The Jaundiced Eye, # 1
Boris Johnson may be the next Prime Minister of the UK. I wish I hated Britain, because if I did, Boris’s elevation would be a reason for drinking in the morning.
Author: Thomas Fleming
Trash Celebrities versus the State of Alabama
Alabama defies Hollywood–but will it make a difference?
Romantic Nationalism, I: The Humanity of Herder
Herder approached the nations of the world much as a radical environmentalist today regards endangered species. Each nation is precious because it reflects some quality within the human type, and when an imperial nation eliminates another nation, it is committing a crime against humanity.
New Podcast Series: Breaking Glass: Democracy
Even in principle, America’s pseudo-democracy is the worst form of government.
Poems: Arthur Hugh Clough
To spend uncounted years of pain,
Again, again, and yet again,
In working out in heart and brain
The problem of our being here;
Nationalism–the Wrong Right Turn
According to nationalists, the will of the nation, as defined as an historic community of blood and tongue, had to find expression in a common and unified state. Hence, the Italian nationalist Mazzini, whose political lineage goes back to the Revolution, spoke always of the twin principles of unity and nationality.
Poem: John Dryden’s Prologue to Cesare Borgia
In this prologue, Dryden takes up the conventional topics of the audience’s lack of appreciation and gratitude. His clever and self-serving abuse is even more applicable today, to readers who spend hours every day reading what they imagine to be news,.while ignoring the fiction, poetry, and essays that might do them a little good–if only by raising their standards.
Take Five: Jerry Springer and Moral Responsibility
Should TV jerks or pranksters be held responsible when they drive someone to suicide?
