3,785 words

There’s that old saying that politics is showbiz for ugly people. If that’s true, I think it is fair to say that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has “gone Hollywood.” (more…)

From a manuscript of Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy.

1,638 words

I have never been to prison and I hope I never go to prison. In a perfect world, obeying the laws and refraining from illegal activity would be enough to guarantee a life without imprisonment. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. We are living in a world where propaganda, intimidation, and violence against white people is being promoted and encouraged. Yet when white people defend themselves, we are the ones who get arrested and sent to prison. For fear of their safety, many white people feel like prisoners (more…)

1,467 words

2019 was the year of the “frustrated-white-loser-living-at-home-with-his-mom” movie. First there was Todd Phillips’ Joker, an origin story of Batman’s most memorable nemesis, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the clown himself. Then came Clint Eastwood’s Richard Jewell, the true story of a Georgia security guard who discovered the Centennial Olympic Park bomb in 1996.

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3,125 words

Part 1 of 3 (Part 2 here)

(The title is a quotation from Tony Blair.)

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2,091 words

Jewish comedian Jackie Mason once made an interesting point during a Q&A routine he did at the National Press Club back in 1993. He said that black people are like women. What did he mean by that? (more…)

Richard Russell

1,200 words

We judge people. Even when people express sincere suicidal feelings, we can’t help judging them. They may be exhibiting a lot of self-pity or emotional chaos, because the situation they’re in justifies it. Their circumstances may be such that we would feel exactly the same way if we were in their shoes. Still, when we see these behaviors, it nudges us towards assuming that these tendencies must be what led to them ending up in their predicament in the first place. It’s unfair, but it’s natural: This often causes us to sympathize less. (more…)

4,350 words

There seems to be no slaking Western man’s thirst for spectator sports. The “bread and circuses” of the Roman Empire seem almost trivial by comparison. American culture is awash in worship of sports teams and professional athletes. (more…)

1,136 words

English original here

En 1787, le comte russe Grigori Aleksandrovitch Potemkine organisa une tournée pour Catherine la Grande dans les territoires récemment annexés en Crimée. Partout où alla Catherine, elle vit des villages remplis de paysans joyeux et prospères et conclut que tout allait bien. (more…)

Carl Gustav Carus, Memorial Monument to Goethe, 1835

1,030 words

V roce 1787 ruský hrab? Grigorij Alexandrovi? Pot?mkin zorganizoval po nov? získaných teritoriích na Krymu vyhlídkovou jízdu pro carevnu Kate?inu. Všude, kam Kate?ina vkro?ila, uvid?la nádherné vesnice se š?astnými, prosperujícími vesni?any a usoudila, že je všechno v po?ádku. I když se Pot?mkinovi nep?átelé snažili hrab?te obvinit z oklamání carevny a z toho, že falešné vesnice sám nechal postavit, Pot?mkinovy ostrovy prosperity se staly fenoménem. Od té doby se výrazu „Pot?mkinova vesnice“ používá pro situaci, kdy faleš budí zdání reality. (more…)

2,280 words

Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” in the 1960s set up millions of Blacks and Hispanics in cities on generous housing and welfare benefits. Before the Great Society, nobody assumed they could live on permanent government benefits, except maybe disabled veterans.

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991 words

French translation here

In 1787 the Russian count Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin organized a tour for Catherine the Great of recently annexed territories in the Crimea. Everywhere Catherine went, she saw villages filled with happy, prosperous peasants and concluded that all was well. Potemkin’s enemies, however, accused him of fooling the Empress by constructing fake villages, (more…)