money | The Smart Set

Catch My Grift

Jon Skolnik — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 12:30:17 +0000

This piece originally appeared on BuzzFlash. The art of the con in the marketplace of ideas Remember John Stossel, that slender mustachioed man whose shrill and facetious voice you were forced to endure lecturing you in your 9th-grade economics class about why sweatshop labor is a force for good? Yes, that’s the one. The guy […]

The post Catch My Grift first appeared on The Smart Set.

Venmo Stalking My Ex

Jackie Kenny — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 11:30:58 +0000

I’m not a social media person. I get addicted to fantasies of my own concoction too easily and so I’ve tried my best to avoid TikTok. I’ve never had Instagram. Or Twitter. I barely touch Facebook and when I do, all I see are political ads and my great aunt’s xenophobic posts. But, I do have Venmo. This story starts […]

The post Venmo Stalking My Ex first appeared on The Smart Set.

When Gekko Collects Art

Stoyan V. Sgourev — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 11:30:03 +0000

Art is remarkably popular these days. When I tell people that I am an academic working on the art market I often get an approving nod of the head that almost makes me feel like I am doing something meaningful with my life. But one also starts suspecting that the art market may be becoming […]

The post When Gekko Collects Art first appeared on The Smart Set.

Slacker’s Labor Day

Mike Miley — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:30:19 +0000

And so the torch has been passed to a new generation, or so the story goes. This year, the last of the millennials and the first of Generation Z (or post-millennials or iGen or whatever name the culture decides on) are entering the workforce, and analysts, commentators, and critics are using this transition to reflect […]

The post Slacker’s Labor Day first appeared on The Smart Set.

The Mirror has Two Gazes

Sana Vora — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 12:30:03 +0000

Carrie Rickey is a feminist art and film critic, raised in Los Angeles before attending the University of California, San Diego. Rickey’s work history spans from writing art criticism for Artforum and Art in America, to being a columnist for the now-defunct Mademoiselle. She often contributes to publications including The Philadelphia Inquirer, The New York Times, […]

The post The Mirror has Two Gazes first appeared on The Smart Set.

The Crystal Bowl

Emily-Jane Hills Orford — Mon, 14 May 2018 11:49:33 +0000

The star shape cuts into the circular handle that tops the lid of my candy dish. The star is echoed as it expands into the many cut diamonds which multiply as they eclipse over the round shape of the lid. The pattern starts again where the lid meets the bowl, continuing on and on all […]

The post The Crystal Bowl first appeared on The Smart Set.

Cashed Out in Buenos Aires

T. K. Mills — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 14:59:14 +0000

In Argentina, cash is king. An enlightened despot when your pockets are full, and a wrathful monarch when you’re insolvent. Amid a frantic departure from Buenos Aires, I learned this lesson the hard way. I was in Argentina to visit my girlfriend. We met in Brooklyn, where she’d moved for a job. She worked as […]

The post Cashed Out in Buenos Aires first appeared on The Smart Set.

The Danger in Devotion

Kesia Alexandra — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 11:30:53 +0000

A few months back, a story broke about R&B singer R. Kelly’s alleged cult. There was, of course, an immediate divide between those who supported the singer and those who believed his career should have ended decades ago due to similar accusations. The situation reminded many of Taz’s Angels, an alleged escort service/prostitution group out […]

The post The Danger in Devotion first appeared on The Smart Set.

Jasmine and the Good Life

Alexander Craghead — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 12:30:58 +0000

In late January in California, in the East Bay, the fences along the streets that I walk are sporadically punctuated with blooming jasmine. The scent is sweet but not heady: a spring scent, reminding me of forsythia, or of the mock-oranges — Philadelphus lewisii, discovered by (and named for) the voyageur Meriwether Lewis in some […]

The post Jasmine and the Good Life first appeared on The Smart Set.

Imagining A Way Out

Abigail Fradkin — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 12:30:22 +0000

Boubacar drives nights for Uber. Often, impatient customers scream at him and then leave trash behind as he ferries them between their office jobs in glassy towers and warmly-lit SoHo restaurants. They rarely tip. By day, he delivers food for a popular salad and sandwich chain, weaving his bike through Midtown traffic and making minimum […]

The post Imagining A Way Out first appeared on The Smart Set.