Clik here to view.
Some Timely Thoughts
1. I’d like to see more conversation about what we mean, exactly, by cultural/racial appropriation. I understand what it’s driving at on the margins—the Washington Redskins, Iggy Azalea, etc… that is,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On the Worlds Behind the Words
As my circle of political friends and acquaintances grows wider, particularly on Facebook, I’m not only struck by the ideological variety, but by the diversity of idiosyncrasies. We all have our...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bernie Sanders is Not Eugene McCarthy (If Anything, He’s an Electable Barry...
Some have drawn comparisons between the Bernie Sanders presidential run and the Eugene McCarthy presidential run of 1968, mostly C-Suite liberal types worried about weakening the Hillary brand. There...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Left v. Right
The fundamental difference between a left-wing political economy and a right-wing political economy is not the difference between big government and small government. There are plenty of left-wing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Socialism is (Almost) Everything
So I’ve now stumbled on a dozen journalists, across the spectrum, who are confident they know what “socialism” means. All of them insist it’s about state ownership of the means of production....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Two Problems with Left Neoliberalism
Left-neoliberal wonks are smart dudes (they’re always dudes), and they’re certainly helpful when it comes to combating the nonsense of right-neoliberal wonks. But they seem to suffer two regular blind...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The GOP and Identity Politics, Inc.
It’s a trite observation, but bears repeating—what the GOP debate reveals more than anything else is that the American Right, despite all their protestations to the contrary, is enthralled by the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Stoicism as Politics
One of the biggest mistakes—however innocent or willful—on the right has been the single-minded application of otherwise decent personal habits of mind like stoical determination or grit to public...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Homely
In the United States, the word “homely” regularly denotes an unattractive person whose overall spirit or demeanor is imprisoned by the drab trappings of conventional domestic life. In Britain, the word...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Remembrance
Remembrance is never innocent. It is seeped in lies and propaganda and mythos and trauma and fear and anxiety and insecurity and false hope and unwitting motives and rage and guilt. But there’s a part...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Freedom, Equality, and Individualism
There is a Kurt Vonnegut story, “Harrison Bergeron,” that presents a dystopian future of government-mandated equality. Everyone is compelled to avail themselves of precisely the same advantage in all...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fred Hiatt’s Liberalism
Not too long ago I came across an op-ed in The Washington Post arguing our nation should move toward a “gun-free society.” The author made clear this would be a long-term goal requiring a gradual but...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Without Ornament
My favorite part of Rashomon isn’t the “meta” storytelling, although the narrative is flawless. It’s not the cinematography, despite the close-up shots (particularly of the restless rain and water)...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Who Wants to Save Capitalism?
Me in Jacobin, trolling the right. In all seriousness, I’m fascinated by the liminal space residing between liberal and socialist political economies, and I look forward to exploring this space further...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Breathing Elsewhere
I left this on my Facebook page a couple weeks back. I figured I’d publish it here as well, for posterity’s sake or whatnot. I’ve made a decision to post only once a week. It’s something I’ve been...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Solidarity
Yesterday I woke up at 5am, whipped up a bowl of cereal and a green smoothie, and proceeded to pick up a white female Wendy’s worker at the tip of Rochester abutting Lake Ontario, a black male...
View Article
