6 APRIL 2020
THE
Behind the Cover: Art directors at The Atlantic are
asked, with some regularity these days, to perform symbolic
violence upon an emblem of the United States. This is not
because of any dislike on the magazine’s part for the country
or its institutions. Rather, the destruction of national
symbols has proved a useful metaphor for these parlous
times. As we learn in George Packer’s startling cover story
about President Donald Trump’s attack on the civil service,
the future of American institutions hangs by a thread. So it
seemed apt to depict a classical column—the kind seen
on countless government buildings—as a taut rope reaching
its breaking point. — Paul Spella, Art DirectorIn the January/
February issue,
John Hendrickson
wrote about
Joe Biden’s stutter—
and his own.Why Won’t He
Just Say It?
LettersA
daily. These letter writers—of
all ages, races, and genders—
have opened up about their
various trials and tribula-
tions, and how they’ve tried
to make peace with the shame
that often accompanies the
neurological disorder of stut-
tering. I don’t know what the
answer is, other than to keep
talking about it. During a
CNN town hall in February,
Biden received an audience
question about stuttering
and spoke about his journey
in ways he had previously
avoided on national TV. The
response was profound. I’m not
sure what the future holds for
the former vice president, but
I’m glad his stutter is no longer
the elephant in the room.The Miseducation of
the American BoyPeggy Orenstein wrote about
why boys crack up at rape
jokes, think having a girlfriend
is “gay,” and still can’t cry—
and why we need to give them
new and better models of mas-
culinity (January/February).To the extent that “toxic mas-
culinity” is real, most men—
clearly not all men—age out of
it as they mature. Also, the kind
of masculinity Peggy Orenstein
describes is much less evident
in other groups of teenage boys.
Ms. Orenstein’s sample skewed
almost entirely to young, white
athletes. But had she spoken with
members of the debate team, for
instance, or the drama club, orI know I have been uncom-
fortable when others stutter, or
have anxiously laughed or tried
to “help.” I want to apologize to
those I have demeaned with my
lack of understanding.
I now see Biden in an entirely
new light and will be cheering
him on from the sidelines. As a
candidate, he’s not as progressive
as I’d like—but I’ll listen more
closely for content and less for
form when I hear him now.
Anne Alftine
Medford, Ore.John Hendrickson
replies:
I had no idea what to expect
when we published this
article. To date, I’ve received
more than 500 emails about
it, and new messages arriveAs a fellow stutterer, I was moved
by reading your personal story
alongside Joe Biden’s, and seeing
how you have each approached
your stutters differently. You
handled the subject matter with
complexity and sensitivity, and it
brought tears to my eyes.
Maura Lammers
Spokane, Wash.I stutter, and my 4-year-old son
stutters, too. I recently told my
husband that I couldn’t stand
Mr. Biden’s narrative that I stut-
tered, I worked so hard, and now I
don’t. As Hendrickson writes, it’s
a message to kids and adults who
stutter that they must distance
themselves from a piece of their
identity to succeed.
Alexis W.
Arlington, Mass.