Ben Tocker
@bentocker.bsky.social
kvetchy New Yorker • comms @ YAFFED (opinions here are my own) • yeshiva grad • Brooklyn CB4 member • 2x World’s Coolest Uncle • Mr. Met was at my Bar Mitzvah
just got some really amazing “personal news”…. just like our beloved departing left fielder, I am blessed on my best AND worst days
November 24, 2025 at 6:20 PM
just got some really amazing “personal news”…. just like our beloved departing left fielder, I am blessed on my best AND worst days
Reposted by Ben Tocker
The magic of friendship is in its murkiness: We come to rely on our friends in ways we might never have expected. But we don't always communicate our needs to them. In the Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social explores what to do when your friends disappoint you:
What to Do When Your Friends Disappoint You
A “friendship breakup” isn’t always the answer.
bit.ly
November 22, 2025 at 5:45 PM
The magic of friendship is in its murkiness: We come to rely on our friends in ways we might never have expected. But we don't always communicate our needs to them. In the Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social explores what to do when your friends disappoint you:
and she did start me off with a high-quality vanilla
November 20, 2025 at 5:36 AM
and she did start me off with a high-quality vanilla
hoping to start a new tradition where @isabelfattal.bsky.social
tests all her gift guide ideas on me first…she totally nailed my last bday gift with this one
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
tests all her gift guide ideas on me first…she totally nailed my last bday gift with this one
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
November 20, 2025 at 5:32 AM
hoping to start a new tradition where @isabelfattal.bsky.social
tests all her gift guide ideas on me first…she totally nailed my last bday gift with this one
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
tests all her gift guide ideas on me first…she totally nailed my last bday gift with this one
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
Reposted by Ben Tocker
Donald Trump told a journalist, “Quiet, piggy,” when she asked him about Epstein—continuing his pattern of demeaning women, @isabelfattal.bsky.social argues in The Atlantic Daily:
Trump Told a Woman, ‘Quiet, Piggy,’ When She Asked Him About Epstein
The comment continues the president’s long-standing pattern of denigrating female journalists.
bit.ly
November 19, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Donald Trump told a journalist, “Quiet, piggy,” when she asked him about Epstein—continuing his pattern of demeaning women, @isabelfattal.bsky.social argues in The Atlantic Daily:
Reposted by Ben Tocker
Some critics of the suburbs argue that they’re not a place at all. But these communities have identities. In the Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social explores the nostalgia, the dream, and the failures of the American suburbs:
The Dreams and Limits of the Suburbs
They’re more diverse than ever, but they remain the sites of deep racial and socioeconomic gaps.
bit.ly
November 8, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Some critics of the suburbs argue that they’re not a place at all. But these communities have identities. In the Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social explores the nostalgia, the dream, and the failures of the American suburbs:
some positive signs of high voter turnout: went to cast my ballot for our next disgraced, hated, piss-drinker and they had already run out of stickers by early afternoon
November 4, 2025 at 10:19 PM
some positive signs of high voter turnout: went to cast my ballot for our next disgraced, hated, piss-drinker and they had already run out of stickers by early afternoon
Listen, I’m nauseated by the ways my community has portrayed Zohran as antisemitic, but it’s so obvious to me what’s happening here. It’s not Orthodox Jews taking responsibility to counter a harmful narrative. It’s about garnering political support to further entrench educational neglect in yeshivas
BREAKING: Both Satmar factions decide not to endorse a candidate for mayor and decry the vicious campaign against Mamdani that paints him as hostile to Jews.
In letters to their community members, the Satmar leadership calls the attacks against Mamdani false and dangerous.
In letters to their community members, the Satmar leadership calls the attacks against Mamdani false and dangerous.
October 29, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Listen, I’m nauseated by the ways my community has portrayed Zohran as antisemitic, but it’s so obvious to me what’s happening here. It’s not Orthodox Jews taking responsibility to counter a harmful narrative. It’s about garnering political support to further entrench educational neglect in yeshivas
Reposted by Ben Tocker
In the Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social explores America's obsession with fancy weddings—and how that obsession affects the guests:
How Wedding Sprawl Affects the Guests
In striving to keep up with societal expectations, couples can end up putting financial strain on others.
bit.ly
October 25, 2025 at 4:45 PM
In the Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social explores America's obsession with fancy weddings—and how that obsession affects the guests:
Can someone please remind @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social
that our constitution guarantees the right to a sound basic education to ALL students, not just the ones in public school?
Look at the deliberate pause there. He deregulated private schools in the Assembly. He knows exactly what he’s saying.
that our constitution guarantees the right to a sound basic education to ALL students, not just the ones in public school?
Look at the deliberate pause there. He deregulated private schools in the Assembly. He knows exactly what he’s saying.
October 23, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Can someone please remind @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social
that our constitution guarantees the right to a sound basic education to ALL students, not just the ones in public school?
Look at the deliberate pause there. He deregulated private schools in the Assembly. He knows exactly what he’s saying.
that our constitution guarantees the right to a sound basic education to ALL students, not just the ones in public school?
Look at the deliberate pause there. He deregulated private schools in the Assembly. He knows exactly what he’s saying.
Thanks @nyc-dot.bsky.social for making it more difficult to buy kosher groceries!
I’ve using the Bedford Ave bike lane for years to shop at Hatzlacha. Bike parking has always been difficult to find. But I guess now they’ve decided this space would be better served by a double-parked minivan!
