Everybody is talking about scarcity vs. abundance — the key to the whole discussion is not economics, but politics, and asking the right questions.
Category Archives: Past
Truth, Power, Coercion, Acquiescence
Michel Foucault, and his Truth and Power philosophy seems to have become very trendy lately — even though it’s over half a century old. It must be that we’re looking for a new epistemology as we move through the 21st century!
Bureaucracy Is (or Should Be) Your Friend
Hobbes to Weber to Trotsky … and Beyond? Over the last few decades in America, and perhaps elsewhere, “bureaucracy” and “bureaucrat” have taken on a pejorative connotation. Why is that? The basic idea of the word (from the French for, literally, a desk) is to describe organizational structures which serve the interests of a leader.Continue reading “Bureaucracy Is (or Should Be) Your Friend”
I’m Done with the 2024 Elections
There are so many reasons for Trump’s re-election. I’m picking one to hang my hat on — the new class struggle in the country. It’s based on the educational divide. Also, Dems need some more convincing, younger communicators …
The Sadness of a Political Junkie
After a month of droning political commentary on the recent U.S. elections, I’m left rather depressed — does anybody have anything new to add?
Amending “The World in 2124”
… Am I Still Optimistic? Last April, I wrote a Warp & Woof piece entitled: The World in 2124 … I’m Cautiously Optimistic. Much has happened in the world since then. Has the optimism of my “medium-term” prediction for the next 100 years diminished? The main events, from a historical perspective, that transpired in subsequentContinue reading “Amending “The World in 2124””
Clausewitz Was Wrong
No, I’m not disputing the famous Carl von Clausewitz aphorism: “War is merely the continuation of policy by additional means.” It’s hard to disagree with that – regardless of whether you translate the German “politik” as policy, politics, or diplomacy. The statement is self-evident from our historical experience. Clausewitz, however, was establishing a dialectical tensionContinue reading “Clausewitz Was Wrong”
Peak Television?
I miss those “peak TV” years of long-running quality drama series with characters you could relate to, and situations you could dream about … will “trough TV” last much longer?
Rating Ourselves as Information Consumers
We all have our favorite information bubbles, but they’re not necessarily bad. The secret is to accept that they don’t reflect the whole world!
Mysteries of Public Opinion Polling
Insiders May Know … But the Rest of Us? This November’s election for President looks really, really close! For months now, despite felony convictions, unhinged rhetoric, and polarized media coverage, the polls haven’t budged much. Joe Biden and Donald Trump are each a coin toss away from a January 2025 inauguration. I, for one, can’tContinue reading “Mysteries of Public Opinion Polling”
