Category: Politics

Marx’s madness: Why ‘Parasite’ explains everything, basically

The movie Parasite stands in my mind on the same level as Moonlight. It is a distinctive and cutting portrayal of the modern condition of Homo sapiens. It is ‘terrifying.’ And it is, fundamentally, true. Here is why. ‘Parasite’, directed by Bong Joon-ho. In Parasite, the enduring question is: who is the parasite — the … Continue reading Marx’s madness: Why ‘Parasite’ explains everything, basically →

Yonder Yecialism? A constructive critique of Ye’s Clubhouse Interview

‘[T]he run in 24, if I can word it like that, will not be based on division and diversity but on unification. In America we will augment policy to align with the Bible to serve all Americans — no matter what their class, what their race, what their background. It’s about Jesus, love, happiness, and … Continue reading Yonder Yecialism? A constructive critique of Ye’s Clubhouse Interview →

From technique to artistry: The theory of music in ‘Whiplash’

Tropes of ‘music theory’ are as oft trotted out as are their counterparts in the department of ‘practice makes perfect’. But in the philosophy of Mozart’s time, Immanuel Kant already bridged these polar opposites of musical weather reports: the faculty of judgement, specifically concerned with aesthetic concepts of beauty and the sublime, bridged between abstract … Continue reading From technique to artistry: The theory of music in ‘Whiplash’ →

17 Points: How to make the world safe for all people

First published in early autumn 2022. In the view that all people depend on peace for their survival and wellbeing, and in the knowledge that peace is at grave risk of breakdown, there are several points that may be well understood by those wise enough to choose peace over war. To that end, the seventeen … Continue reading 17 Points: How to make the world safe for all people →

The music industry to come: What’s next for the greatest show on Earth

Written on 23-24 November 2022. Music is evolving. That much is clear. Netflix’s ‘The Playlist’ depicts the last era of class and generational warfare in the market of music. On the one hand were the young and the poor, fighting for their rights to consume and produce music without losing out to the winners, the … Continue reading The music industry to come: What’s next for the greatest show on Earth →

The Itaewon tragedy, the sinking of the Titanic, and the new interwar years

The Itaewon tragedy in Seoul has shocked South Korea and the world as it is revealed 153 people died as a result of over-congestion related to Halloween festivities. As the West mourns a boring Halloween, Korea finds itself mourning losses that mirror the tragedy at Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival last year at which 10 died, … Continue reading The Itaewon tragedy, the sinking of the Titanic, and the new interwar years →

The 90s are back, kinda

The 1990s were full of crazy ideas. The ‘end of history’, the ‘clash of civilizations’, and the ‘coming anarchy’ could not all be true, right? But they were all true. We are, as another 90s prophet argued, ‘back to the future’. The 90s are back, baby. Well, kinda. Let me explain. Welcome to the 20s. … Continue reading The 90s are back, kinda →

Machiavelli Against The Bullies

Machiavellian has become a byword for scheming, calculating, sinister, and manipulative. But that is exactly what Machiavelli is not. Let me explain. Machiavelli, the anti-bully? Bullies are not Machiavellian. Bullies are weak-minded, appetitive, brutish individuals who think they can impose their will by force on particular people — not to achieve any particular end, but … Continue reading Machiavelli Against The Bullies →