I’m seeing more behavior like this. And it typically calls for watering down progressive demands—as if the watered-down versions are perfectly fine. Typically, though, they're made by people who aren’t…
Think about the mainstream press that we are encouraged to believe is reasonable. Its writers and its editorial policies have their own, often subtle, manipulative strategies (much of which we…
Created for a late October, 2020, Zoom class, and based on a good deal of internet research, this short collection of slides summarizes some key factors that interested me about…
I've spent much of the last 4 or so years puzzled by why so many "ordinary" people (that is, those who will never be part of any political administration) seem…
[This is a significant re-write of an essay I originally posted on Sept. 9, 2020.] Many of us are in terror that even if Trump loses the election, he and…
During the recent rise in attention to racism (some of which makes me hopeful that the topic is getting crucially new understanding, importance and urgency), I've often been frustrated by…
My wife, Barbara Beitch, and I are museum junkies, frustrated by (among other things) the inability to visit local and distant museums, large and small (we have been known to…
I fear this isn't obvious: Given the long history of antisemitism across demographic groups, it is hardly surprising to see it cropping up (or rather, re-cropping up) today among some…
To the degree I trust and count on the accuracy of polls, I believe the country has strong support for masks and other covid precautions. To the degree that I…