archive

In praise of political insults

From CLR, Judith Harris on imag(in)ing America: Fascist Italy offers a case study in an extraordinarily successful analysis of national image, its skillful manipulation and its not always predictable consequences. We are entering a dangerous period with the rise of leaders like Bobby Jindal and the agenda of Christian nationalist masterminds like David Barton. Animal-Rights Farm: William Saletan on ape rights and the myth of animal equality. Blueprint for power: The German feuilletons spent the spring debating the relationship between architecture and morality. From Vanity Fair, a cover story on Hollywood’s Next Wave; and James Wolcott hangs with kid culture’s new power brokers. From Esquire, Anya Yurchyshyn on the case for the novella. Christopher R. Beha reviews Personal Days by Ed Park.  From Prospect, the Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, winner of the intellectuals poll, is the modern face of the Sufi Ottoman tradition; and he may deny it, but Orhan Pamuk is Turkey's most important political voice. Paying attention is a more important skill than you might think — and new evidence suggests it can be taught. An interview with Ernest Freeberg, author of Democracy’s Prisoner: Eugene V. Debs, the Great War, and the Right to Dissent. In praise of political insults: Humor can be a welcome check on pomposity. It’s not a gay thing: Why the debate over same-sex marriage misses the point.