The Wall of Hate
Published: The Good Men Project (March 29, 2016) Let’s talk, for a moment, about the Wall of Hate. It may not look like much, but it was enough to grab my attention as I walked home from the Fairchild-Martindale Library at Lehigh University. Various students were standing in front of it with markers, scribbling words that I could not as of yet discern, and several more were present to hand out...
The Danger of Ideologues
Published: The Good Men Project (March 26, 2016) "The only index by which to judge a government or a way of life is by the quality of the people it acts upon. No matter how noble the objectives of a government, if it blurs decency and kindness, cheapens human life, and breeds ill will and suspicion—it is an evil government." - Eric Hoffer I posted this quote not only because I agree with its...
Does hashtag activism work?
Published: The Daily Dot (March 24, 2016) There was an interesting debate at the University of Pennsylvania this week. TheFoundation for Individual Rights in Education, or FIRE, hosted a panel discussion on the effectiveness of hashtag activism. The debate featured Zeynep Tufekci, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Zellie Imani, an educator whose...
Why I Write About Asperger’s Syndrome
Published: The Good Men Project (March 24, 2016) When my first article was picked up by Mic in February 2012, I thought that my dream of becoming a political columnist had finally started to come true. I wasn’t wrong, but I never anticipated one turn that my career was destined to take. Although I still love writing editorials on political and social issues, I also find that more and more often...
Obama needs to stop undermining Sanders
Published: Salon (March 22, 2016), The Good Men Project (March 19, 2016) Shame on you, President Obama, for trying to undermine Senator Bernie Sanders' campaign. As The New York Times reported on Thursday, Obama privately told a group of Democratic donors in Austin, TX that they needed to unite behind Hillary Clinton because Sanders would soon have to end his presidential bid. "Mr. Obama...
Clintonism deserves its due
Published: The Huffington Post (March 21, 2016), The Good Men Project (March 17, 2016) Whenever I talk to potential voters who doubt Hillary Clinton (not outright oppose her, mind you, but simply have reservations), I find there are two arguments which are most likely to convince them to develop a more favorable view of her potential presidency. One is the possibility that not turning out to...
How to make “Indiana Jones 5? the best of the series: Kill off the racist, sexist tropes the series is steeped in
Published: Salon (March 16, 2016) Like most millennials, I’m absolutely psyched that Steven Spielberg is making a fifth “Indiana Jones” movie. The 1980s trilogy was a staple of my childhood, and after the disappointment of 2008’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” I’m hoping with bated breath that this new (and presumably final) chapter will offer a fitting close to the...
With his Supreme Court nominee, Obama chooses the path of least resistance
Published: The Daily Dot (March 16, 2016) President Barack Obama announced his appointment to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court on Wednesday. His choice is Merrick Garland, one of the most conservative judges ever chosen by a modern Democratic president. The Internet doesn’t seem particularly impressed. Perhaps this is because Garland doesn’t have much in the way of a...
Being a PhD Student with Asperger’s Syndrome
Published: The Good Men Project (March 12, 2016) Without question, pursuing a PhD in history was one of the best decisions of my life. Not only has it opened doors in my writing career - which, professionally speaking, is my one true love - but it has allowed me to interact with some of the most brilliant people I've ever met. The conversations that we have had both within and outside of the...
My thoughts: Donald Trump’s Nazis
Interview with Kris Welch. Want to hear what I had to say (cue it up to around the 23:30 mark for my section)? Radio Interview
We Need To Take Trump Seriously
Published: The Good Men Project (March 10, 2016) I've said this before, but it bears repeating. Whenever I talk to a non-Trump supporter about the possibility of Trump becoming president, I usually run into some sort of disclaimer. "I'm a little worried, but it's never going to happen." "This is getting scary, but obviously he isn't likely to become president." "I mean, even if he does become...
What it actually feels like to be targeted by Donald Trump’s neo-Nazi fan club
Published: Quartz (March 10, 2016) With 458 delegates under his belt so far (and counting), Donald Trump is now more than one-third of the way toward receiving the Republican presidential nomination. Although millions of Americans both inside and out of the Grand Old Party are reacting to this prospect with justifiable disgust, millions more find nothing wrong with a frontrunner reluctant to...
“It’s Always Sunny” gang goes to hell: The long-running “Seinfeld” heir skewers rape culture, homophobia and religious hypocrisy in two-part finale
Published: Salon (March 8, 2016) If we live in the golden age of television, the FXX comedy “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” is one of the underappreciated gems. Often billed as “Seinfeld on crack,” the show has a distinct comic sensibility of its own, cynically reveling in the monstrosities of its five main characters, who have been described in-series as “the most horrible people alive.”...
Why The New ‘Ghostbusters’ Trailer Was Awful
Published: The Good Men Project (March 8, 2016) When it was first announced that Sony was making an all-female Ghostbusters, I couldn't have been more excited. In my article for The Good Men Project on the upcoming film, I wrote that "it would be a disaster if the movie was deemed a qualitative failure... If the movie is a success, Ghostbusters 3 could be a forward stride for female comedians...
My thoughts: 2016 presidential election
Saturday Morning Talkies (March 5, 2016) Interview with Kris Welch. Want to hear what I had to say (cue it up to around the one hour mark for my section)? Radio Interview
How the next president could transform Internet freedom
Published: The Daily Dot (March 7, 2016) When it comes to Internet freedom, it is entirely possible that the 2016 presidential election will be remembered as one of the most consequential events in the history of cyberspace. This may seem like a bold conclusion, but when you consider the competing attitudes on Internet issues not only between Democrats and Republicans but within the major...
Hillary vs. Donald: Now What?
Published: The Good Men Project (March 5, 2016) Earlier today I was interviewed on KPFA with Kris Welch (the other guest was Sam Levine, associate politics editor at The Huffington Post). Not surprisingly, the subject was the 2016 presidential election, with many callers focusing on the ongoing Democratic primary battle between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Because I devoted a recent op-ed...