Educated in the classics, philosophy, literature, theology, and sociology, Ed Curtin teaches sociology at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. His writing on varied topics has appeared widely over many years. He states: "I write as a public intellectual for the general public, not as a specialist for a narrow readership. I believe a non-committal sociology is an impossibility and therefore see all my work as an effort to enhance human freedom through understanding." His website is http://edwardcurtin.com/ .
Parting shot—a word from the editors
The Best Definition of Donald Trump We Have Found
In his zeal to prove to his antagonists in the War Party that he is as bloodthirsty as their champion, Hillary Clinton, and more manly than Barack Obama, Trump seems to have gone “play-crazy” -- acting like an unpredictable maniac in order to terrorize the Russians into forcing some kind of dramatic concessions from their Syrian allies, or risk Armageddon.However, the “play-crazy” gambit can only work when the leader is, in real life, a disciplined and intelligent actor, who knows precisely what actual boundaries must not be crossed. That ain’t Donald Trump -- a pitifully shallow and ill-disciplined man, emotionally handicapped by obscene privilege and cognitively crippled by white American chauvinism. By pushing Trump into a corner and demanding that he display his most bellicose self, or be ceaselessly mocked as a “puppet” and minion of Russia, a lesser power, the War Party and its media and clandestine services have created a perfect storm of mayhem that may consume us all.— Glen Ford, Editor in Chief, Black Agenda Report
each element of this assassination seems designed for theater. Why choose a Spy Movie method for assassinating someone no longer important? Because those who perpetrated the act were thinking about the theater audience.
I was rather obsessed in high school with WWII history. I remember, for example, reading “Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” and several other such books, which explains in part why I was so unpopular and was considered a nerd before the term existed. Much of what drove this was curiosity and obvious questions, especially for a working class adolescent who didn’t have the benefit of being in a family of scholars: How could this happen? Didn’t people see where things were headed? Why did the German people go along? Later in life, I read a book — the… Read more »
John – I totally relate to your post. I’ve spent a lifetime trying to understand these same issues, and over decades have been brought slowly and painfully to some rather unpleasant realizations about the psychological makeup of those in positions of power in the West. I used to marvel at the bloody history of Europe, from the Crusades and Holy Inquisition and endless war to the slave trade, genocide and robbery of the “new world.” Those in power seemed over and over again to not only engage in unimaginable brutality for their own benefits and ends, but have been able… Read more »
Phenomenal comment! Certainly the potential for greed and violence coexist in most normal human beings with altruism and desire for harmony. We are a species of many contradictions, subjected to all sorts of pressures — all vying under various banners and agendas, some transparent and undisguised, and others hidden behind a firewall of deceptions — and what passes for leadership. Unfortunately many now seem to lack any reasonable standard for making positive, affirming choices. The “dumbing down” has taken its toll with stakes higher than ever before in history.