David Roberts || Sparks From Culture | Substack

Welcome to Sparks From Culture

Weekly personal essays on wealth, status, and family from someone with generational wealth, writing with transparency.

Aug 11, 2023 • David Roberts

Tell Me What Trumpism Stands For

I told Andrew that “if things got too bad,” I would consider, for the first time in my life, leaving the United States. Andrew was alarmed. He said…

21 hrs ago • David Roberts

Live with David Roberts: the NYC Private School Bubble with the two moms of Mic'd and Medicated

A recording from David Roberts's live video

May 18 • David Roberts and Mic'd and Medicated

54:48

We All Get Caught

In the summer of 1984, when I was 22, I was working in NYC and living at my parents’ apartment. At a bar one evening, I met a 27-year-old woman named…

May 16 • David Roberts

A Quintessentially Jewish Thing To Do

Many years ago, my eleven-year-old son announced he was upset because he had been born into Judaism without anyone asking either his opinion or his…

May 9 • David Roberts

Recent posts

How to Fix the Giving Gap

Jeremy Ney and David Roberts discuss why the ultra wealthy are pulling back from philanthropy right as the government is cutting funding to the social…

Published on American Inequality • May 7

32:33

A Man Who Dies Rich Dies In Disgrace

So said Andrew Carnegie, 19th century steel magnate extraordinaire, who gave away almost his entire fortune.

May 2 • David Roberts

Losing My Ambition

I was at breakfast with a new friend who asked whether I had any “goals.” I couldn’t think of any so I said no.

Apr 25 • David Roberts

Male Beauty Wars, The Financial Riddle of AI, Michigan Democrats And Israel

This week, topics for a post have been ricocheting inside my mind, all of them well-matched rivals fighting for my undivided attention.

Apr 18 • David Roberts

Recommendations

the Human Carbohydrate

Stella Tsantekidou

Cartoons Hate Her

Cartoons Hate Her

The Granny Who Stands on her Head

Ann Richardson

Untrickled by Michelle Teheux

Under the White Coat

Dr. Amber Hull

#nojs-banner { position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 32px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; background: red; color: white; font-family: -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; } #nojs-banner a { color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; } This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts