The New Republic article about Rand, which we looked at in Part 1, stood out not primarily because of what it said about her, but in how it conveyed its message. The article put a tribal prejudice toward Rand above facts and logic. That same mindset is on display, even more starkly, in Amanda Marcotte’s Salon article, “Right-wingers finally got their Ayn Rand hero … Continue reading When Tribal Journalists Try to ‘Cancel’ Ayn Rand (Part 2)
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Inaccurate, misrepresented, and even willfully distorted reporting on Ayn Rand’s ideas has been common in the media since she first gained public prominence. That fact came up in a conversation she had with the editor of The Ayn Rand Lexicon, a kind of mini encyclopedia of her philosophy, Objectivism. The editor, Harry Binswanger, relates that Rand … Continue reading When Tribal Journalists Try to “Cancel” Ayn Rand (Part 1)
In a widely viewed 2015 TED talk, Bill Gates warned of the risk of a global pandemic for which we were unprepared. Now that we’re actually in the midst of a global pandemic for which we are woefully unprepared, Gates has spoken out against the US government’s inadequate response, and his philanthropic foundation has pledged $250 … Continue reading The Curious Attacks on Bill Gates
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN9UNG2G8zc Elan Journo talks with Steve Simpson and Anastasia Boden, senior attorneys at the Pacific Legal Foundation, to discuss legal challenges to pandemic lockdowns.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22ge8PX2940 Ben Bayer and Elan Journo discuss key characteristics of conspiratorial thinking regarding the pandemic.
Which teams played in the last Super Bowl? Can you name one character from the Star Wars movies? Who is Kim Kardashian’s husband? Likely you answered at least one of those questions correctly. But the following may well stump you: Who developed the X-ray? Who performed the first organ transplant? Who developed the vaccine for … Continue reading Unsung Heroes of the Pandemic: Scientists
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAth4I7DHwo Elan Journo and Aaron Smith discuss the assault on homeschooling and the need for real freedom in education, prompted by a controversial article in Harvard Magazine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buWNqLeM7bs Aaron Smith and Elan Journo analyze some of the pre-existing cultural factors that impacted America's political response to the pandemic.