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Confessions of a Fundamentalist

By Jeremy Derfner
Updated Friday, June 16, 2000, at 9:30 PM ET
Esquire

Esquire, July 2000

A cover package of true stories of men and disaster: Divers searching for treasure in the twisted wreckage of the Andrea Doria struggle to survive more than 200 feet below the ocean surface. A medical examiner, a reporter, and a father are ruined by their vicarious death experiences with Swissair Flight 111. In Worcester, Mass., two firefighters scour a mazelike burning warehouse for survivors. They never find their way out, and neither do four firefighters sent into the 3,000-degree blaze to find them. … An essay by a graduate of Bob Jones University describes the social isolation of her fundamentalist education and the wrenching guilt that deviating from its teachings has fostered.

New Republic

New Republic, June 26

The cover package analyzes the prospects for peace in the Middle East after Hafez Assad. One piece argues that hope in a younger generation of Arab leaders is misplaced. The young kings of Jordan and Morocco are weak and neglect relations with Israel to gain legitimacy. Another suggests that Israel should concede that peace is unlikely and focus on domestic issues and containing regional violence. (For Slate's take on the Arab brat pack, see David Plotz's "Assessment.") … An article says Reform Party leaders recruited Pat Buchanan to run for president because he could get the 5 percent of the vote needed to maintain federal funding in 2004, when they hoped to field a candidate more committed to their core beliefs. But Buchanan is hijacking the party and turning it into a bastion of social conservatism. … A piece describes a new breed of right-wing intellectuals who believe America suffers from a post-Cold War hubris that will lead to its eventual decline. A few of these declinists advise George W. Bush, and their isolationism could seep into Republican policy-making.

Economist

Economist, June 17

The cover story applauds the Korean summit but warns against undue optimism about permanent peace. There is no telling how sincere North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is or what his demands might be, and the two Koreas are culturally much more divided than the Germanys were. (For Anne Applebaum's take in Slate on the difficulties of reuniting the Koreas, click here.) … An article sees the arrest of Russian TV station owner Vladimir Gusinsky not as an attack on free speech but as an attack on the oligarchy. Vladimir Putin promised to wage war on the oligarchs, who thrive on the synergy of Russian money and politics, but it is unclear which ones he can and will target. … A piece explains the antitrust suits against Visa and MasterCard. Since the same bank can issue both cards but not American Express or Discover, the Department of Justice argues that Visa and MasterCard act like one company to stifle competition. But the government case looks weak, and it will make no difference to consumers no matter who wins.

New York Times Magazine

New York Times Magazine, June 18

The cover story takes a perilous journey across the Atlantic with 44 Haitian refugees bound for the United States via the Bahamas. A reporter and photographer crammed themselves into the hull of a rickety sailboat and recorded the stifling heat and seasickness, plus the strange blend of hope and despair shared by the refugees. The boat was picked up by the Coast Guard after only 18 hours, but it almost certainly would have crashed into a reef or sunk long before reaching its destination. … An article describes a recently diagnosed form of autism called Asperger's syndrome. Its sufferers, who can seem almost normal, have extremely high IQs but are so socially awkward that they have to be taught how to read facial expressions. … A profile of pollster Mark Penn, who surveys for Bill Gates and Bill and Hillary Clinton, argues that his obsession with giving the public what it wants has sucked the vision out of politics. Hillary should rely more on her gut and less on polling data.

Time

Time, June 19

Yet another "Visions 21" cover package predicting the technology of the future. Cars will drive people, robots will demand rights, digital ink will create paper books with e-book convenience. … A piece strategizes how Microsoft may be able to get its breakup overturned. Higher court judges appear more favorable to the company, Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson's vituperative rulings may indicate that he was not objective, and Judge Jackson refused to allow Microsoft testimony about remedies. … A piece praises Chicken Run, the new claymation comedy by Nick Park, the genius behind the Wallace and Gromit movies.

Newsweek

Newsweek, June 19

The cover story argues that Microsoft invited its breakup with its risky legal strategy. The "scorched-earth policy" that made the company so successful in business failed miserably at trial. Microsoft seemed uninterested in answering questions truthfully or negotiating in good faith. … A report examines the explosion in standardized-test cheating by teachers. High scores can mean big bonuses, while low scores spell trouble, so the system encourages a single-minded focus on scores instead of real learning. Some worry that score scandals will damage efforts to raise school standards. … A piece claims that far-left Ralph Nader and far-right Pat Buchanan are delivering the same message to the same audience. Both candidates are wooing union voters with horror stories about corporatization.

U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report, June 19

The cover story claims that a dramatic increase in learning disabilities could be attributable to environmental chemicals. Studies show that pesticides and mercury, which we encounter every day, may disrupt brain development. The Environmental Protection Agency promises to study the problem, but the strong chemical lobby blocked previous efforts. … A piece questions whether political fund raising is so corrupt. Most donors aren't looking for favors; they just have money to spare and want to feel important. … An article wonders how the Federal Reserve will finesse a "soft landing" for the economy. It has been unable to do so in the past, but there are signs that computers, deregulation, and globalization have increased the effectiveness of fiscal policy. Obstacle: Wall Street has so much confidence in Alan Greenspan that even rate hikes designed to slow the economy result in more investing.

The New Yorker

The New Yorker, June 19 and 26

The annual fiction issue. Stephen King describes being hit by a van last summer and his long and painful recovery. He began writing again a few months after the accident even though he could barely sit. … Salman Rushdie writes a diary of his first visit to India since The Satanic Verses was published in 1988. (Because of death threats, a posse of bodyguards accompanies him.) Despite the rise of a new globalized, entrepreneurial class, India's extreme poverty and corruption remain. He loves it anyway.

The Nation

The Nation, June 26

The cover essay by well-traveled journalist John Leonard lambastes the moral bankruptcy of modern media. Drawing on episodes from his career with the New York Times and CBS, Leonard claims that ego drives media big shots such as Ben Bradlee and Abe Rosenthal to compromise journalistic ethics and pushes working journalists to accept ethical compromises without protest. The one figure who emerges unscathed: Charles Kuralt. … An article applauds Attorney General Janet Reno. Democrats hate her for appointing so many special counsels, and Republicans hate her for not appointing more. In fact, Reno has been incredibly consistent, despite the extraordinary political venom directed against her.

Weekly Standard

Weekly Standard, June 19

The cover story takes a tour (with pictures) of an Al Gore-owned rental house in Tennessee. The tenants are poor, have troubled children, and are on disability, but their numerous complaints about broken plumbing and stripped linoleum went unanswered until they told their story to a local TV station. Gore has denied knowing that his house was in such bad shape, but the article suggests otherwise.

Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair, July 2000

An article tells the story of Chris Paciello, a New York mobster who became the toast of the Miami club scene. He played with Jennifer Lopez and Madonna until he was charged with felony murder and bank robbery. … A piece confirms the conventional wisdom about British Prime Minister Tony Blair. His honeymoon with the press is over, Tories think he's a closet socialist, and old Labor thinks he's a closet Tory, but the British people love his Clintonesque Third Way that seems to offer something for everyone. … An article celebrates the 100th anniversary of Yaddo, the artist and writer colony in upstate New York. Langston Hughes, Truman Capote, Aaron Copeland, and Flannery O'Connor did some of their best work there, but Yaddo is known as much for scandalous affairs (John Cheever and composer Ned Rorem) and bitter feuds (Carson McCullers and Katherine Anne Porter) as for its creative output.

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Jeremy Derfner is a former Slate editorial assistant.
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