Today, all fifty states in the U.S. have passed some form of anti-bullying legislation, and many school districts and colleges have extensive campaigns attempting to reduce it. Bullying is an unfortunate rite of passage that many of us have been subjected to at one point in our lives. But in the past two decades, the
READ MOREIn America, the ability of every citizen 18 and older to vote is considered one of the country’s hallmarks of “freedom and equality”. And that’s not only the case in America. Indeed, most countries in the world now have a system of what’s known as “universal suffrage”. But as with every system, there are some
READ MOREValentine’s Day is fast approaching, and for many the day is a taunting reminder of what they feel is their unlovable, lonely state. According to one source, continual loneliness afflicts one-fifth of Americans. Such a statistic is quite saddening, but is it possible for individuals to pull themselves out loneliness? Aristotle might answer that question
READ MOREA lot of ink has been spilt of late tying Donald Trump to the alt-right, a loosely affiliated group of far-right bloggers who champion white power and criticize mainstream conservatism. Some call the alt-right’s members ‘neo-fascists’; others label them “reactionaries”; and the more sophisticated commentators know them as ‘neoreactionaries’ in the army of the “dark
READ MOREDoes freedom to speak in ways that others consider “offensive” or “hateful” threaten minorities or does it protect minorities? Before you answer, please consider one of the means by which abolitionists sought to change public opinion about slavery. In the 1830s abolitionists were using the U.S. mail in their campaign to end slavery. In 1835
READ MOREEven if you can’t remember his name (and who but an Indian could?), you may be familiar with Vijay JoJo Chokal-Ingam’s story as told in his recently self-published Almost Black: The True Story Of How I Got Into Medical School By Pretending To Be Black. The book is a fascinating personal story, but more important
READ MOREIn today’s Washington Post, Jeffrey Selingo notes that one of the promises that got Trump elected was his idea of bringing back the good, old-fashioned, hands-on manufacturing jobs. But as Selingo points out, this promise, like many others made on the campaign trail, is easier said than done – for both young and old. As
READ MOREAmong all the contentious outcomes of the US Presidential election saga – starting with the election of Donald Trump himself – one uncontroversial good has emerged: the global village has been awakened to the great importance of truth. This was highlighted yesterday when Oxford Dictionaries declared “post-truth” the word of the year. (Or, to tell
READ MORELast month, PEN America, the U.S. branch of an international organization, published a strong defense of free speech on college campuses. The nearly century-old group stands for the idea that “People everywhere have the freedom to create literature, to convey information and ideas, to express their views, and to make it possible for everyone to
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