by Shuja Haider

Shuja Haider is an editor at Popula and Viewpoint, who has also written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Republic, and The Believer.

Jan 1, 2018 1:44PM EST

The Editors @popula

The Ambien Diaries
The first thing I always notice, after the mild cottonmouth that serves as the universal announcement of a chemical taking effect on the body, is that I’m not alone.

How to Suck at Business Without Really Trying
I didn’t know the term then, but I had become a toiler on a content farm.

Song for My Father
Where words fail, there is music.

Canon Fodder
Where’s the country music on Pitchfork’s Best Albums of the 1980s?

A style of music played on the guitar that pretty much no one listens to except guitar players
So my agenda was to inspire myself to start playing again.

Ajooba, or That Emotion Which is Excited by Novelty
The Hindi film Ajooba is something like a cross between Robin Hood and Batman.

Somebody Had to Set a Bad Example
The return of the Pistol Annies calls attention to a troubling gender imbalance in the country music industry.

How I Invented a Cocktail
Eventually, someone threw up. It might have been me.

Sweet Leaf
Paan is a substance that occupies a space somewhere between a snack and a drug — a space left vacant in the West.

Eli Valley is Not Sorry
“When you’re in such a warped mindset, it’s natural you’re going to call a piece of Jewish art antisemitic.”

I Call it Just the Beginning
The DJ’s job is to ensure the music doesn’t stop, allowing listeners to get from Point A to Point B without having to stop dancing.

One Weird Trick to Get Red Wine Stains Out of Clothing That Doesn’t Actually Work
I spilled red wine on my pants. What happened next will shock you.

Life at the Village Vanguard
I knew what it sounded like to be in there before I ever had a chance to go there myself.

Good Mental Health
On Frasier, an argument over opera or wine can become as much a plot point as a farcical mistaken identity.

NYT Fact Check: David Brooks
You are in the business of forgetting, so in the end I have nothing much to offer you.

What Next

A Sack of Cash
- Harriet Anena
Published on Oct 18, 2018 1:00PM EDT
Lindsay’s Dream Diary
- Ali Solomon
Published on Jul 13, 2020 9:00AM EDT
Nazis and the layers of shame
- Danuta Hinc
Published on Feb 6, 2019 2:30PM EST
Sailor Moon Made A Woman Out Of You
- Rose Fiala
Published on Aug 2, 2018 2:28PM EDT
Perp Walk
- Oliver Corlett
Published on Nov 2, 2020 8:00AM EST
Hell’s Kitchens
- M.L. Schepps
Published on Nov 18, 2019 10:00AM EST
Smoke and Mirrors
- Jack Sheehan
Published on Feb 26, 2019 3:15PM EST
Smoke Break
- Emmet Martin Penney
Published on Apr 9, 2019 4:00PM EDT
Don’t Be a Nazi!! They are GIANT Failures who Died Horribly Last Time
- Maria Bustillos
Published on Feb 4, 2019 4:00PM EST
New Tricks
- Trevor Alixopulos
Published on Feb 7, 2019 12:00PM EST

Comments on by Shuja Haider

Want to leave a comment? Commenting is available to Popula subscribers only. Subscribe Now for unlimited access to Popula—and join our conversations—starting at just $4/month.

Each comment or response costs a tiny ETH fee of 4.0E-5 (about 5¢ in Ethereum cryptocurrency), payable from your Metamask.io wallet (the wallet is free, and takes just a moment to add to your browser). This system helps protect Popula conversations from trolls, fakers, Cambridges Analytica and other malign influences.

If you haven’t got any ETH yet and you’re a Popula subscriber, please write to hey@popula.com with your subscriber email address and MetaMask wallet address, and we’ll send you a little bit to get started! It’s pretty easy and a lot of fun to use, Yay.

If you’d like to learn more about cryptocurrency, Ethereum, and how Popula is using these new technologies to help protect speech rights and the free press, please visit our FAQ page.

I’m ready to subscribe to Popula! or Log In

I’m already a subscriber and logged in! OMG, try again please.

Hmm, you don’t seem to be subscribed or logged in. Click the ‘Subscribe Now or Log In’ button.

Hmmm, something’s up.

We’re having trouble checking your subscriber status. Try refreshing the page.

Click here to refresh the page!

Want to leave a comment?

Welcome! To leave a comment, you’ll need to log in, and also have your MetaMask wallet ready with some ETH cryptocurrency available.

It’s easy! Just visit metamask.io to install an in-browser MetaMask wallet. If you’re a new subscriber, write to hey@popula.com for $2 in free ETH crypto!

Click to continue to login

I’m already logged in. Check again!

Hmm, you’re still not logged in. Click the ‘Log In’ button.

Want to leave a comment?

Thank you for being a Popula subscriber! As a subscriber, you may leave comments, but you have to be logged in as commenter here first. This is an additional login—the login for your commenting privileges—and you’ll stay logged in after you log in the first time.

I’m already registered and logged in. Check again!

Hmm, you’re still not registered here. Click the ‘Register Me’ button.

Yay, you’ve been registered!

We’ve sent an email to your registered address at … with your commenting details. Please follow the directions in the email to open your commenting privileges and then come back here to leave your first comment!

OK, I logged in. Load the comments!

Hmm, you’re still not logged in. Click the ‘Log In’ button.

You’re already registered.

Thanks for registering! Please log in and you can get started commenting.

I’m already logged in. Check again!

Hmm, you’re still not logged in. Click the ‘Log In’ button.

Looks like you’re on the test network!

