Aaron Bushnell at his birthday party in 2022.
THIS PAST FEBRUARY, Aaron Bushnell was renting an apartment in a two-story complex in a suburb near Kent State University. He said Ohio reminded him of his hometown on Cape Cod: the red brick, the storm doors, the Protestant steeples. But his building, with its beige siding and modest fitness area, its jungle gym and scattered picnic tables, could have been anywhere. He had lived there for three months, working as an intern in the IT department of a home-improvement company. The job was part of the Department of Defense's SkillBridge program, which transitions service members into civilian life. Bushnell was aiming for a career as a software engineer, perhaps designing video games. He would be out in May, at the age of 25, after his military contract expired.
Knowing nobody in Ohio, Bushnell put unusual effort into meeting his fellow residents, at one point leaving notes at their doors. "Hello neighbor!" they read. "I am Aaron Bushnell (he/him), and I recently moved in at apartment 30. I would love to meet you! I think it's important for us to know our neighbors and build community together." He included a QR code to a Discord server where they could talk as well as his email for those unfamiliar with the platform. On the flip side, in vaguely satanic lettering, he had printed GREETINGS FROM YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD ANARCHIST.
Bushnell texted a photo of the note to an Air Force buddy who gently suggested that his neighbors would see it and imagine murder scenes from The Purge. Bushnell conceded that the font wasn't helping: "I didn't realize it would be that ugly. Also I just spent $30 to print it at the library so this is what I've got."
This story is from the June 17 - 30, 2024 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 17 - 30, 2024 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Here's Looking at You
An uneven directorial debut tries to capture the horror of being watched.
Word Salad
In the extended Trump era, an artist's truisms ring false.
An Anticlimactic Finish
Bridgerton's latest season has a fatally underdeveloped leading man but is still a ton of fun.
Yorgos Lanthimos's Fantasies of Control
The director's latest, Kinds of Kindness, which premiered at Cannes, is a return to his primary interest― what makes people submit.
Annie Baker Goes to Hollywood
The renowned playwright switches mediums with her sneakily expansive debut film about a possessive mother-daughter relationship.
Return of the Mic
How chat podcasts have taken over the medium and dominated the cultural discourse (again).
Is This Your King?
On House of the Dragon's second season, Tom Glynn-Carney is so good at playing pathetically bad you almost forget you're supposed to hate him.
Summer EATING - One of Everything, To Go
72 onion-soaked smashburgers, crispy-cutlet subs, cold noodles, and sizzling spicy skewers to eat on the street this summer.
In the Pink
After Anne Hanavan found her 350-square-foot \"freedom pad,\" her friends helped her get the vibe right.
Aaron Bushnell's Agonies
Burning himself to death outside the Israeli Embassy turned him into an antiwar martyr. What upbringing could have led to such an extreme act?