Althouse: "I just love to love. If I cut somebody’s hair, they’re feeling good. They’re loving it. If I give somebody some braids or a toupee..."

February 15, 2026

"I just love to love. If I cut somebody’s hair, they’re feeling good. They’re loving it. If I give somebody some braids or a toupee..."

"... they are loving it. So I thought, that’s a good way to spread love. I’ve been cutting hair for a few years. It’s hard work."

Said "Jaden Carter, 17, reading the Bible in Takoma Park, Maryland, on the campus of Montgomery College," quoted in "'What are you reading?' I asked. Here’s what six strangers told me. Even in the cold, book readers were out in force around town — on trains, waiting for the Metro, at the gym and walking down the street" (WaPo)(gift link).

23 comments:

Political Junkie said...: There are black kids on campus reading the Bible for joy and love. I speculate there are many fewer white leftists on campus reading Bibles for joy and love.; 2/15/26, 10:15 AM
Jaq said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/15/26, 10:35 AM
Kevin said...: "I think you're beautiful and I feel really warm when I am around you and my tongue swells up." — Buddy; 2/15/26, 10:57 AM
Ficta said...: I assumed, apart from the Bible, that none of these people would be reading anything I'd heard of or be interested in, but no! Jason Pargin (formerly known as David Wong, wrote John Dies at the End) is fun! I've got to get back to reading him. I have at least one of his sitting on my ebook stack.; 2/15/26, 11:22 AM
mccullough said...: Jason Pargin’s Instagram page is interesting.; 2/15/26, 12:14 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: Looks like a good cross-section of the DC Demographic. We got a Jewish Girl (I got it as a Hunnuakah present. Not "Holiday"), 2 black people, an old white guy, an investment banker, and a college student.; 2/15/26, 12:29 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: Astrophyics was a hot topic when i was in college in the early to mid 80s. It was partly a hangover from the moon landing and Star trek, and partly due to the space shuttle. i took a class in it, (we had to take three science electives), and i liked it, but can't remember a damn thing from it. Well maybe that space is really really huge. And that mars is the closest planet.; 2/15/26, 12:33 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: I'm sure they asked more than six people, and these are the six they decided to report on. Gotta have diversity, but the right amount.; 2/15/26, 12:35 PM
Biff said...: RCOCEAN II said..."I'm sure they asked more than six people, and these are the six they decided to report on. Gotta have diversity, but the right amount."

I'm sure you are correct about that.

Speaking of "the right amount" of diversity, one of the NYC news stations was on the telly yesterday, doing a human interest story about people getting married or renewing vows in Times Square on Valentine's Day. The first couple they showed were gay males, and then a straight couple. I asked out loud, "Where are the lesbians?" Sure enough, the next couple profiled was a lesbian couple. To round things out, the piece concluded with another gay male couple. Four marriages, but only one straight. Even for NYC, that's nowhere near representative.; 2/15/26, 12:44 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: "Four marriages, but only one straight. Even for NYC, that's nowhere near representative."

LOL. Sounds like Provincetown RI. Yeah, they always need to closing. Watching the TV series "Baskets" and the producers always make sure at least one POC is in every shot. The Top 3 characters are white, so every supporting character has to Black or Asian. Weirdly, despite being set in California, there are very few Hispanics. The 60 y/o mother is played by a Gay Comedian. He does a good job.; 2/15/26, 12:53 PM
Marcus Bressler said...: 1. Sex 2. Dogs 3. Reading a book.; 2/15/26, 1:12 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: AI: “Grooming as a Sign of Joy (Ecclesiastes 9:8): Amidst a discussion on the fleeting nature of life, the text advises, "Let your garments be always white; let not oil be lacking on your head". In the ancient Near East, anointing the head with oil was a common practice for grooming and a symbol of celebration and gladness. Modern versions like the Contemporary English Version translate this more directly as "Dress up, comb your hair, and look your best".”; 2/15/26, 2:41 PM
Smilin' Jack said...: I wonder if they’re reading book books or e-books on their phones. But I don’t wonder hard enough to join WaPo’s spam list to find out.; 2/15/26, 2:52 PM
Jaq said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/15/26, 3:47 PM
Jaq said...: I give up, honestly, I got nothing.; 2/15/26, 3:53 PM
Peachy said...: I hate google; 2/15/26, 5:02 PM
Mary Beth said...: I wonder if they’re reading book books or e-books on their phones.

The people pictured and quoted are all reading physical copies of the books. Mostly trade paperbacks. None are reading "Dungeon Crawler Carl".

I wonder how many of the books people read in public are books that they want other people to see them reading.; 2/15/26, 5:18 PM
Biff said...: Mary Beth said..."I wonder how many of the books people read in public are books that they want other people to see them reading."

That reminds me of my college years, when it seemed that everyone was walking around with a Gabriel García Márquez novel, yet no one actually seemed to have read it.; 2/15/26, 5:34 PM
narciso said...: Dungeon crawler crawl is like ready player one; 2/15/26, 5:58 PM
Mr. T. said...: What what?

Now what is this? SNAP fraud so bad in deep blue Massachusetts that democrat AG Leah Foley is ::checks notes:: backing Trump?

https://www.bostonherald.com/2026/02/05/battenfeld-leah-foley-shaking-up-entrenched-democratic-power-structure/

Somebody do a a welfare check on KKKak/Richsockpuppet/paidActbluetrollaccount.

You will likely find him assisting others trying to storm churches and violate the KKK Act.; 2/15/26, 6:19 PM
Peachy said...: If Dems were smart or if they actually had principles and cared - they would ditch their corrupt sell-outs.; 2/15/26, 6:53 PM
Marcus Bressler said...: One of the worst things about reading a book in a public space is that people will come up to you and interrupt you, asking,
"What are you reading?"; 2/15/26, 10:09 PM
WWPaulKlee said...: Robert Alter's recent translation of "The Wisdom Books" (title) ditches the King James Version first words of Ecclesiastes "Vanity, vanity, all is vanity" with "Merest Breath" as our life's significance . As he explains, even the biblical lands are chilly enough that an exhalation in winter is briefly visible, yet evanescent. Profound.; 2/16/26, 8:16 AM