In the famous trial scene from Dostoyevsky’s 1880 novel “The Brothers Karamazov,” reputed to be one of Putin’s favorite books, the prosecutor invokes Gogol’s metaphor comparing Russia to a troika
Glenn Youngkin looks like a nice guy, but his messages are disturbing. For example, he says schools should not teach students what to think, but how to think. On the
John Kitterman
Now that I am retired, I discover I have been teaching critical race theory for the last 40 years without knowing it.
I think this is because as an undergrad at UVA it was just assumed that if you were smart enough to get in Mr. Jeffersonâs University, you knew that American political, judicial, educational, and religious systems were riddled with racism, just as they were with prejudice against women, gays, and other groups, including Sally Hemings.
It was the 1960s. It wasnât like institutional racism wasnât visible; if anything, it was so visible many white Americans didnât even see it. Like today.
John Kitterman
Itâs MLK Day but most of the news is about a Second Civil War, a reality TV version where grown men join armed gangs in the rural hood and call themselves militias and Boogaloos like 21st century KKK, then âliberateâ the Capitol and take selfies in front of actual heroes.
Everyone needs some fantasy to hide the inconsistencies in the real world and keep their identity intact. But maybe we would all be better off loosening up during this American identity crisis.
What version of freedom was the Capitol mob thinking about? Isnât there a social contract between the people and government that says we negotiate our freedoms and restrictions through a democratic process? Or maybe they believe that the democratic process was subverted by a cabal of rich liberals, in which case we should figure out why intelligent people believe in conspiracies.