The Roundup Top Ten for August 13, 2021
Did Last Summer's BLM Protests Change Anything?by Keeanga-Yamahtta TaylorA commission convened by the Mayor of Philadelphia exemplifies the American preference for symbolism over substance in recently proclaimed "racial reckonings." |
Is the PATCO Era Ending?by Joseph A. McCartinForty years ago, Ronald Reagan's handling of the air traffic controllers' strike enshrined the era of union-busting. Can labor start to recover now? |
Equal School Facilities Should Be Part of "Infrastructure"by Erika M. Kitzmiller and Akira Drake RodriguezA century of discriminatory policies have "set the stage for underinvestment in public education and the wide variance in school facilities that serve White and non-White youths today." |
The Franklin Prophecy and Antisemitic Forgery for Profitby Scott D. SeligmanRemarks attributed to Benjamin Franklin at the Constitutional Convention calling for the exclusion of Jews from the new nation were concocted by "lifetime anticommunist and antisemitic nutjob" Willam D. Pelley in the 1930s. |
The Persistent Joy of Black Womenby Leah Wright-RigueurFor Black women, claiming joy in motherhood is a rebellion against the historical subjection of "Black mothers’ private lives... to public surveillance, scrutiny, and judgment." |
The Long History of Vaccine Mandatesby Lindsay M. ChervinskyPresident Biden's recent call for mandatory vaccination for federal workers follows the precedent set by George Washington's order to inoculate the Continental Army for smallpox. |
Why Tucker Carlson went to Hungaryby Nicole HemmerTucker Carlson's PR visit to Orban's Hungary echoes the tribute paid by leaders of the American right to racist regimes in Rhodesia and South Africa in the 1970s, and reflect the ongoing fantasy of the right to rule free of constraints of law and democratic norms. |
Black Amazon Workers Keep Finding Nooses on the Job. The Company Owes them Actionby Keisha N. BlainThe incidents are part of an old and familiar story of resentment against Black advancement. |
How the Far Right Weaponized America’s Democratic Rootsby Joe LowndesBy steering away from overt white nationalism, the far right is able to engage a politics of white innocence and portray themselves as heirs to America's revolutionary heritage. |
Douthat's Criticism of Papal Restriction on Latin Mass: Fascinating, but Familiar and Ahistoricalby Massimo FaggioliRecent criticisms of Pope Francis's Church reforms have drawn from a rhetorical script established by conservative Catholics since Vatican II, but repeat their historical misunderstandings. |