Inclusivity has always been a central feature of Sesame Street. Part of this, nearly from the beginning, involved an established couple in an alternative lifestyle. At the time, that made it the most cutting edge children’s show of all in terms of diversity. That makes it all the more problematic that a recent effort to conspicuously keep pace has fallen short of delivering the most progressive messages to a young audience. (more…)
Tag: Beau Albrecht
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“How would you feel if you were black?” We’ve all heard that one before, right? John Howard Griffin sought to discover the answer in 1959 by radically altering his appearance. His book Black Like Me (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1961) told the story. As the opening blurb explains:
Griffin worked with Martin Luther King, Dick Gregory, Saul Alinsky, and NAACP Director Roy Wilkins throughout the Civil Rights era. He taught at the University of Peace with Nobel Peace Laureate Father Dominique Pire, and delivered more than a thousand lectures in Europe, Canada and the US.
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3,762 words
Some studies suggest that the Ashkenazi Jewish population is the most intelligent ethnic group in the world. This tends to create a mystique about them, as well as bolsters a certain Herrenvolk narrative. It supplements the aura of awe centered on the long preexisting notion that they are God’s chosen people. (more…)
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What is it like to be a social media censor? I have no direct knowledge. In fact, I’d prefer to become a male prostitute than do a thing like that. (I’d rather sell my body than my personal integrity.) However, the article “The secret lives of Facebook moderators in America” does have some insights on the subject. (more…)
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Cornel West
Race Matters
New York: Beacon Press, 1994Cornel West’s Race Matters is about the black experience in America, much as one might expect. (more…)
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June 15, 2021 Beau Albrecht
The Oded Yinon Plan & American Foreign Policy
Arabic version here
In 1982, a foreign policy white paper appeared in a fairly obscure Israeli quarterly, which informally became known as the Oded Yinon Plan. That much wouldn’t have been too momentous, except that the author certainly wasn’t a run-of-the-mill policy wonk. Oded Yinon held a high post in the Israeli foreign ministry, and also seems to have been close to Ariel Sharon. More to the point, his far-flung agenda bore a remarkable resemblance to the future of the Middle East, and in particular, the last two decades of the USA’s fine messes therein. (more…)
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Wilhelm Reich
The Mass Psychology of Fascism
New York: Farrar, Straus and Company, 1946What makes Fascists tick? Wilhelm Reich said he had the answer in his groundbreaking book The Mass Psychology of Fascism. (more…)
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Author’s note: An earlier version of this appeared at Return of Kings as “How Our Government Is Sanctioning A New Kind Of Tyranny.” The following expanded version is in my compilation Deplorable Diatribes.
My first encounter with anarcho-tyranny was when my grandfather got busted in a sting. His “crime” was cutting hair without a license, which got him a fine. (more…)
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Could it be time for an alternative to the two-party system? For anyone who hasn’t yet got the memo, it’s time to stop holding out hope for the Republican Party. As conservatives, they couldn’t even conserve the women’s bathroom. (more…)
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Ta-Nehisi Coates
Between the World and Me
New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2015Ta-Nehisi Coates has become one of the most eminent literary figures in recent time. In the last decade, his star has risen dramatically. He’s perhaps best known for his journalism work at the Atlantic, but he also has been published by NYT, WaPo, Time, and several other major periodicals. (more…)
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If An Agent Knocks is a guidebook written by the Center for Constitutional Rights. Although they’re a left-leaning advocacy group, they’re not the sort likely to make you run away screaming as if Cthulhu is trying to eat your mind. Actually, some of their causes may be of interest. The intended audience is those who might be targeted by politically-motivated investigations and harassment under color of law. I’ll go over the basics, and add my extensive commentary as usual. (more…)