I'm not surprised by this. Occasionally I would find something very interesting in the Awl, but I feel that over the past few years the drive, and editorial excellence really dropped off. The articles didn't have the same depth.

By and by if you're looking for an alternative, you might consider Pacific Standard (Suggested article: https://psmag.com/social-justice/toast-story-latest-artisana...) or

Aeon: https://aeon.co/