The death of George Floyd, and his presumed murder by Derek Chauvin with the complicity of several Minneapolis policemen, was an iconic moment in today’s race relations, the most important event leading to the “racial reckoning” of the last few years. In late December of last year, I posted a movie, “The Fall of Minneapolis” […]
Glenn Loury (and, to some extent, John McWhorter) backpedal about the death of George Floyd
Glenn Loury (and, to some extent, John McWhorter) backpedal about the death of George Floyd
15 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economics of crime, law and economics, movies, politics - USA Tags: crime and punishment, law and order, racial discrimination
DON BRASH: NATIONHOOD, Orewa, 2004
09 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in discrimination, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: constitutional law, political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left
On February 1 Sean Plunket re-played the audio of Don Brash’s 2004 Orewa speech at The Platform. To listen to the entire speech, go here. Alternatively, the full text of the speech is reproduced below. Today Don reflects: “It’s very long – really far too long for a Rotary Club speech. I should have taken…
DON BRASH: NATIONHOOD, Orewa, 2004
BRIAN EASTON: Our understanding of Te Tiriti has evolved organically.
06 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economic history, economics of bureaucracy, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: Age of Enlightenment, constitutional law, Internet, political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left
Why try to stop that evolution? Brian Easton writes – In 1956, historian Ruth Ross presented her investigations of the treaty signed at Waitangi on 6 February 1840 to a seminar concluding, ‘The [Māori and Pakeha] signatories of 1840 were uncertain and divided in their understanding of [Te Tiriti’s] meaning; who can say now what […]
BRIAN EASTON: Our understanding of Te Tiriti has evolved organically.
Robot Racism: Pittsburgh Professor Sounds Alarm Over “Interacting with White Robots”
05 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of education, economics of media and culture Tags: political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left
In today’s academic environment, there often seems a race to racialize common practices or terminology. Publications clamor for such articles and discovering another hidden racist element in society can bring academic accolades. However, others have already staked out many such areas such as mathematics, astrophysics, statistics, meritocracy, climate change, dieting, tipping, skiing, chess, and organized pantries. Most recently, the American Psychological Association declared that merit-based hiring may […]
Robot Racism: Pittsburgh Professor Sounds Alarm Over “Interacting with White Robots”
DON BRASH: WHAT KIND OF COUNTRY DO WE WANT TO BE?
03 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, discrimination, economic history, income redistribution, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: Age of Enlightenment, constitutional law, political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left
Last Sunday, the Sunday Star-Times recalled on its front page the “fiery debate” triggered by my speech to the Orewa Rotary Club just 20 years earlier. Articles by several authors in the same paper brought the debate up-to-date and warned of the dangers of ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill, which the National Party’s coalition agreement with…
DON BRASH: WHAT KIND OF COUNTRY DO WE WANT TO BE?
DON BRASH: WHY THE MAORI ELECTORATES MUST GO
14 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, discrimination, politics - New Zealand Tags: constitutional law, racial discrimination
One of the strange omissions from the coalition agreements which marked the establishment of the new Government was any reference to the Maori electorates. Perhaps in one sense the omission was not strange: there had been little or no discussion about those electorates during the election campaign, either by those parties which might have…
DON BRASH: WHY THE MAORI ELECTORATES MUST GO
Harvard President Claudine Gay to resign
03 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA Tags: Age of Enlightenment, free speech, Gaza Strip, Israel, Middle-East politics, political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left, war against terror
Breaking nooz, and from the Harvard Crimson. The revelations of plagiarism, and accusations of withholding/manipulating data, apparently rendered her ineffective as President. And her status as Harvard’s first black woman President didn’t save her. I heard rumors that she refused to resign, and had procured a lawyer and would sue, but those apparently weren’t true. […]
Harvard President Claudine Gay to resign
Antisemitism in America as displacement behavior
02 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economics of crime, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA Tags: free speech, Gaza Strip, Middle-East politics, political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left, war against terror
It’s likely that most or all of today’s posts will be about the antisemitism in America and the world, a form of hatred revealed and exacerbated by the war between Israel and Hamas. There are no other worthy items to post about, so if you’re tired of the war, or of discussions about Jews, just […]
Antisemitism in America as displacement behavior
Frank Sinatra’s anti-bigotry film, “The House I Live In”
01 Jan 2024 1 Comment
in movies Tags: racial discrimination
I guess today’s theme is bigotry. I had no idea that Frank Sinatra was an outspoken opponent of bigotry, particularly anti-Semitism. In fact, there’s a Wikipedia article called “Frank Sinatra and Jewish activism“. Here’s an excerpt: Frank Sinatra was a strong supporter and activist for Jewish causes in the United States and Israel. According to Santopietro, Sinatra was a […]
Frank Sinatra’s anti-bigotry film, “The House I Live In”
Jon Haidt on the rise of antisemitism on campus
25 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in economics of education Tags: Age of Enlightenment, free speech, political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left
On his Substack site “After Babel,” social psychologist Jon Haidt, most of you know of, explains the rapid rise of antisemitism on American campuses. The piece is long and a bit repetitious, but well worth reading of a Christmas Eve. Click to read: I’ll just summarize his thesis and give some quotes. First, the problem: […]
Jon Haidt on the rise of antisemitism on campus
When Wokes and Racists Actually Agree on Everything
23 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in discrimination, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: affirmative action, Age of Enlightenment, free speech, political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left
Conor Friedersdorf (and Alexander Barvinok) on ideological coercion in American colleges
18 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA Tags: free speech, political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left
The Atlantic‘s Conor Fridersdorf is a breath of fresh air among liberal woke media. He is in fact a liberal, but not a “progressive”, and in the new article below he reports one mathematician’s observations of how DEI has insinuated itself into academics, creating not only viewpoint homogeneity, but authoritarianism. Like my colleague Anna Krylov, […]
Conor Friedersdorf (and Alexander Barvinok) on ideological coercion in American colleges
Casey Costello’s maiden speech
15 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand Tags: political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left
Casey Costello provided a welcome change of perspective in her maiden speech. . . . I talk of my tūpuna, and of my whānau not to qualify for some credentials to be recognised as Māori. I know who I am and my strength comes from who has gone before and who are with me now. […]
Casey Costello’s maiden speech
In a country supposedly infected by “white supremacy,” “white privilege” and “systemic racism” how did all of these non-white minority groups get to be SO successful in the US, outearning the typical White American household?
13 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in discrimination, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, politics - USA, poverty and inequality Tags: racial discrimination
Chuck Schumer delivers Senate speech on antisemitism
04 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economics of crime, economics of education, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA Tags: political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left, The Holocaust
You can read Chuck Schumer’s recent op-ed in the NYT, “What American Jews fear most,“, or you can watch his 40-minute speech on the topic given in the Senate (video below). I recommend listening to the speech, of which the op-ed is a short distillation. Alternatively, read the transcript, which you can find here. Schumer […]
Chuck Schumer delivers Senate speech on antisemitism
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
Recent Comments