By Daniel A. Kaufman __ Prose consists less and less of words chosen for the sake of their meaning, and more and more of phrases tacked together like the sections of a prefabricated henhouse. --George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language” Our public discourse today has disintegrated into a wretched cant, in which words are... Continue Reading →
by Daniel A. Kaufman ____ [1] Using online communications platforms as a replacement for in-person, physical socializing had already done enormous damage to human relationships – and especially those of young people – well before the social distancing mandates required to combat the novel coronavirus were imposed. I am worried that this collective social ineptitude... Continue Reading →
by Daniel A. Kaufman _____ (1) The devastating defeat of Labour by the Tories in the recent British election, when added to Trump's victory over the Democrats in 2016, indicates that the current liberal/Left-wing coalitions one finds in the US/Britain are no longer viable when it comes to nationwide political contests. (2) If the Democrats... Continue Reading →
by Daniel A. Kaufman ____ When I was in elementary school in the 1970’s, one way a kid might respond to an insult would be to say, “I know you are, but what am I?” The other kid would reply with another insult, to which the insulted would simply repeat the initial response. This would... Continue Reading →
by Daniel A. Kaufman _____ My discussion with Milton Lawson, comic writer and cultural critic, on the Stranger Things phenomenon, Generation X, and popular culture. Originally aired on MeaningofLife.TV, July 17, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4IpAie0hlU&t=2741s
by Daniel A. Kaufman These last few days, I have been in NY – Long Island to be precise – staying with my mother, while my father is traveling. This has become something of a ritual. My parents are elderly – my father will be ninety in June and my mother just turned eighty-six, last... Continue Reading →
by Daniel A. Kaufman My discussion with Robert Wright on Joan Didion, The New Journalism, the Silent Generation, Generation X, and more. Originally aired on meaningoflife.tv, part of the bloggingheads.tv network, October 14. https://youtu.be/Bij2TNhopHk
