Maggie's Farm

He uses vivid, funny images to great effect. That extended riff on the Orange Viking who carries off all the livestock, and the Republican brahmins as the resentful, repressed Episcopalian Christmas dinner after a few martinis ("You never loved me!") is priceless.

I also love that his wife had an Ayn-Randish moment in which she realized it is not her duty as a good person to immolate herself and teach her kids to pour the gasoline and light the match. If someone hates you, yes, you might do well to consider how you've offended him, but you also might do well to consider whether he's a safe or valuable friend as opposed to someone you need to call the cops to you help you with. If he needs you to stop existing in order to make the world bearable, do you consent? Carlson points out that gay parents wouldn't pay exorbitant tuition to have professors tell their kids their parents were evil for being gay.