occasional reflections on culture & politics
Is Putin the Aggressor? Yes. He has already stolen Crimea, and forces probably aligned with him have occupied Luhansk, Donetsk, and Transnistria. It does not take the additional troops surrounding Ukraine to understand that there is already a war going on. Any action by Ukraine to retake its territory would be justified – though at… Continue reading #136: Is Putin the Aggressor?
“Frightened people. Give me a Dalek any day.”– The 11th Doctor, in N7.03 “A Town Called Mercy” 2020 is the perfect year for getting an education on reality. We are learning a lot about human nature, different cultures, statistics, as well as biology these days. We should be thankful that things are finally revealed that… Continue reading #67: This Perfect Virus Exploits Our Weaknesses
Democracy is a participatory activity. While not everyone can (or should) run for office, being a good citizen extends to much more than engaging in the business of politics. It begins with embracing the dignity of being the sovereign – or, more clearly, part of the group that constitutes the sovereign – and recognizing that… Continue reading #66: Democracy Needs Well-Educated Citizens
It is easy to get caught up in the issues of the day. There is always some grave injustice somewhere, always some issues that endanger human life, other life on earth, even the planet herself. It is easy, and very compelling, to translate the emotions we all have about deeply important issues into a language… Continue reading #65: Sine Ira et Studio: The Strength of Dispassionate Criticism
Brexit is not possible. That is, Brexit in any meaningful sense of the word. Whatever meaning may have hidden in the idiotic phrases and jingoism of "Brexit Means Brexit", behind empty cries for sovereignty, taking the country "back" to wherever, whatever the original intention: A complete and clean break with the EU is simply not… Continue reading #64: The Illusion of Brexit
(Before starting this, I would like to remind you, dear reader, of my other writings on religion - specifically, my longer poems "Faith No More" and "Pietà", which contain some criticism of religion. My relationship with religion is complicated, and my understanding of it maybe a bit unorthodox.) The core of every respectable religion is… Continue reading #63: Doubt and Faith in Religion
There may be many purposes for democracy, but there is only one that really means something, and which is the sine qua non of democracy: Consensus creation. Without consensus, we have nothing. All the adversity unleashed by campaigning, all the (sometimes mock-)animosity between members of different political factions or parties needs to eventually come down… Continue reading #62: Democracy is a Consensus-Creation Machine
It is so easy to get caught up in why we all cannot get along. History is a constant source of grievances, both legitimate and illegitimate and everything in between, and we could find all sorts of reasons for having us convinced that we cannot, should not, must not – and how dare you to!… Continue reading #61: We All Need to Appreciate Each Other
There are all kinds of stories out there claiming that the threat posed by the New Coronavirus (Covid19 / SARS-CoV-2) would not be real, and that everything is a big global conspiracy for some typically unspecified sinister purpose. Allegedly, the tests are said to be meaningless, and even if there was a threat, it would… Continue reading #60: How We Know that the New Coronavirus Is a Real Threat
We all may believe somehow that there are some bigger forces pulling the strings of society. We all know that money matters in politics. We all know that powerful people somehow are connected with each other. We all know that strangely, if you ask the question "cui bono" or "who benefits," you will always get… Continue reading #59: Why Really Big Conspiracies Cannot Exist
It is important to not take everything for granted. The dangers of authoritarianism are always real, and simple answers to complex questions should never satisfy the curious mind. There is a reason dictatorships always want to limit free speech and even thinking itself, and any attempts at limiting free thought and free expression need to… Continue reading #58: Question Everything; But Also Yourself
We are living in a world where people expect easy answers, quick soundbites, witty tweets, and individualistic, even solipsistic and narcissistic approaches to the big questions of life. It is your feelings that matter, not those of most people; it is your thoughts, not those of others; it is your desires and needs, not those… Continue reading #57: What Is Science?
Human beings are tribal. As described poignantly by Aristotle, we are animals that form political units, societies, towns, or in the Greek understanding, poleis. We are political animals in the sense that we are animals creating political structures – polis is the political aspect of the city, not the physical one (which would be (ástu).… Continue reading #56: Disentangling Race and Ethnicity
Endless nightmares. An obsessive news intake. Stocking up on masks, cleaning materials, emergency groceries, wipes, toilet paper, paper towels, whatnot. Do I have a mask? Have I forgotten it? Dreaming of forgetting a mask? Agitatedly yelling at the news? These are not normal times. I personally grew up in East Germany; shortage of goods in… Continue reading #55: It’s The Uncertainty That Makes Us Worry
I. Game of Thrones has been a mainstay of recent television mania. Each year, the excitement built up more and more, and for the very last season, expectations were high, and, as it goes with genre shows, fans had their very concrete ideas about how things should develop. This now is a very belated, spoiler-filled… Continue reading #54: The Dictator as False Messiah: A Belated Review of Game Of Thrones Season 8
Marx famously called for "a ruthless criticism of everything existing" in his 1843 letter to Ruge. Even if you do not agree with Marx in many other things, there is something in here that actually functions as an endorsement of disagreement and skepticism. In the letter it says, in the Original: "Ist die Construction der… Continue reading #53: What Is “Left”? A Very Erratic Attempt
It is easy to get overwhelmed these times. For too long, "normal" has not existed, and if so, only as a "new normal." This seems too much to handle at times, and it will not end any time soon, and being overwhelmed is perfectly understandable. We seem to be not very good at handling a… Continue reading #52: Crisis Fatigue
Democracy means that every single citizen can participate in politics. This means voting, running for office, serving in office, contributing and shaping the political discourse, and educating each other about the needs of our various communities, stakeholders, interest groups, and about the world around us. This is a collaborative enterprise, it needs all of us,… Continue reading #51: The Politics of Division Cannot Work
Music in the long form is seriously undervalued nowadays. Especially classical music - typical, but not exclusive domain of the long form - is distorted in public perception into something that is pleasing, calming, soothing, relaxing, inconsequential. Inoffensive snippets and soundbites of Mozart, Beethoven and Bach (and maybe a few others) are what most people… Continue reading #50: The Value of the Musical Long Form
It's as if nature has decided to teach humanity a lesson. Coronavirus and Climate Change are real dangers, but maybe too abstract to most, and denial abounds, actions are taken too hesitantly, and somehow, we keep thinking that things will just work out somehow. There is nothing like the power of wildfires to teach us… Continue reading #49: Nature Demands Humility
Erratic Attempts 