Donald Trump and the Perils of Myth-Making
In the wake of the shooting, we should neither demonise nor sanctify Trump, but assess him by normal political standards.
Jason Garshfield
· 7 min read
US Politics
A collection of 65 posts
Courage and Cowardice in Pennsylvania
In trying to assassinate Donald Trump, Thomas Matthew Crooks inadvertently provided Trump with an opportunity to display the very qualities that have made him a cult icon.
Claire Lehmann
· 7 min read
Stop Decriminalising Crime
When a gap opens between what the law punishes and what society believes should be punished, people lose respect for the law and are more likely to violate it.
Paul H. Robinson, Jeffrey Seaman
· 11 min read
Misadventures of a Stalinist Stooge
Benn Steil’s engrossing new biography of Henry A. Wallace is a timely cautionary tale and a masterpiece of 20th-century American history.
Ronald Radosh
· 23 min read
American Carnage
Alex Garland’s spectacular new film ‘Civil War’ is a warning of what can happen to democracies when civil society collapses.
Allan Stratton
· 7 min read
Funhouse-Mirror Fusionism
Like the traditionalists and libertarians, integralists and vitalists find themselves advancing analogous causes: one stands for a moral order and cohesive community, and the other for the exceptional individual.
Cincinnatus Smith
· 14 min read
Broken Covenant
Will Democrats abandon Biden over Israel?
Brian Stewart
· 7 min read
The Optimistic Space Between Black and White
Reflecting on "The Case for Black Optimism" by Coleman Hughes
Megan Gafford
· 6 min read
No, There’s No ‘Epidemic’ of Anti-Transgender Violence
Human Rights Campaign’s own data suggest trans Americans suffer a homicide risk that’s actually less than the U.S. average.
Brad Polumbo
· 8 min read
Kissinger and Cambodia
Henry Kissinger’s policies influenced Cambodia’s fate, but they alone did not cause the rise of the Khmer Rouge.
Lachlan Peters
· 21 min read
The Return of the Creationists
How can we expect political sense or reason from people who cannot distinguish empirical reality from ancient myth?
Lawrence M. Krauss
· 4 min read
The Perils of Affective Polarization
Our increasing desire to isolate ourselves from supporters of the opposite party can have dire consequences.
Julian Adorney
· 9 min read
America Has Serious Problems. It’s Time to Stop Blaming Them on ‘Trumpism’
It is always tempting to portray one’s political opponents as consumed by some inveterate flaw or social contaminant that marks them as fallen creatures.
Quillette
· 10 min read
For Five Months, BLM Protestors Trashed America's Cities. After the Election, Things May Only Get Worse
Common themes in the emerging constellation of radical groups include apocalyptic beliefs, a “utopian” political agenda, martyr narratives, and a cell-based organizational structure.
Mike Gonzalez
· 9 min read
Tara Reade's Dubious Claims and Shifting Stories Show the Limits of #BelieveWomen
If Reade’s claims really do sink Biden in November, the Democrats will merely be reaping what their moral panic has sowed.
Cathy Young
· 26 min read