe from Opinions A.M. | Privacy Policy | Help You received this email because you signed up for Opinions A.M. or because it is included in your subscription. ©2021 The Washington Post | 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071