In The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, the historian Edward Gibbon notes that in its latter stages, Roman citizens were fond of vandalizing or removing monuments to an unpopular leader. Historians called the practice “damnatio memoriae,” or condemnation of memory. In today’s America, the tragic events in Charlottesville have led to a Roman-like effort to erase history. Just a quick overview of events in New York, where I live:
New York mayor Bill de Blasio says he will look into removing the statue of Christopher Columbus that has stood near Central Park since 1892. The City Council speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito, already supports removal of the “invader” Columbus ...
In The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, the historian Edward Gibbon notes that in its latter stages, Roman citizens were fond of vandalizing or removing monuments to an unpopular leader. Historians called the practice “damnatio memoriae,” or condemnation of memory. In today’s America, the tragic events in...
Hillary Clinton’s 2016 brand: Tough. Capable. Experienced. Ready. A fighter.
Who freaks out when a man stands behind her for a few seconds.
That last detail about Hillary’s personality...
Recent reports suggest that President Trump is torn about what to do about DACA, the de facto amnesty for so-called DREAMers instituted by Barack Obama. We understand the hesitation, since many...
The solar eclipse this August was a marvel. After all, people were looking up and not at screens! There was a widespread sense of wonder at creation at a time when it’s far from a given that we...
If 2016 is the year when our political parties failed, inflicting on America arguably its worst presidential choice in our nation’s history, then 2017 is when our broader institutions began to...
The announcement of the pardon of former Sheriff Joseph Arpaio on a Friday night — the time usually reserved for getting out bad news — suggests that some people at the White House might have...
Shortly after Arkansas senator Tom Cotton and Georgia senator David Perdue released the RAISE Act, a bill that would, among other things, sharply reduce legal-immigration levels, it occurred to...
