Written

Part of the mural at URI

URI has moved back a step from the ledge of mural destruction.

By Justin Katz | July 7, 2021 |

The University of Rhode Island has reconsidered its plan to destroy an iconic mural in its student union. Christian Schneider reports for The College Fix: The murals, painted by URI graduate Arthur Sherman in the 1950s, came under criticism last summer because their depiction of what life at the school was like in the post-war era…

Chart of overt and covert white supremacy

Here are some pointers to unspin critical race theory framing.

By Justin Katz | July 6, 2021 |

Given the unintended theme of the posts on Anchor Rising, today, it seems like a good day to direct readers’ attention to a post on PJ Media by Bryan Preston, with the summary title, “Leaked Docs: Critical Race Theory Seeks to Undermine Equality and the Constitutional Order.” Preston posts screen grabs from a mandatory presentation for Iowa school…

Multiracial hands on a table

Politics This Week with John DePetro: Story Tone Depends on Skin Tone

By Justin Katz | July 6, 2021 |

More and more, it appears that the way a story is covered by the media and addressed by government officials depends most on the skin color of the people involved, as John DePetro and Justin Katz discuss.

BLM t-shirt of Sayles St instigator.

The framing continues on the Sayles Street incident.

By Justin Katz | July 6, 2021 |

Here’s a curious sentence, highlighted in the following quotation from Jacqui Gomersall’s WPRI story on the latest Black Lives Matter RI PAC protest: The rally was organized by Black Lives Matter RI PAC following Tuesday’s incident on Sayles Street. Providence police are reviewing the police response to what they described as a neighborhood dispute between…

A hypnotic background

Be aware that the pro-CRT activists are organized and relentlessly on-message.

By Justin Katz | July 6, 2021 |

Have you ever noticed that the talking points for progressive causes coalesce and spread amazingly quickly?  One moment, the general public is trying to figure out what this critical race theory (CRT) thing is and why districts are pushing it on children, and the next minute activists, public figures, and journalists appear to be all…

Scott Adams trans sports tweet 06/23/21

We need to formulate rules for when to engage, and when not to engage, opposing ideas.

By Justin Katz | July 5, 2021 |

The tweet by Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams appearing as the featured image for this post is deliberately provocative in the real meaning of that word, as in “intended to provoke”: Popular opinions on Twitter: It is unfair for trans athletes to compete on women’s teams because of the strength difference. It is fair for LeBron…

A "No" sign engulfed in a tree

Testimony of a young heir of the so-called patriarchy should cause pause.

By Justin Katz | July 5, 2021 |

It’s been out there for a few weeks, but a letter that Professor John McWhorter promoted from a male high school student deserves a read.  What the boy writes is far too much in keeping with other evidence, from male student achievement to suicide rates, to be dismissed as the whining of an elite private…

Liquid pouring into an invisible glass

Alcohol-to-go is an example of how our government should function in changing circumstances.

By Justin Katz | July 5, 2021 |

As suggested in this post from last month, it is inappropriate for the governor to continue using an emergency declaration to preserve exceptions to the law.  Emergencies are (or should be) circumstances in which it isn’t possible for ordinary government processes to continue.  We can argue about when that ceased to be the case in…

Timeline of abolitions

It’s time for the U.S.A. to transcend Enlightenment propaganda.

By Justin Katz | July 5, 2021 |

Independence Day was the perfect day for me to listen to Jordan Peterson’s conversation with Iain McGilchrist on the former’s podcast as I mowed the lawn, because it completed a few more pieces of the puzzle I’ve been working out recently.  I’ll surely write much more about it in the future, but the relevant proposition…

American flag in a field at sunset

A reminder of America’s value to the huddled masses on Independence Day.

By Justin Katz | July 3, 2021 |

If you’re interested in some good Independence Day listening that reminds you indirectly of the innate goodness of the American project, give a listen to Russ Roberts’s interview of University of Chicago Economist Bruce Meyer, who specializes in the study of poverty.  As the episode summary says, the “conversation also addresses broader challenges around measuring…