August, 2017 archive
All That Was Old Is New Again 0
In The Roanoke Times, John Ketwig recalls yet another little-mentioned time when the United States had an active Nazi movement, back before the prefix “neo” would have been germane.
I shall not attempt to excerpt or summarize it. Just go there.
A Cholesterol Cocktail 0
Redacted Tonight’s Natalie McGill lampoons corporations’ “corporate responsibility theatrics.”
The Screening Process 0
Honest to Pete and Betsy both, you can’t make this stuff up.
The Invisible Hand 0
In a thoughtful piece in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Jennifer Nelson muses on how she has benefited from white privilege throughout her life. Here’s a bit:
The deceptive thing about privilege is this: If you have it, you are unlikely to notice it, because it just is.
Trump in Translation 0
Dick Polman deciphers the hieroglyphics.
Parallels of History (Updated) 0
Paul Krugman see similarities between Trump and Caligula.
Writing a week later, Nicholas Kristoff suggests that Caligula comes off looking pretty good in the comparison.
Addendum, Early the Next Day:
Meanwhile, some buffoon at Forbes asserts that Caligula was a Democrat.
Words fail me.
White-in-more-than-one-way-wash 0
In The Roanoke Times, historian Robert Willingham points out just who, exactly, is guilty of “whitewashing history.” A nugget; follow the link for the rest:
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*The statues were erected during the beginning of the Jim Crow era, roughly about a century ago.
Fatal Attraction 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Alice LoCicero explores reasons why “good kids” may be susceptible to appeals to join white supremacist groups. She theorizes that a misguided, even misappropriated, sense of justice may form part of the equation. An excerpt:
I’m not sure I buy her theory in toto and her article has a few leaps of logic (not that I necessarily disagree with the gist of what she says, but that the connections are not well-made), but I do think she’s on to something.
It’s only in cartoons that the bad guy twirls his mustache, and says, “What kind of evil shall I do today?” In real life, the baddest bad guy thinks that his actions are somehow justified or, at least, excusable.
Still Hanging on 0
In The Des Moines Register, Cameron Carr reminds us that white America has never faced up the the legacy of chattel slavery and the embrace of racism. Here’s a bit of what he says:
Read the rest, then look at this month’s news and dare argue that he’s wrong.
QOTD 0
George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax:
Anger is never without an argument, but seldom with a good one.