I’ve using the Bedford Ave bike lane for years to shop at Hatzlacha. Bike parking has always been difficult to find. But I guess now they’ve decided this space would be better served by a double-parked minivan!
October 17, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Thanks @nyc-dot.bsky.social for making it more difficult to buy kosher groceries!
I’ve using the Bedford Ave bike lane for years to shop at Hatzlacha. Bike parking has always been difficult to find. But I guess now they’ve decided this space would be better served by a double-parked minivan!
I’ve using the Bedford Ave bike lane for years to shop at Hatzlacha. Bike parking has always been difficult to find. But I guess now they’ve decided this space would be better served by a double-parked minivan!
Reposted by Ben Tocker
Regret is uncomfortable. But by giving in to those feelings, just for a little while, we might learn something new about ourselves in the present, @isabelfattal.bsky.social writes in The Wonder Reader:
How to Use Regret Instead of Wallowing in It
Looking backwards doesn’t have to feel like standing still.
bit.ly
October 11, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Regret is uncomfortable. But by giving in to those feelings, just for a little while, we might learn something new about ourselves in the present, @isabelfattal.bsky.social writes in The Wonder Reader:
Spent all day atoning for being a hater just for God to tempt me again immediately
October 3, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Spent all day atoning for being a hater just for God to tempt me again immediately
never forget this guy called our very next upcoming holiday the “fucking treehouse holiday”
🚨 on Yerev Yom Kippur, Andrew Cuomo apologizes to the Orthodox community for singling them out and for unfair treatment during the COVID-19 outbreaks.
“I am truly sorry… On this holy day of atonement, I am committed to learning from these lessons.”
“I am truly sorry… On this holy day of atonement, I am committed to learning from these lessons.”
October 1, 2025 at 7:41 PM
never forget this guy called our very next upcoming holiday the “fucking treehouse holiday”
Reposted by Ben Tocker
The generals and admirals at Quantico today should be forgiven if they walked out of the auditorium and wondered: What on earth is wrong with the commander in chief?
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
The Commander in Chief Is Not Okay
Trump put on a disturbing show for America’s generals and admirals.
www.theatlantic.com
September 30, 2025 at 11:26 PM
The generals and admirals at Quantico today should be forgiven if they walked out of the auditorium and wondered: What on earth is wrong with the commander in chief?
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
Reposted by Ben Tocker
What if the Trump-Hegseth address to the military had just been an email? @petridishes.bsky.social drafts one up:
If the Urgent Trump-Hegseth Address to the Military Had Been an Email
THIS IS NOT SPAM.
bit.ly
September 30, 2025 at 10:21 PM
What if the Trump-Hegseth address to the military had just been an email? @petridishes.bsky.social drafts one up:
none of these guys would last an hour at the cigar factory
September 30, 2025 at 5:24 AM
none of these guys would last an hour at the cigar factory
Reposted by Ben Tocker
For young readers, books such as Judy Blume’s “Forever” are a chance to see their own desires and anxieties reflected back at them. In the Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social explores the singular power of the art we discover as teens:
What Teen Novels Are Capable of
These books can help young people come to terms with the thoughts that feel too scary to say out loud.
bit.ly
September 27, 2025 at 4:45 PM
For young readers, books such as Judy Blume’s “Forever” are a chance to see their own desires and anxieties reflected back at them. In the Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social explores the singular power of the art we discover as teens:
Reposted by Ben Tocker
“It can be hard to believe that your own talents and strengths are genuine,” @isabelfattal.bsky.social writes. In the Wonder Reader, explore stories on how to be honest with yourself—and, by extension, with other people:
How to Beat Impostor Syndrome
It starts with a simple but very important step.
bit.ly
September 20, 2025 at 2:45 PM
“It can be hard to believe that your own talents and strengths are genuine,” @isabelfattal.bsky.social writes. In the Wonder Reader, explore stories on how to be honest with yourself—and, by extension, with other people:
Reposted by Ben Tocker
That chill in the air isn’t from Jimmy Kimmel’s show being suspended. It’s just autumn: the perfect time to say as little as possible, @petridishes.bsky.social writes:
A Beautiful Day for Saying Nothing
That chill in the air isn’t Jimmy Kimmel’s show being suspended. It’s just autumn!
bit.ly
September 18, 2025 at 9:20 PM
That chill in the air isn’t from Jimmy Kimmel’s show being suspended. It’s just autumn: the perfect time to say as little as possible, @petridishes.bsky.social writes:
one like and I’ll do it
September 3, 2025 at 2:02 AM
one like and I’ll do it
Reposted by Ben Tocker
Higher education is changing, but the "formative parts of the college experience—growing up, making friends, and making mistakes—aren’t going anywhere," Isabel Fattal writes. The Wonder Reader explores what it feels like to be a young person right now:
On the Brink of Adulthood
Colleges are changing, but the college experience isn’t going anywhere.
bit.ly
August 30, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Higher education is changing, but the "formative parts of the college experience—growing up, making friends, and making mistakes—aren’t going anywhere," Isabel Fattal writes. The Wonder Reader explores what it feels like to be a young person right now:
Reposted by Ben Tocker
College athletics were once casual and fun—but now both the careers and the experience for these athletes are starting to look different. In The Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social explores the transformation of school sports:
College Sports Are Changing
As college athletes’ status shifts, so does the experience of school sports.
bit.ly
August 23, 2025 at 4:00 PM
College athletics were once casual and fun—but now both the careers and the experience for these athletes are starting to look different. In The Wonder Reader, @isabelfattal.bsky.social explores the transformation of school sports: