You can tell a lot about a person by the way they see the world and others in it. Those who view the world and its inhabitants as basically good, and who remain relatively hopeful about the better angels of our nature, though occasionally caught off guard by the less salutary aspects of the human […]
My appearance on WGN (Chicago’s) Morning News program, September 2, 2016, to discuss Colin Kaepernick, the National Anthem, and his ongoing protest against police violence. For some reason, the chyron at one point says Tim Wise: “Dear White People,” (the name of an excellent movie that I had nothing to do with), rather than “Dear […]
So just in case you were wondering, when a white man bellows that America is no longer great, and in fact is akin to a “third world” country, and that many other countries are better than we are at all kinds of things — and this is why we should elect him, so he can […]
At the risk of sounding preposterously trite, I love my daughters. I love them the same way my parents loved me, I suspect, and their parents loved them: unconditionally and forever. That said, I also see their flaws and shortcomings. They are teenagers after all and human beings, and their membership in both clubs provides […]
So in following up the earlier post on the pathology of patriotism, I figured it might be worth re-posting links to a few additional older essays, all of which addressed this subject of “American Exceptionalism.” It is that, after all, which Rudy Giuliani and other right wingers accuse President Obama of failing to endorse (when […]
In light of the recent ventilations of Rudy Giuliani, to the effect that President Obama doesn’t “love America” like “the rest of us do” — because of the way the president has framed, among other things, the actions of ISIS and our response to it — I thought it might be worthwhile to revisit an […]
Another collection of short sound clips from longer speeches, each one focused on a particular theme or sub-topic. For full descriptions of the clips, click below the audio player, where it says “Read the rest of this entry…”
Published as a ZNet Commentary, 3/21/03 Dear Neighbor, Please spare me the lecture. Likewise, don’t bother asking why I refuse to tie a yellow ribbon around the tree in my yard, or put out a flag, or slather my Honda Civic with “Support the Troops” bumper stickers. I don’t feel like explaining it every time […]
