occasional reflections on culture & politics
We are living in a world with many dangers, threats and uncertainties. And yet, panic, fear or depression would be the wrong answer. The only thing that really helps anyone is cautious optimism. You may ask, how can you be optimistic? It is a legitimate question. On the surface, I seem to be worried about… Continue reading #202: Fear Not: Why We Need to be Optimistic About the Future
I. When we speak (or write), does our positionality in this world matter? I recently stumbled upon a video in which someone expressed their ire against people starting a variation of a sentence like “I am speaking as an x person.” The position here – if I may simplify it as follows – is instructive:… Continue reading #199: Why Positionality Matters
I get it. Covid sucks, and we all – including myself – would like to return to normality. After all, don’t we have vaccines and treatments? Doesn’t psychological damage count too? How about the economy, about our democracy? Can’t we just say, this is it? Reality is what it is no matter what you wish… Continue reading #194: No, the Pandemic is Not Yet Over
We all have probably heard people say things like the following: “I don’t know anyone who got sick / died from this.” “As far as I can tell, summers have always been warm.” “I can get anywhere with a bike, I don’t know why people need cars.” “I cannot imagine anyone voting for x.” “I… Continue reading #184: Anecdotal Thinking, Science, Religion, and Policy
I have never been a cultural pessimist, nor have I ever been a Luddite. As soon as I was able to, I learned to use a computer in the pre-internet age (I still remember 5 ¼ inch disks and even data tapes), and as soon as the internet became available for private citizens, not just… Continue reading #181: Are We too Stupid for the Internet?
We seem to be more deeply entrenched in our positions than we ever have been. Nothing is really debated, all we do is to exchange unaltering positions, demand a no-compromise outcome and refuse to engage with each other. While there are some cases that are simply clear-cut and indefensible (like Putin’s war, for instance), we… Continue reading #177: Thinking Beyond Caricatures
The pandemic initially was seen as a chance to rethink our ways of over-consumption, just-in-time production, destruction of natural habitat, incessant and unnecessary commuting in the time of video conferencing, as well as cheap and ever-growing travel. Maybe we would be smarter in the future and realize that within all the death and suffering caused… Continue reading #174: Climate Change Can Only Be Countered With Technological Innovation
If persons who are have chosen to not be vaccinated are wearing a Star of David with the designation "unvaccinated", the following considerations should be made: 1. Is the category "unvaccinated" an identity comparable to the category "Jew" defined by the Nuremberg Racial Laws? No. Everyone is free to be vaccinated or not. This would… Continue reading #141: Is Wearing a Star of David Labeled “Unvaccinated” Anti-Semitic?
In a previous post, I wondered whether vaccine mandates are a possible route to end the pandemic. We need vaccination, but too few people have received their necessary shots (including the “booster”). My earlier argument was based on the idea that we should acknowledge people’s fear of the vaccine, and not enforce vaccination through a… Continue reading #140: We Need Vaccine Mandates After All
In a world dominated by climate change and a still deadly global pandemic, we sometimes seem puzzled, annoyed, frustrated, depressed, angry and utterly confused. What is happening? Why is it happening? How could this possibly be what is going on? Welcome to the world in denial. We have believed that we can create a world… Continue reading #139: Nature Demands Humility: Lessons from Jurassic Park World
Erratic Attempts 