Tag: The Humanities
The Three Americas: Nation, State, Idea
On July 4, 1776 (actually a few days earlier), a delegation of British colonists codified the United States of America. There was still a war to fight, an initial government […]
Understanding Schadenfreude and When It Makes You a Bad Person
Schadenfreude is a fun word to say. I could probably spend hours simply finding new ways to pronounce it. Sha-den-froy-duh. SHA-ten-FRAU-de. It’s endless. It is also one of my favorite […]
The 5 Dumbest Things to Happen This Week in History
Human beings are dumb. They always have been and, I suspect, always will be. That means people have been committing acts of dumbassery for hundreds of thousands of years. So, […]
Red Summer: When White America Went to War With Black America
World War I ended in 1919. The War to End All Wars did no such thing. The postwar era was defined by violence, upheaval, wealth inequality, economic collapse, and basically […]
An Incomplete Anti-Racist Reading List
“In a racist society it is not enough to be non-racist. We must be anti-racist” – Angela Davis Juneteenth is now a federal holiday in celebration of the signing of […]
Ranked Choice Voting Was Supposed to Save Us
In next week’s Mayoral primary, the voters of New York City will have a new process. They’ll be able to rank their top 5 candidates instead of choosing a single […]
Alexander the Great Dies on This Day in Ancient History, June 10, 323
Alexander the Great of Macedon was arguably the greatest conqueror in history. By the 300s BC, the Greek city-states were beginning to wane in terms of military dominance. Rome was […]
An Incomplete History of Scotch Whisky, Bourbon Whiskey, and Tennessee Whiskey
On This Day in History — June 1 — Whiskey, Whisky, and More Whiskey In most countries that import or export whiskey (or whisky), the drink is actually defined by […]
When the Crusaders Lost Jerusalem
Jerusalem has been a site of strife and struggle since Moses stood on the banks of the Jordan River and peered into the land “flowing with milk and honey.” Current […]
Leadership is Dead, Long Live the Memes
You may not have noticed but our society is currently desperate for leadership. Demand has dwarfed the supply. The leadership market has been flooded with fakes, counterfeits, and phonies posing […]