U.S. Inaction with Rohingya Genocide Echoes Past Sins
The Left - “More than 25 years after the Rwandan genocide, the United States’ current response—or lack thereof—to the state-sanctioned violence against the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar is chillingly similar.” 3/11/2020
The Left - “More than 25 years after the Rwandan genocide, the United States’ current response—or lack thereof—to the state-sanctioned violence against the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar is chillingly similar.” 3/11/2020The Coronavirus and Modern Malthusians
The Center - “One important aspect in controlling the coronavirus and saving patients’ lives will be the use of ventilators in hospitals. How are these produced? They sure as hell cannot be produced in Unabomber-style cabins.” 3/10/2020
The Center - “One important aspect in controlling the coronavirus and saving patients’ lives will be the use of ventilators in hospitals. How are these produced? They sure as hell cannot be produced in Unabomber-style cabins.” 3/10/2020Bernie Sanders’ Cargo Cult Approach to Scandinavia
The Center - “People do run the extra mile to leave something to their children, even if said children happen to be spoiled brats. Bernie fails to understand this.” 3/6/2020
The Center - “People do run the extra mile to leave something to their children, even if said children happen to be spoiled brats. Bernie fails to understand this.” 3/6/2020“Post-Truth” Politics Comes Far More from the Left Than from Kellyanne Conway The Center - “But, I still think that—in balance—the Internet has contributed far more to truth than to non-truth.” 3/4/2020
The Center - “But, I still think that—in balance—the Internet has contributed far more to truth than to non-truth.” 3/4/2020Sanders, Trump, and the Decline of the Policy Wonk
The Center - “Today, we tend to hear more about how ‘health care is a human right’ with comparatively less talk about the economic or health impact universal health care might have on the nation.” 3/3/2020
The Center - “Today, we tend to hear more about how ‘health care is a human right’ with comparatively less talk about the economic or health impact universal health care might have on the nation.” 3/3/2020What Leap Years Teach Us about Social Justice Warriors
The Center - “Ultimately, the Gregorian calendar had been rejected by Protestants, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims. The rejection was not because of a scientific claim but because of opposition to its origin.” 2/29/2020
The Center - “Ultimately, the Gregorian calendar had been rejected by Protestants, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims. The rejection was not because of a scientific claim but because of opposition to its origin.” 2/29/2020Coronavirus Outbreak Must Not Morph into Anti-Chinese Stereotyping The Center - “Yes, China could do better in terms of public hygiene. But, moral panic over the foods the Chinese eat is more about cultural prejudices than anything else.” 2/28/2020
The Center - “Yes, China could do better in terms of public hygiene. But, moral panic over the foods the Chinese eat is more about cultural prejudices than anything else.” 2/28/2020The Other Aspect of Castro’s Cuba Bernie Should Praise The Center - “Just as Martin Luther King deserves praise for the ‘content of their character’ quote—Castro also deserves credit for his colorblind approach to race.” 2/28/2020
The Center - “Just as Martin Luther King deserves praise for the ‘content of their character’ quote—Castro also deserves credit for his colorblind approach to race.” 2/28/2020Jordan Peterson, at His Core, Teaches Personal Responsibility The Right - “…for all of those who continue to maintain that Jordan Peterson is problematic because of something one of his followers somewhere did, keep in mind that—above all else—Jordan Peterson is a proponent of individuals taking responsibility for their own lives.” 2/27/2020
The Right - “…for all of those who continue to maintain that Jordan Peterson is problematic because of something one of his followers somewhere did, keep in mind that—above all else—Jordan Peterson is a proponent of individuals taking responsibility for their own lives.” 2/27/2020The Travesty of Comparing Jordan Peterson to Hitler
The Right - “Not only ought Gabriel Andrade resist implying there are parallels to be found by Peterson and Hitler, but he also should keep in mind how many lives have been positively changed thanks to his ideas.” 2/24/2020
The Right - “Not only ought Gabriel Andrade resist implying there are parallels to be found by Peterson and Hitler, but he also should keep in mind how many lives have been positively changed thanks to his ideas.” 2/24/2020What Andrew Scheer Gets Wrong about “Privilege”
The Left - “…we have a new entry in the contest for the most craven wielding of social justice lingo in Canadian political history: Andrew Scheer exhorting the individuals aiding indigenous rail blockades to, ‘check their privilege.'” 2/23/2020
The Left - “…we have a new entry in the contest for the most craven wielding of social justice lingo in Canadian political history: Andrew Scheer exhorting the individuals aiding indigenous rail blockades to, ‘check their privilege.'” 2/23/2020Bernie Sanders: a Hypocrite? The Center - “He must not antagonize millionaires, but, rather, he must acknowledge that voluntarily giving away wealth is hard to do even while you know that inequality is a problem; and precisely for that reason, we need taxes.” 2/18/2020
