The Roundup Top Ten for October 22, 2021
As a Black Man and Patriot, Colin Powell Embodied the "Two-ness" of African American Experienceby Chad Williams"In America, being Black and a patriot is – as DuBois hinted at more an a century ago, and as Powell’s life attests to – a very complicated, even painful, affair." |
My University's Policies Undermined the Lessons I Was Trained to Teach, so I Quitby Cornelia Lambert"I could use our own university system as a case study in how political power often wins out over scientific knowledge. This would be a powerful lesson, one students would be unlikely to forget. But did I want to be part of that?" |
Guantanamo's Other Historyby Jeffrey S. KahnReports of a bid for migrant detention contractors based at Guantanamo including speakers of Haitian Creole fed suspicion of a new connection of the military and immigration enforcement. Where Haitian refugees are concerned, the Guantanamo connection is nothing new. |
Fact and Fiction in "The Last Duel"by Sarah McDougall and David Perry"The film effectively depicts the violence embedded in medieval ideas of elite masculinity while taking historical liberties when it comes to the real nature and function of trials by combat, or how rape accusations worked in medieval Europe." |
America as a “Shining City on a Hill”—and Other Myths to Die Byby Gregg Gonsalves"Our relationship to disease, to pandemics past, is obscured by this myth of fundamental American goodness. If we accept that we are capable of barbarity, official cruelty, these myths shatter and leave us with a national story that is far more complicated to tell, a legacy to work against." |
Among Other COVID Changes? The Role of Grandparentsby Sarah Stoller"Just as they were in the 19th century, grandparents are now commonly expected to help, despite their own need for various kinds of support and assistance." |
Piety, Patriotism, and Paranoia: What Today's Right Takes From the American Revolutionby Thomas Lecaque and J.L. Tomlin"As much as we might like to think that these invocations of Revolutionary identity are a misappropriation, the truth is there is plenty of precedent in early American history for the disturbing ideas, intentions, and modes of thought seen on the far right today." |
What Does it Mean to Call Someone a "Male Chauvinist Pig"?by Julie WillettMerging the term "chauvinism" from the old left and the radical 1960s desire to render authority grotesque, the term emerged with the second wave of feminism. But today some of the sexists labeled with it appear to have turned it into a badge of honor. |
The Sleeper SCOTUS Case that Threatens Church-State Separationby Kimberly Wehle"If the plaintiffs win, states and municipalities could be required to use taxpayer dollars to supplement strands of private religious education that many Americans would find deeply offensive, including schools that exclude non-Christian or LGBTQ students, families, and teachers." |
The Critique of "Grand Strategy" at Yale is Decades Overdueby Jim SleeperIn a changing world, Yale's decision to follow the lead of influential donors to steer its Grand Strategy program toward the established orthodoxy of the national security state doesn't just fail the principles of liberal education, it fails the long-term ability of the United States to steer a course in world affairs. |