Opinions

Opinions

Naming the Violence

September 23, 2020 Carma Henry 0

     There is a term that was developed in the academic field of peace research, and it deserves far more currency in political discourse and everyday language than it currently receives.  It is called “structural,” or indirect, violence, and, as the name implies, it refers to violence that is embedded in social structures or institutions.  You can’t name a specific perpetrator as you would when an individual shoots, stabs, or suffocates another person.  But structural violence inflicts no less harm than its direct counterpart. […]

Opinions

The End of “Climate Change”

September 23, 2020 Carma Henry 0

     “Climate change” is over. No, not the relentless, catastrophic environmental crisis that is spreading like, well, wildfire around the world. That is definitely real and definitely far from over. What I am talking about is the anemic, wishy-washy term “climate change,” which does such a poor job of communicating the existential threat to the planet.  […]

Opinions

Defeating a Demagogue: A Reminder from History

September 23, 2020 Carma Henry 0

      It may be small comfort as we watch Donald Trump try to cheat and bully his way to a second term, but a recent study of his demagogic predecessor, Senator Joseph McCarthy, offers one. In Louis Menand’s review of the book by Larry Tye, appropriately titled Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy, Menand points up elements of McCarthy’s behavior that describes Trump’s as well: the constant lying, the disdain for opponents, the “lazy, ignorant, and unprepared” approach to politics, the bombast and conspiracy mongering. […]

Opinions

2nd C0VID-19 Stimulus Reductions Subject whites to Black Experiences

September 17, 2020 Carma Henry 0

     For the record, let’s reflect on the following everyday Black experiences: 1) denied equal opportunities, 2) subjected to job quotas, 3) first fired last hired, 4) told to stop looking for hand-outs, 5) bad schools, 6) labeled welfare queens, 7) police brutality substituted for lynchings, 8) suppressed voting rights, 9) denied equal justice/mass incarceration, 10) stopped and frisked for being Black, 11) more likely to be executed rather than issued a traffic citation, 12) animals more protected by Endangered Species Act than Blacks by the U.S. Constitution, and the list goes on and on! […]

Opinions

Black power not about feelings

September 17, 2020 Carma Henry 0

     On August 24, 2020, Ratu Janesh posted the following comment on Facebook: “Black people could be in power today if we were not filled with hatred, jealousy, and envy for one another.” Not true. Power is not about feelings. Whites are filled with hatred, envy, and jealousy for one another, yet have all the power. […]