E pluribus a-hole

One-third of the country is devoted to dickishness as a principle

A frequently-observed symptom of old age is a dwindling of interest in and patience for what we might politely call subtleties.

This doesn’t go for everything, mind; here in my own dotage, I’m more attuned than once I was to the more delicate shadings in, for example, a piece of music, or the psychology of a character, or the flavors in a sauce.

No, I’m …