The Center - “He must not antagonize millionaires, but, rather, he must acknowledge that voluntarily giving away wealth is hard to do even while you know that inequality is a problem; and precisely for that reason, we need taxes.” 2/18/2020The Nordic Model is Achievable (Without Going to Extremes)
The Left - “After all, the disagreement between the authors of The Times piece and the author of the Jacobin piece is only even made possible by the fact that the Finnish system does not easily conform to either model.” 2/13/2020
The Left - “After all, the disagreement between the authors of The Times piece and the author of the Jacobin piece is only even made possible by the fact that the Finnish system does not easily conform to either model.” 2/13/2020I Have a Suggestion for My Fellow Black Americans—This Black History Month The Right - “By allowing this ball and chain of victimhood to stay attached to us (and having this mentality that everyone and everything is racist), we are doing ourselves and our ancestors no favors.” 2/10/2020
The Right - “By allowing this ball and chain of victimhood to stay attached to us (and having this mentality that everyone and everything is racist), we are doing ourselves and our ancestors no favors.” 2/10/2020I Was Born in Venezuela, so I Have Something to Say about Bernie Sanders
The Center - “With the benefit of hindsight, we know that many lives could have been spared in bloody revolutions, if only these reformers were taken more seriously.” 2/9/2020
The Center - “With the benefit of hindsight, we know that many lives could have been spared in bloody revolutions, if only these reformers were taken more seriously.” 2/9/2020Reflections of an Ivy League Guy Sleeping Outside for His First Trump Rally The Right - “It is a lot harder to vilify a man for whom 10,000 people will make a pilgrimage for only the chance to see him. I can say—despite my complaints—that I am proud and honored to have been among them.” 1/30/2020
The Right - “It is a lot harder to vilify a man for whom 10,000 people will make a pilgrimage for only the chance to see him. I can say—despite my complaints—that I am proud and honored to have been among them.” 1/30/2020The Holocaust Mustn’t Be Used as a Political Talking Point The Center - “Some in Israel, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have been manipulative enough to claim that activists protesting against settlements in the West Bank were akin to Nazi architects of genocide.” 1/30/2020
The Center - “Some in Israel, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have been manipulative enough to claim that activists protesting against settlements in the West Bank were akin to Nazi architects of genocide.” 1/30/2020John Kenneth Galbraith’s Newest “Crisis of American Democracy”
The Right - “What should concern us now, however, is an emergent threat: the risk of a ‘tyranny of the minority,’ powered further by artificial intelligence (AI).” 1/28/2020
The Right - “What should concern us now, however, is an emergent threat: the risk of a ‘tyranny of the minority,’ powered further by artificial intelligence (AI).” 1/28/2020Three Simple Rules for Discussing Politics
The Center - “I would also add that it is best to avoid the tendency toward what I would call know-betterism, where we take the role of a parental figure trying to guide our political opponents to the light.” 1/27/2020
The Center - “I would also add that it is best to avoid the tendency toward what I would call know-betterism, where we take the role of a parental figure trying to guide our political opponents to the light.” 1/27/2020When Criminal Justice Reform Goes Too Far The Right - “While bettering the criminal justice system is always laudable, measures that benefit criminal gangs run afoul of every principle for which our government stands.” 1/27/2020
The Right - “While bettering the criminal justice system is always laudable, measures that benefit criminal gangs run afoul of every principle for which our government stands.” 1/27/2020I Didn’t Vote for Trump But Strongly Oppose His Impeachment The Right - “However, now—after seeing how he has been treated by Democrats since he was elected—he will have my vote in 2020.” 1/25/2020
The Right - “However, now—after seeing how he has been treated by Democrats since he was elected—he will have my vote in 2020.” 1/25/2020Why Progressives Should Not Pin Their Hopes on Impeachment The Left - “So while I think it is important that the impeachment trial proceed, it is far more key for progressives to vest in political and social movements that target the underlying problems.” 1/23/2020
The Left - “So while I think it is important that the impeachment trial proceed, it is far more key for progressives to vest in political and social movements that target the underlying problems.” 1/23/2020Before the March for Life, a Word to the Wise The Right - “If the legal pro-lifer really wants to reduce the number of abortions, he or she has no choice but to argue for why abortion is wrong, why a culture in which abortion is frowned upon is superior…” 1/22/2020
