Smoking Symbolism

It has been long established that flag burning is an activity protected under the First Amendment. The burning of this symbol strikes many as unpatriotic, seditious, insulting and decidedly illegitimate protest. The beauty of the First Amendment, however, lies in its ability to elevate controversial forms of protest and defend them against silencing. It reinforces […]

Relections on the Paradox

Point 1 | The lexicon of the liberal democracy is insufficient to appeal to all people in all contexts. The attraction to liberal democracy is largely dependant upon a multitude of factors, but it is impossible to identify any universal core principle that would require people to adopt a new liberal democratic form of organizing. The […]

Dawn of the Trumpocracy

The result of Tuesday’s election was an open-handed slap to the face of every woman, immigrant, person of color and supporter of progressive thought in the United States and the world. The election of Donald J. Trump as the head of state, regardless of any good that might come from it in the end, stands as an […]

Welcome to the Circus

The American conservative, if we are to take anything from this terrifying joke of an election, is an amazing creature. Capable of astounding feats of hypocrisy, remarkable leaps of faith, daring acts of logical acrobatics and awesome rhetorical magic, this group has singlehandedly brought the United States to the precipice. Whether or not the nation […]

Fact Check – Senate Edition

Researchers, journalists and political wonks have been very busy this election when it comes to the subject of fact checking. Of course the main focus has been looking into the claims and accusations of the most visible figures on the national stage, but there has been plenty of work to be done further down the […]

Civil Disobedience and Its Detractors

The ongoing events in Charlotte, North Carolina again bring to the public’s attention the strange tension at work in this country when it comes to the notion of civil disobedience. On the one hand we have a nation whose very existence is a testament to the power of action in the face of traditional authority. Ours […]

White Guilt and the Meaning of Racism

What do we mean when we talk about racism? Is it the wholesale enslavement of Africans and the subsequent segregation and imprisonment of their progeny? Is it the false reality in which white Americans insulate themselves that allows state-sanctioned murders to play out on police cameras while we cover our ears and say to ourselves […]