W.J. Astore Twenty-five years ago, I wrote the following paper for a class in the history of technology. Back then, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and acid rain as well as global warming were issues highlighting the drawbacks of technology. CFCs were damaging the ozone layer, acid rain was poisoning our lakes and streams and damaging trees, with…
A thoughtful post about the need to be your own person. About not falling into the trap of comparing yourself to others, of seeing yourself in a negative light.
Matthew Jacobson Normally it is impossible for an individual to choose the family that she or he will be born into. The Modern Republican Party defied the impossible, and chose the family that it wanted to be born into: that of Jim Crow. Or perhaps we should say “James” Crow because the Modern Republican Party…
W.J. Astore It’s good to have a day like the Fourth of July, a day to celebrate the promise of our country, and a day to reflect on our blessings. It should be an apolitical day, a day to be with loved ones, and a day to remember how lucky we are, even if it’s…
Daniel N. White I’m always glad to read anything Henry Petroski writes and I enjoyed his recent New York Times article on the decline of craftsmanship in building, but my feeling is that he dumbed things down some for this op-ed. That’s easy enough to do, given the difficulty of getting technical information across in…
Stuart Lyle. Introduction by William Astore. Ah, the Smart Phone generation. I see my students gazing into them, texting with them, flipping through photos, watching videos, taking photos, you name it. Smart phones promise to link us together, but they paradoxically encourage selfish and anti-social behavior as well. People are more atomistic and narcissistic as…
By Don Rose I wonder how much thought the White House gave to the political implications of releasing the Environmental Protections Agency’s new coal emissions standards at this time—five months before the mid-term elections? I’m not concerned about the usual rhetorical attacks from climate-change deniers or even lambasting from the coal industry and its economic…
Richard Sahn Recently, I came across a post on Facebook that reminded me of the Cold War era in the 1960s. The caption read: “Biggest question I ask people who say bad things about this country. Why are you still living here?” I dare say there are millions of Americans who share this FB “friend’s”…
Daniel N. White. Introduction by William Astore. I taught at the college level for fifteen years. Education, I’m convinced, is about motivated students, skilled teachers, and supportive parents, families, and friends. Put those three together and you’re bound to get good results. Yet there’s always a search for a magic bullet, a shortcut to success.…
The Militarized Realities of Fortress America By William J. Astore (Featured at TomDispatch.com) I spent four college years in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and then served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force. In the military, especially in basic training, you have no privacy. The government owns you. You’re “government issue,” just another G.I., a…
The Contrary Perspective 