Tag Archives: Race

Our Racial History Marches On

Our Racial History Marches On

The more I teach and think about our history, the more I teach and think about race. It is really inescapable, as highlighted by three events this past week (in reverse order): President Obama’s masterful speech commemorating the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday (video, text). The Justice Department’s scathing report on race in the Ferguson criminal justice… Continue Reading

Getting Better, or Worse, for Whom?

Getting Better, or Worse, for Whom?

On January 24, Nicholas Kristof printed a column reminding us (among other things) that our economy is getting harder. Five days later, in response to a separate incident, Megan McArdle had a piece reminding us that individual consumers are much better off than they used to be. Though making opposite arguments, the pieces shared a… Continue Reading

Lies and Knows It Lies

Lies and Knows It Lies

The right of each citizen to vote is the basis of democracy. It is the foundational right by which all others are ultimately preserved. As such, it must be accorded the highest priority; all other concerns must be secondary. This includes attempts to “increase voter confidence” and other claims in favor of recent voter ID… Continue Reading

Partyism Top to Bottom

Partyism Top to Bottom

The argument that partyism has surpassed racism is pretty week.* But I do believe “partyism” is a possible problem, one with experienced by the masses and largely caused by elite behavior. For the masses, partyism keeps us from talking about specifics in ways that might promote understanding and compromise. If our go-to position regarding those… Continue Reading

Facing Race and Class

Facing Race and Class

In part to be contrary, I’m going to suggest that to get this nation moving in a positive direction, we need to have a radical discussion about the basic economic realities that most Americans are facing, including the impact of race and class in our hyper-stratified society. This is not to say that tackling the… Continue Reading

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