Check out these recent articles from around the web:

How America Got Mean by David Brooks: “We inhabit a society in which people are no longer trained in how to treat others with kindness and consideration. Our society has become one in which people feel licensed to give their selfishness free rein. The story I’m going to tell is about morals. In a healthy society, a web of institutions—families, schools, religious groups, community organizations, and workplaces—helps form people into kind and responsible citizens, the sort of people who show up for one another. We live in a society that’s terrible at moral formation.”

I’m a Black Professor. You Don’t Need to Bring That Up. by Tyler Austin Harper: “Although this push to center rather than sidestep racial difference in our interpersonal relationships comes from a good place, it tends to rest on a troubling, even racist subtext: that white and Black Americans are so radically different that interracial relationships require careful management, constant eggshell-walking, and even expert guidance from professional anti-racists. Rather than producing racial harmony, this new ethos frequently has the opposite effect, making white-Black interactions stressful, unpleasant, or, perhaps most often, simply weird.”

Doctor’s Orders by Jason Blakely: “The overextension of scientific authority—or scientism—has become so ubiquitous that it now hides in plain sight, influencing every sphere of American life from policing and economics to dating and psychology. Increasingly, Americans must contend with the confusing noise of conflicting models and theories all claiming the talismanic power of “science.” Like prescientific peoples, we have grown accustomed to the existence of our own shamans and wizards.”

Women Know Exactly What They’re Doing When They Use ‘Weak Language’ by Adam Grant: “The solution to this problem isn’t to urge meek men to become arrogant. It’s to normalize “weak language” as a strong way to express concern and humility. If we do that, we won’t have to keep encouraging women to communicate more forcefully. Instead, we’ll finally be able to recognize the difference between assertiveness and aggressiveness.”

‘Unluckiest generation’ falters in boomer-dominated market for homes by Julian Mark: “Homeownership — the main driver of wealth for most Americans — is out of reach for large swaths of the population. But the pinch is most pronounced for millennials, who are buying homes at a slower pace than those before them. Baby boomers, in fact, represented the largest share of home buyers this year — a spot millennials had held since 2014 — according to research by the National Association of Realtors.”

I want to be Clarence Thomas’ travel agent by MSW: “That fat cats can make politicians and justices part of their club, allow them to move in the rarefied world of private jets and exclusive resorts, all the while gaining extraordinary access to them — that is not how democracy works. “Equal Justice Under Law” is etched in marble over the entrance to the Supreme Court building. It needs to be etched not just in marble, but in the moral conduct of the justices themselves. Unequal access cannot be, and cannot be seen to be, part of an equation that aims at equal justice.”

This World Cup proves that US soccer could learn from Pope Francis by Allison Tao: “Our training system seeks to develop the most powerful, the most skillful, the most fit players — in short, the most outstanding individuals — and has been tailored to do so at every stage. Great players have emerged, yes, and superabundantly at that. Yet something is sacrificed. In a system preoccupied with fashioning perfect parts, it would be foolish to expect the whole to be greater than the sum.”

Leaving the Office at 5 Is Not a Moral Failing by Jessica Grose: “These concepts aren’t about goofing off all day or shirking responsibility; they’re about creating reasonable boundaries based on actual job descriptions. This shouldn’t be framed as a moral failing.”

Hey, America, Grow Up! by David Brooks: “The founders of the therapeutic ethos thought they were creating autonomous individualists who would feel good about themselves. But, as Lasch forecast: “The narcissist depends on others to validate his self-esteem. He cannot live without an admiring audience. His apparent freedom from family ties and institutional constraints does not free him to stand alone or to glory in his individuality. On the contrary, it contributes to his insecurity.” If we’re going to build a culture in which it is easier to be mature, we’re going to have to throw off some of the tenets of the therapeutic culture. Maturity, now as ever, is understanding that you’re not the center of the universe.”