I think it's a relic of old-school journalistic writing. People today just do not have the attention span or desire to read a meandering backstory. The author s

I think it's a relic of old-school journalistic writing. People today just do not have the attention span or desire to read a meandering backstory. The author started writing for the New Yorker in 1992, so it seems reasonable that he is more old-fashioned in his composition.