opinion
Opinion pieces from the left, right, and everyone in between.
The Myth of Meritocracy
The writings of Jo Littler from the book “Against Meritocracy: Culture, Power, and Myths of Mobility” will be discussed in terms of how the myth of meritocracy has been incorporated into American society and how this insidious myth conceals and rationalizes inequality in the United States. Several key aspects of meritocracy will be investigated.
Amanda BonesteelPublished 2 days ago in The SwampI am not 'unvaccinated' and I am not an 'anti-vaxxer'
At 12 years old, I shifted nervously on a narrow, wooden bench in our school gym. I had pretended to be sick that morning (as had every other grade 7 student) and was sent to school anyway. We were arranged on the bench in alphabetical order, waiting for our turn to receive the hepatitis B vaccine.
Over & Over
I tend to be kind, to the point of my own detriment. I have shaped this planet with my creativity and art but I didn't write myself in to show love and consideration towards everyone. This of course brought me much in the way of pain and augmented my depression.
John OrossPublished 4 days ago in The Swamp
Millennials Can't Wait for Baby-Boomer to Die
Generation Z and Generation A will probably feel the same way about the Millennials in forty years! But the Millennials have ten thousand good reasons to want the old decision-makers dead. Dead and buried, and their policies and truly-bizarre views of reality, entirely forgotten. It is no exaggeration to say the Baby-Boomers and the generation previous fucked up royally, made bad choices in all aspects of economic, political and social reform. Those two generations created a 21st Century full of nonsense ideas, with no economic opportunity for tens of millions of people. Those bad choice may lead to a world economic Depression far worse than the Great Depression of 1929 to 1939. Wealth has been firmly concentrated in the upper .001%. And those oligarchs are not creating tens of millions of good jobs. They hoarding the piles of cash, for reasons no rational human can understand. For no reason at all, except that they can. The most wealthy have now secured wealth to make billionaires of the children, grand-children and great-great grandchildren. The rest of us are up the creek without a paddle. Without even a boat. Do not imagine the wealth will be spread evenly among all the little people when our current crop of billionaires kick the bucket.
Roscoe ForthrightPublished 4 days ago in The Swamp
The only preexisting condition that matters
It was the summer of 2008. A few of us were sipping a beer on a patio of the new house the hosts bought a few days prior. They had just sold the family business they started about 20 years earlier. It was a small company. Despite knowing that they did not get a fortune, we tried to imagine their next major purchase. They surprised us by saying that in America, no one was selling what they wanted to buy.
Henryk A. KowalczykPublished 5 days ago in The Swamp
Ayn Rand Was a Dangerous, Pseudo-Intellectual Piece of Garbage
Every now and then, a politician will make the unfortunate choice of quoting Ayn Rand because they found a statement that seemingly supports individualism, small government, personal responsibility, or a strong work ethic. However, what they don’t realize is that beyond a few clever soundbites, Ayn Rand was not only a despicable person but she pushed a dangerous philosophy that has been laughed at by philosophers since its inception. Her only supporters today are those that haven’t read her work beyond surface level or are equally despicable.
The Happy NeuronPublished 5 days ago in The SwampThe Case for Term Limits
Not all politicians are influenced by campaign contributions, just the majority. And in America majority rules. We will never fully stop large amounts of cash from influencing our politics, but we can minimize its impact. One way is to eliminate re-elections. We should amend the constitution so that all elected federal officials only serve a single term. One and done.
Steve LancePublished 6 days ago in The Swamp
Humility in Politics
Humility is a hard thing to come by, especially in the political realm. Pride, known as the universal sin, seems more prominent in politics than perhaps anywhere else. We know that pride always leads to suffering. As a result, we should try and root out pride by being humble. One way to be humble is to ask yourself, "What if I am wrong?"
Sarcastic Sloth (Shane Frampton)Published 7 days ago in The SwampBread, Meet Circuses
Honestly, what IS the matter with people? Mind you, I'm not watching the Olympics this year. There are many reasons for this, ranging from wanting to watch LeVar Burton guest-host Jeopardy all the way to absolute disgust at the International Olympic Committee.
Jenn KirklandPublished 7 days ago in The Swamp
The Wolves Strike Again As 5 Dissidents Face Arrest In Hong Kong
I visited Hong Kong on the way to China many, many moons ago in 2004. Having spent six months travelling around India, the land of the holy cow, I was pretty certain I could handle whatever China, the land of the rising sun could throw at me.
Samantha WilsonPublished 7 days ago in The Swamp
Why Liberals are Tired of Playing Nice
I’m not going back to the US after all for a few reasons. After weighing the necessity, and figuring out that it would be safer for me to stay put for now, I realized it would also be selfish of me to leave the Philippines. Hell, I can’t even get the vaccine myself yet, so am I going to subject 200 other people to my unvaccinated ass?
Jason WeilandPublished 8 days ago in The Swamp
Where will it lead?
Eighty-five years ago, the world was changing and for the worse. Nazi Germany was rising to power, the axis of evils were beginning to form. In 1936, in Berlin the Olympic games were already in progress. This was three years before the start of World War 2. I took a walking tour of Munich and they told us that at a pub in Munich that you had to give the Nazi salute on one side of the pub but not the other and that everyone walked around to avoid giving the Nazi salute. In 1936 an American, Jesse Owens won the Gold Medal for his event and Hitler wouldn't meet the medal winners from other countries just from Germany. The Olympic Commission told Hitler he had to meet all the gold medal winners or none at all, so he chose for none. In this photo you will see Owens proudly saluting the American Flag when the National Anthem was played. The Olympics should be free from politics. Picture Owens proudly saluting the American Flag.
Lawrence Edward HincheePublished 8 days ago in The Swamp
