Stop Pretending Nothing Happens in August

The Month of Beach Vacations Is Also When World War I Broke Out, Iraq Invaded Kuwait, and the U.S. Bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki

A person lies face down on a red towel at a beach, face hidden, with a hat covering the back of their head.

Zócalo’s editors are highlighting some of our favorite pieces from the archive. This week: Former Zócalo editorial director Andrés Martinez muses on the mischief and melancholic nature of August, reminding us that the month is anything but peaceful.

The headlines these days all seem to demand exclamation marks. Iraq is teetering on the brink! Russian troops are massing on the Ukrainian border! Gaza lies in ruins! World’s worst Ebola epidemic afflicts Africa!

Oh, and it is also National Goat Cheese Month. Welcome to another quiet and peaceful August.

Yeah, …

by Andrés Martinez | August 18, 2014

Has FC Barcelona Ruined Its Brand?

A Soccer Team That Was Supposed to Be About More Than Winning Betrayed Itself by Signing Biter Luis Suárez

by Andrés Martinez | July 28, 2014

Et tu, Barcelona?

I’ve rooted for you—the Spanish soccer team FC Barcelona, one of the most successful sports franchises in the world, founded in 1899—since I was a kid. And for …

Show Your Airline Some Love

Recent Megamergers and International Alliances Have Made Flying Cheaper, More Efficient, and Better Than Ever Before

by Andrés Martinez | July 14, 2014

Flying to Arizona on the eve of the recent holiday was a delight: crammed terminals, crammed security lines, crammed overheads, crammed runways, and harried airline employees imploring passengers to consider …

Can the World Cup End U.S. Cultural Hegemony?

Soccer Remains One of the Few Non-American Narratives That Bind the World Together

by Andrés Martinez | June 16, 2014

When I was 17 I spent the summer in France on an exchange program, living with a family in an idyllic town in Normandy, parlando the language of Napoleon and …

Why Do We Love Being Frequent Flyers, Buyers, Shoppers, and Eaters?

In Exchange for Our Data, Customer Loyalty Programs Give Us Discounts—and a Sense of Intimacy

by Andrés Martinez | June 2, 2014

I am having a hard time being loyal to all my loyalty programs. I have frequent flyer/buyer/rider/sleeper/eater/drinker cards with two airlines, three hotel chains, a grocery store, two booksellers, one …

Is Singapore the Perfect Country for Our Times?

The Island Nation Has Mastered the Art of Profiting Off Globalization—Even At the Cost of Authenticity and a Sense of Place

by Andrés Martinez | May 19, 2014

You land at Changi Airport after flying for what seems a lifetime, and you’re naturally disoriented, even before you hit the customs booths that feature bowls of mints, dire warnings …

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