The actor Hugh Laurie recently observed that “[while] you can chew all the celery you want, three-quarters of us wouldn’t be here without antibiotics.” He was getting at a basic truth. Continue Reading...
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August 23, 2023
The Firemen’s Ball: When Comedy Made Ideology Cringe
Miloš Forman was an incredibly famous director in the 1980s, when his Amadeus (1984) won eight Oscars out of 11 nominations, and Ragtime (1981) also received eight nominations, period pieces about music’s potential for social transformation, overcoming prejudices or conventions, and making a new world. Continue Reading...
August 22, 2023
When a Judge Is Forced Off the Bench
“Bury the lead!” is certainly unusual editorial advice but possibly the only good strategy for an essay on the vagaries of the federal court system. You never want your readers to know that they might find the subject matter of your essay less than exciting. Continue Reading...
August 18, 2023
Gen Z at Work: Its Superpower Isn’t What You Think
My professional career was born into a world of remote work. In the summer of 2021, I kicked off my first “real” internship at a media company in Washington D.C.—and never once stepped foot in the office. Continue Reading...
August 17, 2023
Threats to Religious Freedom in Australia
Australia is a liberal democracy and commonly celebrated as a model of multiculturalism. Its legal framework could be described as a Westminster appropriation of American republicanism. Section 116 of the Australian constitution states: “The Commonwealth [federal government] shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.” Continue Reading...
August 16, 2023
The Rise, Fall, and Rise of Faith-Based Poverty Work
Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) summarized what happened to George W. Bush’s 2001 anti-poverty “faith-based” initiative this way: It started out “with a certain merit, and you hope to God, literally, that you’re doing the right thing. Continue Reading...
August 15, 2023
Tyranny, Inc. and the Future of American Labor
Tyranny, Inc. is the best book yet published by a writer associated with the “postliberal” movement. Ahmari’s argument is focused and topical, he offers spirited critiques without ranting, and gives proper credit to the academic sources on which he draws. Continue Reading...
August 11, 2023
The Gen Z Marriage Paradox
Marriage—an institution as old as time—is increasingly under threat. The marriage rate has fallen 60% since 1970, and the number of children living in working-class, married-parent families fell from 85% to 55% in the same time frame. Continue Reading...
August 10, 2023
The Habsburg Way and Ours
Lord Acton believed that “the only real political noblesse on the Continent is the Austrian.” In The Habsburg Way, Eduard Habsburg, archduke of Austria and Hungarian ambassador to the Holy See and the Sovereign Order of Malta, has written a charming and insightful book. Continue Reading...
August 09, 2023
Servility, Vanity, and Lack of Conviction: Welcome to College
Why the gnashing of teeth over the recent Supreme Court decision on affirmative action? Why have some schools responded by eliminating legacy admissions? What does the controversy tell us about how we understand the university itself? Continue Reading...
