If it seems as though the US President is the boss of the whole world, it’s because in many ways, he is. Presidential powers for modern presidents are prodigious. With the power to impose sanctions and tariffs, control the government through executive orders, and order military action, a determined president can create a lot of geopolitical mayhem. Read More
Although on some level I must have known this already, somehow I was surprised to learn (in a book on Celtic history called The Ancient Paths by Graham Robb) that the ancestors of most white Americans were the same people we remember in history as “the barbarian hordes.”
Usually we think of barbarians in the context of the Fall of Rome, a momentous event oft lamented. But in fact, the Romans had spent the previous 200 years “subjugating” the barbarians — Celts, Gauls, and other non-Romans — all over southern and central Europe.
By barbarian, of course, they meant mean “hairy animal.” By subjugate, they meant to kill. The Romans killed as many non-Romans as they could and enslaved the rest. Apparently they weren’t even that into having sex with the locals (a time-honored tradition of armies everywhere). The end result of this killing campaign was to wipe out native culture, i.e., the native French, British, Belgian, Iberian, and southern Germanic people — to such a degree that today we have only the barest idea who the native non-Roman Europeans were.
How ironic then that the British, the French, the Iberians, and the Germans should all conquer territory around the world and commit the same crime of genocide against new “barbarian hordes” — for instance, the “savages” of North and South America, the peoples of Africa and the Middle East, as well as the Jews, Gypsies, and other so-called non-Aryans around the time of World War II.
Is it in our blood, innate and instinctive to human beings? Or was it planted there? History is written by the victors, and we tend, as a race, to ape history even if we don’t actually know any. Who are the “barbarians” of our own day, the people in need of subjugating? Could they be Middle Eastern or North Korean or Russian? Will there ever be a time when subjugating the weaker goes away?
If you’ve been wondering how it happened that fashion spreads have turned into neo-modern tableaux vivants, the answer is probably Franca Sozzani, the late editor of Vogue Italia. Starting the 1980s, Franca took the fashion spread to new frontiers of weirdness and, oddly enough, social relevance. Formerly the province of fashion mavens and Italians, a recent documentary on Netflix, entitled “Franca: Chaos and Creation” makes it possible for all of us to appreciate her subversive genius for art and fashion. Read More
When the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris burned yesterday, it was more than a religious icon that was lost. For workers, women, artists, tourists, the city of Paris and all of France, Notre Dame was both monument and living symbol of human aspiration and French spirit.
Notre Dame has always been remembered for the prodigious labors of the generations of workmen and artisans who created it. It was ordinary people who built it and, in large part, it is their legacy that went up in flames. Read More
If the saga of Julian Assange were a movie, it would be The Empire Strikes Back. Unfortunately, Ecuador’s President Moreno did not turn out to be Lando Calrissian.
I ran into a friend the other day, and the first words out of his mouth were “Since when did the Democratic party become Socialist?” My short answer was — they haven’t. They’re they same old corporatist, center-right party they’ve been for years. It’s just that Republicans, seizing on the rhetoric of Bernie Sanders and a few others, have decided that socialism is the Democrats’ Achilles heel and so they’re making a big issue of it. Oddly enough, however, this could turn out to be a good thing. By drawing attention to it, they’ve opened a debate that’s been dormant for decades. Read More
Lately I’ve noticed that a great many commentators on television and radio feel obliged to begin every answer to every question with the word “so.” For example, the answer to “What did President Trump mean by his latest tweet?” might be “So, no one knows what is going on in the mind of Donald Trump, but….” The problem with this usage is that it is both unnecessary and incorrect.
There are many more or less correct uses of the word “so.” Read More
Although the times are unsettled and revolutionary jargon is in the air, one doesn’t expect a women’s fashion magazine to employ it as a motif, or at least, not one as haute as W. In a recent issue, I discovered a highly entertaining profile of Dior creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri, subtitled “the quiet revolutionary,” and illustrated with slogan-y artwork reminiscent of early 20th century art manifestos. How ironic, I thought, coming from the mag I read to spy on the wealthy. Read More
With election day upon us here in Vermont, I got to thinking about voting and what that takes. The short answer is: you’ve got to think for yourself. After all, this is what real democracy demands, that each of us weigh in with our own choices. Even though the election itself is winner takes all and not necessarily a reflection of all views, it still takes all views to determine the winners. Everyone’s vote is part of the outcome. Read More
The United States government is currently attempting to effect “regime change” in Venezuela. To put it bluntly, we’re attempting to overthrow their government and install our own guy. The government, led by President Maduro, is socialist, i.e., on the left side of politics. The right wing “opposition” is led by a 35 year old newcomer named Guaido, who was educated in Washington, DC at George Washington University and wants to pursue the kinds of neoliberal, capitalist-friendly policies that are in favor in the US and EU. The President was duly elected. Opposition leader Guaido has simply declared himself “interim” president. The United States, and all the other globalized economies (Canada, France, England, Germany) have instantly “recognized” this self-appointed leader as the legitimate ruler of Venezuela. No votes were deemed necessary. Read More
