Politics

What the Surest Sign of Decline Is, And Why It Matters — When I look at America — and Europe — I see a sad fact. One that troubles me to no end. The ongoing death of the dream. And that bodes ill for the future. Because what binds our societies together more than anything else is just that, a dream. The…

It’s Funny To Hear Trump Compare DeSantis to Hitler. But It’s Funny for a Reason. — There are moments when watching democracies in peril becomes farce. Think of any number of dictators in self-styled commandant outfits, or, perhaps the way that Brexit Britain…chose self destruction. Yesterday was just such a moment. Ron DeSantis was finally to announce his bid for Presidency. With a little help from…

The stories we tell about violence determine who we see as a real person. — A few months ago, I realized that I couldn’t watch on-screen violence any more. This was an odd development. I write a newsletter about horror movies; I’ve scripted two horror comics. Violent imagery is part of how I make a living. I also have no objection to violence as subject…

Why Just Existing in an Age Like This Is Pervasively Traumatic — Yesterday, a double whammy of a warning. The Surgeon General warned of a “profound risk of harm” from social media, especially to kids. …

Are we really doing this again? — In 1932, something terrible happened. A Russian-American named Bernard London published an essay called “Ending The Great Depression through Planned Obsolescence.” He said it was horrible for business that Americans used things for so long, and that consumer products were too durable. He said companies should design products to wear…

How to condemn villainy without stigmatizing mental illness — How despicable we are for demonizing Donald Trump! He’s the most obviously mentally ill person who has a prominent role in public life. The stigma of mental illness is real. In some of my writings, I’ve attempted to wipe away that mark of disgrace by exploring the philosophical aspect of…

Unless you live in a vacuum, for the past several months, you have heard of the possibility of a debt ceiling crisis, which both sides of the political spectrum claim is the other one’s fault! While the annual Budget Deficit, and the Debt Ceiling, are far different entities, some politicians…

Chris Hayes had the graphs to show that it is Republicans who blow the budget when they are in power as they hold Democrats from appropriate spending by taking America, hostage with the debt ceiling and filibuster. Chris Hayes nailed it again.

Putin, Trump, and DeSantis use our need for peace and calm against us — At first, I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Almost from the moment we met, our relationship went from “Hi, my name is,” to Sophie’s Choice-level drama and passion. I disregarded those warning signs, though. Confused, when I tried to ask why I was suddenly guilty for all of…