You need to connect to the Main Ethereum Network before you can leave a comment. Click on your MetaMask icon so the window pops up, then select ‘Main Ethereum Network’ from the network-chooser dropdown at the top.

Waiting for connection to main network…

You need to activate MetaMask to leave a comment!

You’re logged in and ready to leave comments! All you need is a MetaMask wallet and a little ETH cryptocurrency, just like with our microtipping system.

If you know what MetaMask is and have it installed, activate MetaMask and refresh:

Checking your commenting status…

Registering your account…

Jack Pendarvis’s Moby-Dick

Jack Pendarvis

Who’s not a cannibal?

Jan 22, 2021 7:00AM EST

The Fascists Afterwards

Nathan Munn

the dark past transcended in a Canadian suburb

Jan 20, 2021 7:00AM EST

Christmas in Niamey

Chisom Okwara

a nostalgic celebration in warm harmattan winds

Jan 17, 2021 8:00AM EST

OK, let’s activate MetaMask!

Hmm, looks like you don’t have MetaMask activated!

If that doesn’t make sense to you, click here:

Please grant us access

The MetaMask window will pop up and ask if you want Popula to have access to your MetaMask. Click the ‘CONFIRM’ button.

Don’t see the MetaMask window? It might have popped up behind this window… Take a look and see if it’s hiding somewhere!

Still can’t find the MetaMask window? Click here to try again:

If you don’t see the MetaMask plugin popup, you may need to click the MetaMask icon in your browser toolbar (looks like this: ) and enter your password to unlock MetaMask.

Waiting for access to be granted…

Your MetaMask may be out of date

You have an old version of the MetaMask extension installed. Before we can continue, you must install the latest version.

Here’s how:

Uninstall (don’t just disable) the existing extension from your browser.
Restart your browser.
Go to metamask.io and re-install the extension.
Come back here and try again!

We know this step is inconvenient, but it’s necessary to make sure this all goes smoothly!

Oops, we need access!

Your MetaMask extension is running, but for privacy purposes you have to allow us to connect to your MetaMask wallet.

You can’t tip yourself…

You can’t conduct a transaction where the source and destination wallet are the same. Sorry! Maybe you need to switch wallets in MetaMask first?

You need to connect to the Main Net before you can continue. Click on your MetaMask icon so the window pops up, then select ‘Main Ethereum Network’ from the dropdown.

Confirm your transaction!

Your MetaMask window will pop up in a few seconds, and you need to confirm the transaction in order for your payment to go through.

Hit that ‘CONFIRM’ button to make it happen!

Hmm, that comment couldn’t be posted.

Your comment was rejected! Here’s what the computer had to say:

You can try again if you want:

Want to fix that comment?

Maybe you’re not quite comfortable with this yet?

Decided not to comment?

Did you reject the transaction by accident? Click here:

Want to edit your comment first?

Hmm, something went wrong.

That transaction didn’t go through for some reason.

Try clicking on the MetaMask button in your browser bar (looks like this: ) and see if you have any transactions listed at the bottom of the popup. If you don’t see one for the comment you just tried to post, then try again:

Or just want to ask us about it? We’ll look into it personally for you.

COMMENT POSTED!

Comment posted successfully! Refresh the page to see the comment you just made. You’ll also receive an email notification of your transaction.

To see your transaction logged in MetaMask, click the MetaMask button in your browser toolbar—this one: —and your transaction will be listed in the popup.

You can also track the transaction on the Etherscan website. It usually takes under a minute to process, and you’ll get a notification from MetaMask when it’s done.

Track on Etherscan

If you have any questions at all, please let us know!

Ready to Tip!

How much do you want to tip?

You can adjust either amount to see how much ETH or USD you’ll be sending.

You can adjust the tip amount in the MetaMask popup window before confirming the transaction.

Participation in the Popula comment tipping system is optional.

Decided not to tip?

Did you reject the transaction by accident? Want to adjust your tip amount? Click here:

Try clicking on the MetaMask button in your browser bar (looks like this: ) and see if you have any transactions listed at the bottom of the popup. If you don’t see the tip you just tried to leave, then try again:

TIP SENT!

Your comment tip has been processed! Thank you so much. The comment author will appreciate it a lot, and so do all of us at Popula.

Want a receipt? (We won’t store your email address.)

Set your wallet address for tips

In order to receive tips on your comments, you must have a wallet address saved. Enter your wallet address below and click ‘Save.’

Or, you can:

If don’t want to accept tips, clear the address and hit ‘Save.’

We’ve automatically filled in the wallet address that you’re currently using in MetaMask. If you just have that one wallet, leave it as is and click ‘Save.’

That wallet address is invalid. It should start with 0x and be 42 characters long.

Hmm, we couldn’t save your wallet address. Try pressing the ‘Save’ button again.

Yay, your wallet address has been saved! You can now accept tips. Close this popup to continue commenting.

You have entered no wallet address, so you cannot accept tips. Close this popup if you're OK with that. Enter a wallet address if you want to accept tips.

Questions? Problems?

We know this cryptocurrency stuff is new and weird. We’re here to help you understand. Ask us anything!

hey@popula.com

Help: What is ETH?

ETH is Ether, a popular cryptocurrency generated on the Ethereum blockchain.

You’ll need some Ethereum cryptocurrency (ETH) in a MetaMask wallet in order to continue. Currently it’s not possible to use other cryptocurrencies, or in dollars or other fiat currencies.

For a comprehensive FAQ to help get you started, please visit our FAQ page.