thoughts in and out of season
Today people say there is no history “as it really was.” A story is a human construction, and its truth is mostly a matter of acceptance by the relevant community. So if that’s so, why shouldn’t those who accept that the human world is a human construction, to be remade in accordance with desire, try … More ...
Affirmative action is a sacred cause, so if you’re sarcastic about it they don’t like you. Authorities at Southern Methodist University and University of California at Irvine have shut down bake sales put on by conservative students at which beneficiaries of affirmative action were charged less than white male students. At SMU officials called the … More ...
Here are news items that bring out the oddity of the claim, which is now thought fundamental to humanity, morality and justice, that “discrimination” is a definite thing that must be wiped out:
Here’s what marriage looks like to what seem to be an increasing number of young men. It appears that getting rid of traditional rules and understandings hasn’t done much for relations between men and women. Many men find that the classic accusations of the misogynist—women are fickle, deceitful, treacherous, perverse, manipulative, sexually unreliable, physically repulsive … More ...
Pat Buchanan asks a good question: Why do intelligent people believe armed citizens are less safe than unarmed ones? When the question is put that way, it does seem to defy common sense. What’s so bad about the ability to defend yourself?
There’s a lot to be said for Buchanan’s answer, that the media … More ...
Romano Prodi, the president of the European Commission, wants to further grease the slippery slope to a European superstate: National veto on EU changes must go. It should be obvious that to the extent EU governing structures emancipate themselves from control by member states the elites that dominate them will become answerable to … More ...
The makers of Kazaa are suing record companies for copyright infringement. It seems the companies have been pursuing downloaders using unauthorized copies of their software.
To tell the truth, I hope the downloaders win their battle with the entertainment industry, because I think it would be better for culture if the culture business were … More ...
If one student accepts one dollar of federal assistance his whole university becomes subject to extensive federal civil rights and affirmative action regulations. Those regulations intrude crudely into matters, like tenure decisions and the forms of expression thought to create a “hostile environment” for women and minorities, that are central to academic freedom. The public … More ...
Totalitarianism asserts its perfect goodness and power, so it naturally claims improbable triumphs. North Korean election returns have shown 100% popular participation and 100% approval for the Party slate. During the Soviet purges it was said that “the Organs [of state security] never make mistakes.” Our petty totalitarians claim achievements that are similarly startling, although … More ...
Judicial independence in Canada: Judges party with activists.