The Right - “If the legal pro-lifer really wants to reduce the number of abortions, he or she has no choice but to argue for why abortion is wrong, why a culture in which abortion is frowned upon is superior…” 1/22/2020For Trump 2020, There’s More to the Story than Just the Stock Market The Center - “But basing a campaign strategy on acceptable headline economic numbers while some parts of the nation are already in a recession is nothing short of tone deaf.” 1/21/2020
The Center - “But basing a campaign strategy on acceptable headline economic numbers while some parts of the nation are already in a recession is nothing short of tone deaf.” 1/21/2020“Megxit” and America’s Exportation of Identity Politics
The Center - “American cultural imperialism is not just about McDonald’s or Disney; America also exports identity politics.” 1/14/2020
The Center - “American cultural imperialism is not just about McDonald’s or Disney; America also exports identity politics.” 1/14/2020Writing about Jordan Peterson for the First Time
The Center - “Nevertheless, The Rise of Jordan Peterson comes to me as a relief. Prior to Peterson, the position of the hip professor loved by college students (with all sorts of memes and merchandises using his image), was occupied by Slavoj Žižek.” 1/9/2020
The Center - “Nevertheless, The Rise of Jordan Peterson comes to me as a relief. Prior to Peterson, the position of the hip professor loved by college students (with all sorts of memes and merchandises using his image), was occupied by Slavoj Žižek.” 1/9/2020Why the World Should Thank Trump for Killing Soleimani The Right - “In the event that one is not overly familiar with the past forty years of Iranian history, I will explain what I mean; Iran—over the past four decades—has perfected a playbook of deceit that is so effective that nearly anyone has the potential of falling for it.” 1/8/2020
The Right - “In the event that one is not overly familiar with the past forty years of Iranian history, I will explain what I mean; Iran—over the past four decades—has perfected a playbook of deceit that is so effective that nearly anyone has the potential of falling for it.” 1/8/2020The Killing of Qasem Soleimani, as Seen from Latin America
The Center - “One may criticize U.S. imperialism, yet, at the same time, it must be acknowledged that Iran is becoming an increasingly toxic influence in Latin America.” 1/6/2020
The Center - “One may criticize U.S. imperialism, yet, at the same time, it must be acknowledged that Iran is becoming an increasingly toxic influence in Latin America.” 1/6/2020As a Father to Two Special Needs Children—Weighing-in on Greta The Right - “What is particularly insidious here is that not only is the victim a child, but, on top of that, it is a special needs child.” 1/3/2020
The Right - “What is particularly insidious here is that not only is the victim a child, but, on top of that, it is a special needs child.” 1/3/2020Greta Thunberg and Misunderstanding Childhood
The Center - “The ‘Greta phenomenon’ tells us far more about our cultural approach to childhood than about global warming.” 1/2/2020
The Center - “The ‘Greta phenomenon’ tells us far more about our cultural approach to childhood than about global warming.” 1/2/2020The Best Kept Secret of Our Political Divide The Center - “At present, each identity sees the other as its enemy and justifies its own excesses with the excesses of the other, but living in a diverse multi-ethnic democracy means tolerating a certain degree of difference.” 12/17/2019
The Center - “At present, each identity sees the other as its enemy and justifies its own excesses with the excesses of the other, but living in a diverse multi-ethnic democracy means tolerating a certain degree of difference.” 12/17/2019On the Distributions of Education Scores around the World The Center - “In that manner, intelligence may have a genetic base, but, still, differences in intelligence observed among different groups may be environmental in origin.” 12/15/2019
The Center - “In that manner, intelligence may have a genetic base, but, still, differences in intelligence observed among different groups may be environmental in origin.” 12/15/2019Standing By Our Criticisms of Jordan Peterson The Left - “If Peterson manages to dispense good advice in spite of muddled philosophical and political reasoning, this attests to his psychological acuity. But it is does not magically redeem his intellectual output.” 12/10/2019
The Left - “If Peterson manages to dispense good advice in spite of muddled philosophical and political reasoning, this attests to his psychological acuity. But it is does not magically redeem his intellectual output.” 12/10/2019University Professor: the Reason Academia Is Useless
The Center - “Socrates and all the other great Greek masters emphasized the importance of leisure as part of education. In our Calvinist world, this has become a major sin.” 12/7/2019
The Center - “Socrates and all the other great Greek masters emphasized the importance of leisure as part of education. In our Calvinist world, this has become a major sin.” 12/7/2019The Best Argument For Jordan Peterson: My Friend, Fred The Right - “But again, this aside, Jordan Peterson’s lessons of personal responsibility and taking charge of one’s life are actually helping people, which brings me to my friend, Fred.” 12/4/2019
The Right - “But again, this aside, Jordan Peterson’s lessons of personal responsibility and taking charge of one’s life are actually helping people, which brings me to my friend, Fred.” 12/4/2019