Weekly Roundup and The Fight Over What Children Learn
· 6 min read
Dear Readers,
We have an eclectic range of pieces in store for you this week. If you're after an engrossing long-read, S. Stiles's harrowing narrative of her son’s battle with encephalitis—chronically misdiagnosed as autism—is not to be missed. We also have essays on Imperial College London's self-defeating cancel campaign against its own founders, the acquittal of the Colston Four, and Scott Newman reflects on the themes of HBO's Succession.
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Until next time,
—Claire Lehmann,
Founding Editor
Weekly Roundup
The Fight Over What Children Learn
The COVID pandemic has radically changed the ordinary functioning of life across the globe. One of the largest changes has been to education. In the US, schools were closed or moved to Zoom, and those that returned to in-person learning often did so with masks, distancing, and plexiglass shields. Th…
Moshe Krakowski
Why Environmentalists Pose a Bigger Obstacle to Effective Climate Policy than Denialists
In the recent Netflix smash hit Don’t Look Up, scientists try to warn the world about a comet hurtling towards Earth that is going to wipe out human civilization and possibly life itself. Except, no-one wants to hear the bad news: the US president is too busy with the
Maarten Boudry
Across the Muslim World, Islamism is Going out of Vogue
Though the Taliban has once again taken power in Afghanistan, they have come back at a rather inopportune time. Across the Muslim world, many seem to be souring on Islamists, defined as those who derive legitimacy from Islam and advocate for modern states to be governed along Islamic precepts, both
Imran Said
Autism or Encephalitis?
My Son’s Misdiagnosis and Our Family’s Season in Hell
One night in August 2021, at around 2am, my husband and I were awakened by the sound of laughter coming from our son’s bedroom down the hall. I went in to check on him. Our five-year-old, “Leo,” was awake and running around the room in circles, plowing into toys
S. Stiles
Imperial College London’s Cancel Campaign Against Its Own Founders
Imperial College London was founded in 1907. It is one of the top 20 universities in the world, and among the leading technical universities in Europe. Two individuals were central to its foundation. The first is 19th-century English biologist Thomas Henry Huxley, who became known as “Darwin’s Bulld…
Stephen Warren
“Not Necessarily Nice Things”
Uncomfortable Truths in Succession
Editor’s note: the following essay contains plot spoilers Succession is the best show on television, and its most recent round of awards is well deserved. On January 10th, the show snagged a Golden Globe for Best Drama, while Sarah Snook and Jeremy Strong were honored as Best Actor and Best
Scott Newman
The Acquittal of the Colston Four
On December 14th, 2021, the UK’s Justice Minister, Dominic Raab, wrote an article for the Times, in which he announced plans to reform the Human Rights Act, which incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights into domestic law. It would be replaced, he said, with a British “Bill of
Matthew Scott
We’re Lesbians on the Autism Spectrum. Stop Telling Us to Become Men
If there was ever a case for a trans child, I was it. Let’s take a look at the DSM-5 guidelines and its diagnostic definition of gender dysphoria, followed by descriptions of my own experience: A strong desire to be of the other gender or insistence that one is
J Peters
Next Year in Simla: Thirty years After Its Defeat, the Khalistan Movement Fights on in Cyberspace
The death threats have definitely gone upscale. Fifteen years ago, they were quite uncouth. As one put it: “time to find out where Milewski lives and put his head on a stick.” Over time, though, they’ve become a little more polished. Okay, the little gun needs no translation. But
Terry Milewski
This Is About More Than Ukraine
In the early days of World War Two, George Orwell published a marvelous essay entitled “England Your England.” With the Luftwaffe in the skies above London laying waste to the city, Orwell observed a peculiarly contemptible trait of the English intelligentsia. In a word, this portion of the national…
Brian Stewart
‘As We See It’ and the Changing Discussion About Autism
A few days ago, Amazon released As We See It, a new series about three roommates on the autism spectrum who struggle with employment, relationships, and other life issues. As an autistic man, I was intrigued. There have been many sympathetic depictions of autism in recent art and entertainment, but
Jonathan Mitchell
From Around the Web
Elites universities should stop prizing victimhood
As a former foster kid myself, I felt a strange combination of emotions while reading a recent story in The Chronicle of Higher Education about a student named Mackenzie Fierceton, at the University of Pennsylvania. Fierceton apparently embellished her background in her application to the Ivy League…
Kate Clanchy
The Rule of Midwits
A set of decentralized, ideologically driven selection mechanisms is propelling the decay and collapse of American institutions
Lee Smith
Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps: “Can We Have Sex Back?” with Alice Dreger on Apple Podcasts
Show Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps, Ep “Can We Have Sex Back?” with Alice Dreger - 13 Jan 2022
