occasional reflections on culture & politics
Is the Pandemic Over?Let’s see. Is the virus gone? No. Is its reach no longer global? No, it is still global. Are case numbers going down? Possibly, but we have stopped testing and measuring. Since Johns Hopkins took their dashboard down, getting good numbers has been difficult. Are the number of Covid deaths going down?… Continue reading #211: Is the Pandemic Over?
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
In these depressing times, we seem to always be on the brink of the end of the world, the end of democracy, the end of a livable climate, the end of free speech, sanity, respect, fairness, justice, nuance, context, humanity, whatever – you name it. There is either too much or too little of wokeness… Continue reading #197: We Have Good Reasons for Hope
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?
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
You can hardly turn on the news today without being faced with manifestations of every possible disaster known to humankind: war, genocide, disease, famine, climate change, etc. Death and its precursors are all around us. How can you stay sane in such a world? How can we ever tolerate the presence of so much death… Continue reading #164: The Answer to Death is Life
I must admit, I have never understood the rather uncritical position in vast swaths of the political left towards Justin Trudeau and Canada. Certainly, the United States is by no means perfect, but the almost self-hating adoration of Canada by some Americans is strange. It has been Trudeau’s government who has maintained the Keystone XL… Continue reading #142: Oh, Canada…
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?
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