Endlessly Misunderstanding Marcus Garvey
The Right - “Moreover, as an avid reader of self-help books and prolific advocate for the prosperity gospel, Garvey would find demands for a black agenda to be insulting.” 12/16/2020
The Right - “Moreover, as an avid reader of self-help books and prolific advocate for the prosperity gospel, Garvey would find demands for a black agenda to be insulting.” 12/16/2020The Real Appeal of Jordan Peterson The Right - “Peterson is a man of conviction in an oasis of compromise; therefore, he is perfectly poised to fill the gap in a world crying out for certainty.” 12/10/2020
The Right - “Peterson is a man of conviction in an oasis of compromise; therefore, he is perfectly poised to fill the gap in a world crying out for certainty.” 12/10/2020Reconsidering How We Argue for Capitalism The Right - “To improve the reputation of capitalism, libertarians must remind naysayers that it is a moral system based on freedom and voluntary participation.” 12/7/2020
The Right - “To improve the reputation of capitalism, libertarians must remind naysayers that it is a moral system based on freedom and voluntary participation.” 12/7/2020America Was Founded in “Brotherly Love”—Not Slavery The Right - “All of these Lenape ideas are documented in Penn and Tamanend’s treaties and would later find their way into the Constitution of the United States.” 12/6/2020
The Right - “All of these Lenape ideas are documented in Penn and Tamanend’s treaties and would later find their way into the Constitution of the United States.” 12/6/2020In Reply to Tim Wise: America’s Past on Race Should Not Be Oversimplified The Right - “The toxic consequences of drawing a crude line between America’s past and the state of our modern institutions cannot be understated.” 11/28/2020
The Right - “The toxic consequences of drawing a crude line between America’s past and the state of our modern institutions cannot be understated.” 11/28/2020Jordan Peterson Biographer on Why People Hate Him So Much The Right - “One can readily see why someone who has committed any part of his life to fighting ‘white privilege’ today would resent Peterson personally.” 11/25/2020
The Right - “One can readily see why someone who has committed any part of his life to fighting ‘white privilege’ today would resent Peterson personally.” 11/25/2020What Is a Cult, Anyway? The Center - “The word ‘cult’ is tossed around quite frequently in media, but few can offer a precise definition.” 11/23/2020
The Center - “The word ‘cult’ is tossed around quite frequently in media, but few can offer a precise definition.” 11/23/2020How Democrats Can Win Back Cuban and Venezuelan Voters The Left - “For those accustomed to political polarization, it is easy to transition into this hyper-polarized political climate in the United States and readily pick a side.” 11/19/2020
The Left - “For those accustomed to political polarization, it is easy to transition into this hyper-polarized political climate in the United States and readily pick a side.” 11/19/2020“Won’t Somebody Please Think of the Children” The Center - “By becoming so concerned about the plight of children, we have become child-like ourselves.” 11/9/2020
The Center - “By becoming so concerned about the plight of children, we have become child-like ourselves.” 11/9/2020Is the West “at War with Islam”? The Center - “This becomes painfully clear when it is one’s own city that is being attacked. I had cycled through the neighborhood a mere 30 minutes before the attack commenced.” 11/6/2020
The Center - “This becomes painfully clear when it is one’s own city that is being attacked. I had cycled through the neighborhood a mere 30 minutes before the attack commenced.” 11/6/2020America: Strained But Strong The Center - “Hopefully, the reality of neither party being dominant will translate into a shared recognition that virtues like tolerance must be rediscovered and resuscitated in our political life.” 11/4/2020
The Center - “Hopefully, the reality of neither party being dominant will translate into a shared recognition that virtues like tolerance must be rediscovered and resuscitated in our political life.” 11/4/2020A “November Surprise”? History Shows That’s Possible The Center - “The following examples remind us that no presidential race is over until the votes are counted.” 10/29/2020
The Center - “The following examples remind us that no presidential race is over until the votes are counted.” 10/29/2020Appreciating the Legacy of James Randi The Center - “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.” 10/25/2020
The Center - “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.” 10/25/2020What Struck Me Watching the Final Presidential Debate The Center - “Our public discourse must turn away from retrospective litigation and verbal crossfire and, instead, shift towards real politics…” 10/23/2020
The Center - “Our public discourse must turn away from retrospective litigation and verbal crossfire and, instead, shift towards real politics…” 10/23/2020Boredom: a Double-Edged Sword, for Individuals and Society The Center - “Compared to these other negative emotional states, boredom might seem like a trivial complaint. However, boredom can cause real problems if not directed towards healthy and constructive behaviors.” 10/14/2020
The Center - “Compared to these other negative emotional states, boredom might seem like a trivial complaint. However, boredom can cause real problems if not directed towards healthy and constructive behaviors.” 10/14/2020The Politicization of Psychiatry The Center - “Given the numerous historical antecedents, it is likely that—probably sooner rather than later—politics would get in the way of such clinical assessments.“ 10/11/2020
The Center - “Given the numerous historical antecedents, it is likely that—probably sooner rather than later—politics would get in the way of such clinical assessments.“ 10/11/2020In Praise of Trump’s “Platinum Plan” for Black Americans The Right - “Many on the Left imply that President Trump’s initiative is just about pandering to black Americans; however, I see his plan as a roadmap to prosperity and fairness.” 10/11/2020
The Right - “Many on the Left imply that President Trump’s initiative is just about pandering to black Americans; however, I see his plan as a roadmap to prosperity and fairness.” 10/11/2020
What Ever Happened to Answering the Question? The Center - “These were not typical evasions regarding policies; they were evasions regarding principles.” 10/8/2020
