occasional reflections on culture & politics
Again, we hear the words. “The Jews.” Again, we see “them” being made responsible for all the evils of the world. Israel was attacked by violent deranged anti-human terrorists, and it continues to be attacked, and the attacker hides behind children and women and institutions of human decency. The attacker, Hamas, has been calling for… Continue reading #238: Kristallnacht, 85 Years Later
I would typically describe myself as a centrist, even though some of my positions may align with the Left. How is this possible? What does it mean to be a centrist? What are core positions of centrism? How is centrism defensible in the light of strong convictions that may not align with others in some… Continue reading #231: Centrism Is a Methodology, Not Primarily an Ideology
I. Intro Hamas does not speak for or act for all Palestinians. We must not connect the two. Because if we do – what does this say about our perceptions of Palestinians? In the past week, we have seen shocking evidence of horrifying acts committed by Hamas against innocent people in Israel. It has killed,… Continue reading #230: Against Hamas, Against Antisemitism, Against Antizionism
https://youtu.be/t7RFlIlUwqM I. If you see yourself on the political left or a progressive, you should not support Putin. You are against racism? Putin’s Russia promotes Russian chauvinism. Not even Russia First, but Russia Only. As Vladimir Putin himself has said, what is the point of a world without Russia? You are against violence against women?… Continue reading #227: Whatever Your Politics, There is No Reason to Support Putin
Now we know Putin was lying all along. I must admit, I am surprised, I would not have thought this was coming, not like that. The pattern is clear now: Putin has for planned this for many years. He has rebuilt Russia into a fascist state – centered on military, mafia, state-controlled business, using the… Continue reading #144: Putin’s War Against Ukraine Is a War Against All of Us
Zionism is the understanding that Israel is the historical home of the Jewish people. This is not a belief, this is not ideology, it is the truth. Just because there are also non-Jewish people living in the area does not change the fact. Jews are indigenous to the area, and have every right to have… Continue reading #99: Anti-Zionism Is Anti-Semitism
We are conditioned to think in political categories of “right” versus “left”, with an underappreciated center in between. This model has become deeply entrenched in political thinking, no matter how simplistic it actually is. Politically, “left” and “right” derive from seating arrangements of pro- versus anti-monarchist forces in the National Assembly during the French Revolution,… Continue reading #94: What Is Political Extremism Today?
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
There have been plenty of attempts to redefine the Left/Right paradigm that still seems to reign supreme in most people's minds, especially in journalism. Originally established in the French National Assembly in 1789, it divided parliamentarians between those in support of the French Revolution on the left, and the supporters of the Establishment on the… Continue reading #46: We Need to Move Beyond the Left/Right Paradigm
Erratic Attempts 