It was once nothing more than wild speculation within the lofty ivory towers of Harvard and Yale, and maybe in the corporate boardrooms of America’s most “forward-looking companies.” Humans are almost obsolete. Jeff Bezos, even if he is nothing more than a brain floating in an anomalous liquid mounted onto a robot, is likely to… Continue reading Is the era of free money from Uncle Sam upon us?
Tag: politics
The QAnon phenomenon pervading politics, explained
On Feb. 5, the House of Representatives voted to suspend Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene from her duties on House committees, citing evidence that the congresswoman posted several provocative remarks ranging from questioning the legitimacy of 9/11 to supporting QAnon, or the theory that high-ranking members of the Democratic party are running a child sex-trafficking ring.… Continue reading The QAnon phenomenon pervading politics, explained
Calls for unity fall on deaf ears in an increasingly fractured country
We are in the midst of the first 100 days of a new presidency, and as usual that means sophistic journalists and politicians are sure to have one refrain always on their lips: unity! Yes, it was a contentious election cycle, but what we really need is “unity.” We need to “come together,” and realize… Continue reading Calls for unity fall on deaf ears in an increasingly fractured country
The politicization of phobias
Politics and psychiatry are unlikely bedfellows, but in the 20th century they became quite cozy. Sometimes that came in a more benign form, like providing fodder for catty magazine articles. In 1964, Fact magazine published the opinions of several licensed psychiatrists who testified in large part that the Republican candidate of that year’s election, Barry… Continue reading The politicization of phobias
Who runs the world? Journalists!
If you’ve read the title, you know what this is about. And no, this is not a self-congratulatory piece of gloating. Journalists may run the world, but I certainly do not. To refine the thesis a bit, we might say that “journalists at prestigious and influential outlets run the world.” As much as I love… Continue reading Who runs the world? Journalists!
Engage the Times returns to engage the issue of public discourse
After a rancorous election season, many public figures and intellectuals are dismayed at the low state of American public discourse. There has been a call in recent months to restore civility to the body politic. A panel of UTM faculty and students met to address that question over Zoom on Feb. 5 in the semester’s… Continue reading Engage the Times returns to engage the issue of public discourse
Advice for young conservatives
This is a trying time to be a young, conservatively-minded person. First, there is the politics, which everyone automatically goes to first. Despite an overall good performance for the GOP, given the circumstances, the Republicans lost both chambers of Congress and the Presidency during the 2020 election. More to the point, the right-of-center political establishment… Continue reading Advice for young conservatives
Presages of a police state
Everyone gets the sense these are dark times in America. Although I am noted for my habitual pessimism (comes with the job it seems), I am not the only person who sees it. According to a recent poll by Axios-Ipsos, I’m one of the 4 in 5 Americans that thinks the United States is falling… Continue reading Presages of a police state
The Week in Viewpoints
The theme of this week is “democracy prevails!” Here are some highlights of democracy prevailing at home and abroad. In Germany, the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (say that five times fast), the state agency for Constitutional compliance, has placed the opposition AfD (Alternative for Deutschland) Party under government surveillance. This comes after the BfV alleged a… Continue reading The Week in Viewpoints
Actually, yes, they are using “Orwellian” correctly
Times are strange when the word “Orwellian” is actually getting redefined right before our eyes. For those who didn’t read (or perhaps suffer through) George Orwell’s 1949 dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, the book describes the travails of Winston Smith, a low-level desk worker in the propaganda ministry of a fictitious totalitarian regime. The work was… Continue reading Actually, yes, they are using “Orwellian” correctly