8. The Nitty Gritty: Capitalism & Fascism

By now, you might have heard what happened. A man broke into her house, tied up her husband, proceeded to beat him with a hammer, shouted “Where’s Nancy?!” Luckily, at that point, the police arrived…

I’m going to use a word I don’t use often, or lightly. Sinister. There’s a thread running through recent events, and it’s a sinister one. That thread goes like this. From Twitter to terrorism, the…

When I think about what shape our civilization is — and our countries are — in, I often talk about Five Existential Threats. Climate change, mass extinction, underinvestment, inequality, and…

We live in strange and perilous times. As if climate change and mass extinction weren’t enough, they’re accompanied by…the return of fascism to the global stage. Wave after wave of it pulses across…

It’s been a terrible few weeks for the former President of the United States, the Orange Buffoon. So many hammer blows have hit him, it’s hard to keep track. His “organization” — what is this, a…

Take a look at the charts above. I discussed them both recently, but there are charts, and then there are charts. Let’s take the top one — it’s a mega-chart — in a different context. One that goes…

So…what kind of a start is your 2023 off to? If you’re like a lot of people I know, it’s not terrible, it’s not great, it’s just…there. Kind of grinding away in the background. It’s like we’re all…

By now, if you’re a sane and thoughtful person, on the side of democracy, you’re probably a little worried. About a fellow called Ron DeSantis. He’s emerged as the GOP frontrunner for President…

The most successful brand of the 21st century. It’s not Google, Apple, Facebook, or Tesla. It’s not even a country, like South Korea or America, making an historic comeback. It’s fascism. Only we…

You don’t have to look very hard to see it. The right — the far right — is obsessed. With kids. With our kids. And there’s something not just creepy about that, but genuinely dangerous, in the truest…

It’s sometimes said that people like you and me have a “liberal bias.” As the wicked response goes, “so does reality.” It’s not that I have a problem with conservatism — it’s that what conservatism’s…

Do you ever just peruse the New York Times opinion section and think to yourself…my God, what even…is this? Lord knows I do. I think I’m going to start a new feature. LOL, as if I’m Netflix. Anyways…

By now, you might have heard what happened over the weekend. A speaker at CPAC — the big conservative conference — said: “for the good of society … transgenderism must be eradicated from public life…

There’s a question which I keep asking these days. Maybe you do, too. It’s simple enough, and yet it’s surprisingly complicated, strange, and…ugly. Why do they hate us? You know what I mean already…

Luke. Luke! I am your… it was, in one of those great, absurd, funny ironies of history, New Gingrich who said it was finally going too far. Reacting to the new bill in Florida to…

You know a country’s in bad, bad shape when its…sportscasters are on strike…because they think the government’s treading in dangerously fascist waters. That country, ironically, shamefully, enough…

Here’s a funny, dark, absurd juxtaposition that sums up just how much trouble our world is in. Quick, what’s the world’s happiest country? Finland. That research just came out a few days ago. Guess…

Yesterday, suddenly, a development that had many had been dreading. A Trump-appointed judge in Texas blocked women’s access to Mifepristone — a major reproductive health drug — across America…

I just arrived back, after a bumpy flight, From America to Europe. And here, almost immediately, my European friends all asked me, more than a little baffled: “But are the things you’ve been writing…

I barely know how to begin. Let me try to start here. America is becoming the society the fascists want. Where do you even begin? Let me try again. A man was choked to death on the F train in…

Scarcely a day goes by when I don’t — sigh. Nobody’s going to like this essay. I suppose I have to write it anyways, because, well, someone has to. So let me try again. Scarcely a day goes by now…

By now, America’s approaching what can only really be described as a state of free-fall. Massacres are now regular events. One side of politics is openly authoritarian, and incites them. Social bonds…

It’s been a slow burn. Over the last decade or so, America and the world have witnessed the GOP, the Republican Party…transform. Change. Into a malign force, inimical to democracy and modernity. But…

Finally. Good and decent people of the universe, rejoice. It’s…indictment day. Donald Trump faces a very, very long time behind bars. Jack Smith, the…scary-looking…former war crimes prosecutor now at…

It’s a theme, that by now, should be hammered into everyone’s head. Not by me, but by history, reality, facts, logic, and evidence. We discussed it not so long ago. Everything the far right touches…

It’s not just an Extinction Summer — it’s also becoming a Hot Strike Summer. Around the world, discontent is growing — and strikes are rising. And these two things are related. Let’s discuss it —…

Right about now, American democracy’s on the brink. While Joe Biden touts his accomplishments — and that’s fair enough — on the other side, something sinister, abusive, and perilous is happening. The…

You might be, having taken it all in, struggling for words. Here’s what Fox News had to say about Ron DeSantis’s latest policy: Slavery was beneficial to slaves. Like I said, you might be struggling…

By now, you’ve seen the tweet above (can we still call them tweets?) That’s Donald Trump, saying that he’ll “be coming for” anyone who “goes after” him. In response, Jack, the Special Counsel…

A society in decline is a strange thing. It produces a funny and odd set of anxieties — and it’s those anxieties which our fractured, degenerating public discourse is really about, not reality, which…