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Sean Dietrich Articles

Sean of the South | See Rock City Barns

OPINION — Interstate 59 shot past our windows like a streak of pigeon excrement on a commercial airline windshield. We crossed into Tennessee, heading northward to New Jersey. The radio played Jerry Reed. And I was busy counting barns.A barn in the distance. Overgrown...
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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...
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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....
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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...
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Where the redhead grows

Where the redhead grows

Mar 6, 2024

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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Where the redhead grows

Super

Mar 5, 2024

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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Where the redhead grows

People next door

Feb 24, 2024

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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Where the redhead grows

It’s Girl Scout season

Feb 18, 2024

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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Where the redhead grows

Newsboy

Feb 11, 2024

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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Where the redhead grows

Brother John

Feb 2, 2024

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — Pineview Street. A nondescript house. Off-white. One story. Nothing fancy. Nice neighborhood. Manicured lawns.On the back...

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Where the redhead grows

America’s Aunt

Jan 25, 2024

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — Nobody knows when it started. But it did. The first jar of pickles to appear on Aunt Bee’s grave in Siler City, North...

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Where the redhead grows

Morning in Tuscaloosa

Jan 18, 2024

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — The plane landed in Tuscaloosa at 8:37 p.m. Central Time. Coach Kalen DeBoer deboarded.He was met with an entourage of...

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Where the redhead grows

Uhhhh…

Jan 12, 2024

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — It’s a rainy night in Columbus, Georgia. I have an interview on the local evening news. This is a monumental occasion. My...

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