Category Archives: democracy

The schizoid presidency of Donald Trump

Posted on January 3, 2018 by

The Curious Schism Between Trump and Trump How is one to think of a president who is unfit for office in his rhetoric and presentation yet mainstream in his policies and actions? I speak, of course, of Donald Trump.  Who … Continue reading →

Posted in democracy, the public | 10 Comments

Video: My presentation

Posted on December 8, 2017 by

For those who prefer image to text, here is the video of my presentation to the Hannah Arendt Center’s conference on “Crises of Democracy” at Bard College.

Posted in democracy, the public | 1 Comment

The Other at Bard College

Posted on October 31, 2017 by

The Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, New York, recently sponsored a conference on “Crises of Democracy:  Thinking in Dark Times.”  I attended as a presenter, but stayed on for the entire two-day affair.  Discussions were lively and free-flowing, particularly … Continue reading →

Posted in democracy | 2 Comments

The revolt of the public and the “age of post-truth”

Posted on May 31, 2017 by

With Elites and With the Truth, It’s Complicated Three years ago I remarked that the public was engaged in a messy divorce from the elites who run the great institutions of the industrial age.  That bit of scandal is by … Continue reading →

Posted in democracy, the public | 15 Comments

Cui bono, Donald Trump edition

Posted on March 7, 2017 by

I am a Donald Trump profiteer.  His baffling rise to high office sold a lot of copies of my book, The Revolt of the Public.  People were desperate for explanations, and I, as always, had several in hand.  Mind you, … Continue reading →

Posted in democracy | 4 Comments

2016: A hard rain

Posted on January 4, 2017 by

The Tipping-point of Revolt In 2016, a furious political tempest ravaged the democratic world.  Popular politicians – presidents and prime ministers – were toppled from on high and hurled into oblivion.  Exotic creatures, originating far from the old mainstream, were … Continue reading →

Posted in cataclysm, democracy, the public | 7 Comments

The news media: Surveying the wreckage

Posted on December 6, 2016 by

The Pretense of Objectivity The ideology of news makes two moral claims:  that it is complete, and that it is objective.  News, in other words, provides consumers with just the right amount of information necessary to function as citizens, and … Continue reading →

Posted in death of news, democracy, influence, newspaperss, the public, Uncategorized | 5 Comments