L’Chaim: A Reflection on a Morbid Anniversary
Published: Good Men Project (June 6, 2015) Exactly 18 years ago on this day, I nearly died. A somewhat morbid reflection on everything that has happened since. As I’ve discussed in an earlier article, I was the victim of an anti-Semitic hate crime when I was twelve, one that nearly cost me my life. When I realized that the 18th anniversary of that event would fall on the day of my...
5 reasons George W. Bush is still the worst president ever
Published: Daily Dot (June 4, 2015), Salon (June 7, 2015) George W. Bush is trending on the Internet for a surprising reason. A CNN/ORC Poll that recently hit the Web yielded some good news for the embattled former president: For the first time since the months after his reelection in 2004, more Americans have a favorable opinion of him (52 percent) than an unfavorable one (43 percent)....
Anti-Semitism, Caitlyn Jenner, and the Insecure Male
Published: Good Men Project (June 4, 2015) Some Men’s Rights Activists are blaming the positive media coverage of Caitlyn Jenner on the Jews. Yes, you read that correctly. For several weeks, I’ve been carefully preparing an article on a childhood experience that profoundly shaped my worldview today: An act of anti-Semitic bullying that nearly cost me my life. Because June 6th marks the...
The TSA can’t find hidden explosives because the security state is failing you
Published: Daily Dot (June 2, 2015) A recent internal investigation revealed that the Transportation Security Administration failed 95 percent of its security checkpoint tests. When the Department of Homeland Security made 70 attempts to smuggle explosives and weapons past the citadels of American airport security, they succeeded 67 times. This is part of a larger pattern of post-9/11...
What 9 World Leaders Were Doing In Their 20s
Published: Question of the Day (June 2, 2015) These were really formative years. The 20-something years are often as sharply defined by the “something” aspect of that term than by their numerical designation. This is the decade in which so many of us struggle to find ourselves in our careers; for some, the path lies clearly in front of us, while for others it wind around and is covered in...
The Ethics of Getting Personal
Published: Good Men Project (June 2, 2015) Matthew Rozsa asks one of the most important ethical questions that any editorial writer must answer: At what point does “personal” become “too personal?” —- Last Saturday I published an editorial called “3 Correctable Behaviors That Destroy Relationships.” Drawing from a particularly ugly falling out that I had recently experienced with an...
3 Correctable Behaviors That Destroy Relationships
Published: Good Men Project (May 30, 2015) Matthew Rozsa identifies 3 things to stop doing if you want to give your relationship—romantic, platonic, familiar, et cetera—a chance. ___ Roughly four weeks ago, an ex-girlfriend of mine (with whom I had maintained a close friendship for the year-and-a-half since our break up) texted me that she wished I wasn’t always analyzing her. Considering that...
4 surprising reasons Rand Paul might be the liberal candidate you’re looking for
Published: Daily Dot (May 29, 2015) At a time when the Republican Party has developed a reputation for voting and thinking in lockstep, it is worth noting that Kentucky’s Sen. Rand Paul has a surprisingly bipartisan appeal, which is becoming an important part of his growing presidential campaign. In the wake of an Internet-breaking filibuster on the Patriot Act, the outspoken National Security...
5 ways Republicans can reboot their brand in the Internet era
Published: Daily Dot (May 28, 2015) In his new book, Taking a Stand: Moving Beyond Partisan Politics to Unite America, Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul declares that the GOP brand “sucks” and is “broken.” From those big declarations, he goes on to discuss his personal affinity for nature (describing himself as a “tree hugger”) and his ability to find common ground with racial...
Why We Should Stop Saying ‘Friend Zone’
Published: Good Men Project (May 28, 2015) Matthew Rozsa discusses the term “friend zone” – and why we should get rid of it. Since this article was inspired by a personal experience, it seems only fair that I open it with a confession: I have complained about being “friend zoned.” Thankfully it’s been years since I’ve done this, but I can’t say it hasn’t happened at all. Like most men, I have...
Why Rand Paul can win
Published: Daily Dot (May 27, 2015) While Rand Paul’s name often appears on lists of leading Republican presidential nominees, his well-known libertarian streak is often cited as a prime reason why he most likely won’t be nominated. His National Security Agency opposition might make him popular on the Internet, but he’s the definition of a wild card. Make no mistake about it: If history serves...
The Role of Men in the 2016 Presidential Election
Published: Good Men Project (May 26, 2015) The chances are pretty good that women’s issues will be front-and-center in the 2016 presidential election… and we may even have a female candidate! From the moment Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential elections, polls have consistently ranked Hillary Clinton at the top of potential Democratic presidential candidates for 2016....
The one reason you should be watching Fox News
Published: Daily Dot (May 22, 2015) For a while, it didn’t seem like anyone who wasn't a card-carrying member of the GOP had a voice on Fox News, the network that is "fair and balanced," so long as you agree with Rupert Murdoch. A 2012 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 60 percent of Fox News viewers were self-described conservatives, compared to 23 percent who identified as moderates...
“David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel, and the Importance of Personal Heroes
Published: Good Men Project (May 21, 2015) When Jimmy Kimmel got choked up on Tuesday as he discussed David Letterman’s impending departure from the air, he demonstrated an important fact: Everyone needs a hero. That’s a corny thing to say (or write), especially in an era as oversaturated with scandal as our own. Nary a celebrity or public figure has managed to avoid being tarnished by some sort...
Will the death threats against Obama force Twitter to get serious about security?
Published: Daily Dot (May 20, 2015) When President Obama created a personal Twitter account earlier this week, he set a world record with near lightning speed: @POTUS became the fastest account to reach 1 million followers, hitting that mark in under five hours. However, the president also received a lot of death threats just as quickly. While this may not constitute a record in its own right,...
7 times Bernie Sanders broke the Internet
Published: Daily Dot (May 19, 2015), Salon (May 23, 2015) Say what you will about the presidential candidacy of Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), but if nothing else, it has certainly introduced some interesting ideas into America’s political debate. Considering that the most recent polls show Hillary Clinton with a nearly five-to-one lead over her nearest rival, this can only be viewed as a positive...
An Aspie Observation on Gaining Weight
Published: Good Men Project (May 19, 2015) Why are we so sensitive about telling people when they’ve gained weight? ___ Between last October and this May, I put on almost forty pounds. And I wish someone had told me that I was gaining weight. Don’t get me wrong, I take full responsibility for my current dilemma. It was my decision to eat poorly, settle into a sedentary lifestyle, and ignore...