What Is a Cult, Anyway?

(Patrick Dodson)

The word ‘cult’ is tossed around quite frequently in media, but few can offer a precise definition.”

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“Won’t Somebody Please Think of the Children”

(Mario Tama/Getty Images)

By becoming so concerned about the plight of children, we have become child-like ourselves.”

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Appreciating the Legacy of James Randi

“The Canadian-born James Randi, who passed away this past week at the age of 92, will surely be remembered as a modern-day Lucian.”

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The Politicization of Psychiatry

(Drew Angerer/Getty)

Given the numerous historical antecedents, it is likely that—probably sooner rather than later—politics would get in the way of such clinical assessments.

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Tax Evasion and the Catholic Church’s Plank in Its Eye

But the hard fact is that the Vatican’s vast untaxed riches—and the Church’s tax-exempt status in many countries—make it impossible for [Pope Francis] to avoid charges of hypocrisy.”

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How Looting Destroyed Venezuela: a Cautionary Tale

(MCCLATCHY)

“And one particular author, Vicky Osterweil, has shamelessly written a book entitled In Defense of Looting.”

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Interview: Robert Orlando on His Film “Citizen Trump”

“Once the stage is the thing, ideas don’t matter as much as performance.”

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On Robert Orlando’s “Citizen Trump”

(Nexus Media)

To do so, he tells President Trump’s life story in the cinematographic style of Citizen Kane, incorporating the iconic snow globe, the campaign poster, and even the mysterious word (‘Rosebud’) that is central to Orson Welles’ masterpiece.”

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Leave Lincoln’s Statues Alone but Engage with His Legacy More Critically

(NPS Photo)

“Indeed, Michael Scharf reports that ‘Milošević saw himself as a modern-day Abe Lincoln, employing force in a valiant effort to hold his crumbling Yugoslavia together.’” 

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The Pernicious Influence of Eduardo Bonilla-Silva’s Sophistry

“In one of the great exercises of academic sophistry in our times, Eduardo Bonilla-Silva wants to persuade us that color-blindness is racism, and color-consciousness is anti-racism.”

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Anti-Racism Demonstrations That Are Just Too Much

Those doing things like reenacting a slave raid may have noble intentions, but they are sending the wrong message.”

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In Place of Columbus’ Statue, Build One for Francisco de Vitoria

(Jacques Clément)

Perhaps the strongest argument considered by Vitoria relied on what today we might call “humanitarian intervention.”

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Where Is Spike Lee?

Image via Hollywood Reporter

“Lee has already proven that he is one of the greatest film directors of all time; now is his time to prove that he is also a responsible influencer upon society at large.”

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The Cultural Imperialism of Protest

Yet I see it more as yet another form of cultural imperialism. It takes an American victim to be brutalized in order for the whole world to come out and protest.”

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Amid Widespread Unrest, Conservatives Must Respond Correctly

“When criticizing this violent upheaval, will [conservatives] go for the low-hanging fruit and come up with absurd, cheap explanations for what is going on? Or, will they engage in serious reflection to prevent this from happening again?”

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