Sean Dietrich Articles

Sean of the South | The kid who peed on me

OPINION — It’s been years since I swam in the Gulf. And I mean really jogged into the surf, hurled myself into the breakers, and let other, much younger swimmers pee on me.At least that’s exactly what the little swimmer next to me was doing. We were both swimming in...

I ran into myself today

OPINION —  I always wondered what I’d do if I met him. I always wondered how I’d act if I met Young Me. Well, this was my chance to find out. “What am I doing in this elementary school?” I was thinking. “They tore this place down years ago.” I looked at my...

Sean of the South | The dropout and the rail splitter

OPINION — Hodgenville, Kentucky, looks like your all-American postcard town. Brick storefronts. Flawless Colonial houses. No flamingos in the yards. The kind of place where you’d expect to find Jimmy Stewart working at the drugstore soda fountain and kids playing...

Waking up Pa Ingalls’ fiddle

OPINION — Pa Ingalls’ fiddle was sitting on the table of the museum archive room. Still in its case. The curator, Tana Redman, smiled at me. “You’ll need to wash your hands before you play it,” she said. Pa Ingalls’ fiddle is one of the most well-known and sacred...
Sean of the South | Robots

Sean of the South | Robots

OPINION — Right now, the news media is in an uproar over AI. The headlines are bleak. Experts are saying our cherished way of life is in danger....

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Sean Dietrich | The checkout lane

Sean Dietrich | The checkout lane

OPINION — He was loading my grocery bags. I’ll call him Michael. He was early twenties, wearing an apron. He has Down syndrome.“How are you today?”...

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