The Center - “These were not typical evasions regarding policies; they were evasions regarding principles.” 10/8/2020Assuaging Conservatives’ Fears about a Biden Presidency The Center - “The former option is President Trump; the latter is politics.” 10/7/2020
The Center - “The former option is President Trump; the latter is politics.” 10/7/2020Members of Congress Should Live Together, But Not in Dorms The Center - “…I propose the Republican Party and the Democratic Party collectively raise money from private donors to build a 535-unit townhouse neighborhood in Washington, D.C., where all of our elected representatives will live together along with their families…” 10/5/2020
The Center - “…I propose the Republican Party and the Democratic Party collectively raise money from private donors to build a 535-unit townhouse neighborhood in Washington, D.C., where all of our elected representatives will live together along with their families…” 10/5/2020A Few Reflections on the Death of Breonna Taylor The Right - “Yes, racism does exist. Yes, Breonna Taylor’s death was a tragedy. However, Breonna Taylor’s tragic death is not rooted in racism.” 10/3/2020
The Right - “Yes, racism does exist. Yes, Breonna Taylor’s death was a tragedy. However, Breonna Taylor’s tragic death is not rooted in racism.” 10/3/2020Changing My Mind on Universal Basic Income The Right - “With 14 million Americans suddenly plunged into indefinite unemployment, has UBI become more popular? It seems like the answer is yes and no.” 10/2/2020
The Right - “With 14 million Americans suddenly plunged into indefinite unemployment, has UBI become more popular? It seems like the answer is yes and no.” 10/2/2020Tax Evasion and the Catholic Church’s Plank in Its Eye The Center - “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.” 9/29/2020
The Center - “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.” 9/29/2020“The American People”—a Phrase Worth Discarding The Center - “…there are perhaps a few other aspects of the phrase that ought to make it first on the chopping block when considering which expressions really out to be expunged immediately from our national discourse.” 9/29/2020
The Center - “…there are perhaps a few other aspects of the phrase that ought to make it first on the chopping block when considering which expressions really out to be expunged immediately from our national discourse.” 9/29/2020Don’t Blame Free Speech for Extremism The Right - “Free speech does not enable extremism. Quite the contrary: It is the primary means to challenge wrongheaded attitudes, ideologies, and belief systems.” 9/28/2020
The Right - “Free speech does not enable extremism. Quite the contrary: It is the primary means to challenge wrongheaded attitudes, ideologies, and belief systems.” 9/28/2020The Grift That Keeps on Grifting: the Troubling Issue on Campus The Center - “One of the most common questions posed by those trying to fight this is: What can we do to stop this? As someone who works in education and higher learning, I can provide three potential options…” 9/20/2020
The Center - “One of the most common questions posed by those trying to fight this is: What can we do to stop this? As someone who works in education and higher learning, I can provide three potential options…” 9/20/2020“Systemic Racism”: a Popular Illusion The Right - “These slavery and race theorists are correct about the existence of the stain but wrong about it being indelible.” 9/19/2020
The Right - “These slavery and race theorists are correct about the existence of the stain but wrong about it being indelible.” 9/19/2020Bob Woodward and “Citizen Trump” The Right - “President Trump was acting as the United States’ cheerleader, his Republican supporters argue. He was derelict in his duty to protect the American public, charge his Democratic opponents.” 9/16/2020
The Right - “President Trump was acting as the United States’ cheerleader, his Republican supporters argue. He was derelict in his duty to protect the American public, charge his Democratic opponents.” 9/16/2020Searching for Common Meaning in the Age of Polarization The Center - “It is not between Red and Blue states; it is a battle about whether there is meaning outside of politics.” 9/16/2020
The Center - “It is not between Red and Blue states; it is a battle about whether there is meaning outside of politics.” 9/16/2020When the Press Is Just as Guilty of “Election Interference” The Right - “As for now, journalists of Goldberg’s type are simply in the electoral interference business; and they just so happen to be doing it from within the United States’ own borders and from beneath the mastheads of once-respected magazines.” 9/15/2020
The Right - “As for now, journalists of Goldberg’s type are simply in the electoral interference business; and they just so happen to be doing it from within the United States’ own borders and from beneath the mastheads of once-respected magazines.” 9/15/2020Secretary Mattis and “Meditations” on Trump The Right - “Secretary Mattis’ words are a warning and a reminder that our roots were born not of anger but of a deeply felt awareness of human limitation.” 9/12/2020
The Right - “Secretary Mattis’ words are a warning and a reminder that our roots were born not of anger but of a deeply felt awareness of human limitation.” 9/12/2020In Gratitude for the Executive Order on Critical Race Theory The Right - “The Melting Pot is a quaint notion now perhaps (and no longer widely taught to curious young boys and girls), but I find it useful as a basic counterimage to the sophisticated, academic concept of Critical Race Theory now being taught.” 9/11/2020
The Right - “The Melting Pot is a quaint notion now perhaps (and no longer widely taught to curious young boys and girls), but I find it useful as a basic counterimage to the sophisticated, academic concept of Critical Race Theory now being taught.” 9/11/2020“Holding the Powerful Accountable”—Empty Words? The Center - “The holding the powerful accountable phrase resonates as it does—and, presumably, is chosen by the news media’s back-patters—because it is, indeed, precisely what a news media should be doing.” 9/7/2020
The Center - “The holding the powerful accountable phrase resonates as it does—and, presumably, is chosen by the news media’s back-patters—because it is, indeed, precisely what a news media should be doing.” 9/7/2020How Looting Destroyed Venezuela: a Cautionary Tale The Center - “And one particular author, Vicky Osterweil, has shamelessly written a book entitled In Defense of Looting.” 9/1/2020
The Center - “And one particular author, Vicky Osterweil, has shamelessly written a book entitled In Defense of Looting.” 9/1/2020