Art and Culture

  • Bounty Hunters and Privateers in The Mandalorian

    Even if we had put bounties of billions on the heads of Osama bin Laden and his henchmen, we likely could have gotten a similar result at a much lower cost than the trillions we have spent on war since 9/11/01. I suspect there would have been a lot less collateral damage.

    Bounty Hunters and Privateers in The Mandalorian
  • Coronavirus as Ideology

    Even now, many people aren’t reading news or looking at data. They are confirming their biases. Our political culture has fully bled – a tsunami of blood – into one of the most essential tasks of civilization: caring for and curing the sick, and hence drowning rationality, science, and medical professionalism, and doing so at…

    Coronavirus as Ideology
  • Tradition and Why the Russians are Who They Are

    As much as we as individuals and groups of people may try to and think we have untied ourselves from the ideas, customs and traditions of the past, to think anew and independently of what has preceded us, we can never completely uncouple ourselves from the cultural inheritance.

    Tradition and Why the Russians are Who They Are
  • Frozen Makes It Rain on Broadway

    We are all versions of Elsa in her old kingdom. We are expected to submit, to comply, to keep quiet, to carry out our duties to the political order. Conceal. Don’t feel. It’s the tyranny of the status quo that people continue to tolerate because no one is permitted to think another way.

    Frozen Makes It Rain on Broadway
  • West Side Story, Sixty Years On

    Now comes our own rumble called election year, and the weapons of choice keep escalating: fists, hoses, belts, chains, knives, guns, and where does it end? There is a lesson here for all of us, and it is fitting that the remake on Broadway makes this obvious parallel explicit.

    West Side Story, Sixty Years On
  • What Brilliant TikTok Reveals about Human Creativity

    I used to make it a habit to try out all the latest social technology, if only to observe its function, rules, and contribution to the culture. That habit stopped […]

    What Brilliant TikTok Reveals about Human Creativity
  • How Negativity Wrecks Relationships and Businesses

    In relationships, all the good things are drowned by hostile tones, eye rolls, denials of responsibility, along with insults. The same holds true in business.

    How Negativity Wrecks Relationships and Businesses
  • “Parasite” Is a Preposterous Film Rooted in Class-Struggle Nonsense

    To be fair, movies are supposed to be escapist to some degree. And the stories, to be good, must be a little bit implausible. Fine, except that with Parasite Bong Joon-ho is thoroughly insulting the intelligence of his viewers.

    “Parasite” Is a Preposterous Film Rooted in Class-Struggle Nonsense
  • Shakira’s Musical Disquisition on Uncertainty, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship

    Shakira’s performance at the Super Bowl halftime was of course, as one would expect, incredibly wonderful. She has a history of providing more than entertainment, however. Her song “Try Everything” […]

    Shakira’s Musical Disquisition on Uncertainty, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship
  • The Super Bowl Proves that America Is Not Broken

    The whole effect of the awesome sights and sounds of this year’s Super Bowl – which, let us not forget, is an achievement of private enterprise – was to underscore what most of us know in our hearts. Our civilization is not falling apart.

    The Super Bowl Proves that America Is Not Broken
  • An Economic Answer to the Question: Why Did Thor Get Fat?

    Explaining Thor’s slovenly despair as the product of pizza, TV, and alcohol per se ignores root causes that might be a lot harder to change or dislodge.

    An Economic Answer to the Question: Why Did Thor Get Fat?
  • Eulogy for Neil Peart, Champion of Freedom

    Having only retired about four years ago, so many fans of Rush (myself included) had convinced ourselves that this was a temporary hiatus, and that in a year or two – eventually, at any rate – there would be an announcement of a new album, a short tour, or some other project.

    Eulogy for Neil Peart, Champion of Freedom