Sean Dietrich Articles

Sean of the South | This was not written by AI

OPINION — I don’t know what to do about AI.Humanoid robots. Automated cars. Augmented reality smart-glasses. Smart dishwashers. Robotic surgeons. And what about the weird AI images all over my newsfeed? Where are these freaky AI pictures coming from?A masterfully...

Sean of the South | Eulogy for the American newspaper

OPINION — I miss the newspaper. Before the internet. I’m talking physical newspapers. The kind you unfold.I miss the morning routine of it all. Walk to the end of the driveway, barefoot, pre-sunrise. Messy hair. Morning breath. Unsheath the newsprint from its plastic....

Sean of the South | A little bit of sole

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — It was a big park. A big city. The man was sitting on the sidewalk. Directly on the ground. And he was barefoot.His feet were scraped and bloody. He was picking at the sole of his foot. Maybe he was trying to remove a splinter? A shard of...

Sean of the South | Last night at the Opry

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — I arrive at the Opry House a few minutes before rehearsal. My guitar and fiddle cases trip the metal detector, so the security guard makes me open them.“You ain’t smuggling moonshine, are you?” says the guard with a watchful eye.“No,...
About today

About today

Hi. You don’t know me. I don’t know you. We’re strangers. But we’re the same, sort of. Only chances are, you drive a nicer car than I do. In fact I...

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About today

Easter

BY SEAN DIETRICH A few years ago I attended my first Catholic mass in a busy church outside Birmingham. It was Easter Sunday. I sat in the nosebleed...

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Dollar General

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — The following actually happened. In a major American city. A guy emailed me about it.A young woman is in Dollar General....

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Pound Cake Day

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — You might not know this, but a few days ago was a national holiday. A day when our nation traditionally puts aside our...

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Where the redhead grows

OPINION — BY SEAN DIETRICH My interview was scheduled for noon. It’s not every day you are a keynote speaker for Miss Bernice’s fourth-grade class...

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Super

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — If you’re a boy, and you’re thinking of marrying a Southern woman like I did, you’d do well to understand how she thinks...

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People next door

OPINION — Marie was a Waffle-House waitress with two kids. She smoked like a fish, worked like a trail horse, and was self-conscious about her...

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It’s Girl Scout season

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION —It’s Girl Scout-cookie season again, which traditionally begins right after deer season, and is followed by Lent.This is...

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Newsboy

OPINION — Newspapers have a smell. If you’re lucky enough to find a newspaper in our digital world, you’ll notice the smell first. Fresh newsprint...

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