Entries by MercatorNet - Navigating Modern Complexities

What Shakespeare foresaw about Donald Trump’s impeachment

‘Julius Caesar’ offers political lessons for Nancy Pelosi. “What means that Trump?” asks Timon in Shakespeare’s play Timon of Athens. Good question, that, and one that all of America and all of the world is asking. But the answer is in another play, the oft-performed Julius Caesar. It was written more than 400 years ago, but its […]

Time for Twitter & Co to take responsibility for news — and lies

The censorship of Trump and Section 230 have far-reaching ramifications. The events in Washington DC last Wednesday, and the subsequent permanent suspension by Twitter of the account @realDonaldTrump, throw into the spotlight the question of how responsible social-media companies are for the material that users post by the technical means that the companies provide.  They add urgency […]

Restricting free speech on social media may be a slippery slope

The market may soon offer an alternative that will lead Facebook and Twitter to regret their authoritarian impulses. On Monday, Facebook blocked former presidential candidate Ron Paul from his own page. The move came hours after the longtime congressman and libertarian hero shared an article he wrote criticizing Twitter and Facebook for banning President Donald Trump from […]

The endgame of transgender ideology is to dismantle the family

Nancy Pelosi and her fellow gender-inclusive enthusiasts have taken a bold and much-disparaged move to erase language that expresses the reality of familial relationships. In the name of inclusivity, words like “father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, cousin, nephew, niece, husband, wife, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law” have been targeted for erasure from House proceedings. If pursued, […]

Do American Conservatives Have A Fertility Advantage?

Holding conservative beliefs and attitudes probably makes people more determined to marry and have children earlier. In an election post-mortem interview, progressive election analyst David Shor claimed that increasingly delayed marriage and childbearing have given Democrats an electoral advantage and that these changes in family formation are “reason for hope” for Democrats. Indeed, the recent presidential […]

Why did so many Americans vote for Trump — despite everything?

The Donald’s better-than-expected election performance has people asking what is going on in the U.S. Kevin D. Williamson’s new book — Big White Ghetto: Dead Broke, Stone-Cold Stupid, and High on Rage in the Dank Woolly Wilds of the “Real America” –– came out on November 17. Over the last decade, Williamson has been a roving correspondent […]

Harvard Researchers: Young Adults Showing Signs of Depression in Pandemic

Mounting evidence shows that pandemic-related lockdowns and restrictions have inflicted much more harm on younger people than the coronavirus itself. A new report reveals that nearly half of 18 to 24 year-olds are “showing at least moderate depressive symptoms,” and for many the depression is severe. Researchers at Harvard, Northeastern, Rutgers, and Northwestern universities conducted eight large survey […]

When Christmas was cancelled: A lesson from history

People may chafe at COVID-19 restrictions on Christmas festivities. The prospect of a Christmas without large-scale celebrations is preying on minds. After the widespread cancellation of pantomimes, festive light “switch-ons” and other community activities, it seems likely that 2020’s festivities will be much more intimate affairs, potentially with households banned from mixing indoors. But what if families ignore distancing rules, […]

Good news from the election: Americans are not racists — The United States has clearly overcome its ‘original sin’

It is not very easy to find good news in the American election. Or to announce whatever good news one has found in a tone that is not surly. But it seems to me there is very good news here on the perennial accursed topic of race, what Barack Obama rightly called America’s original sin. […]

Religious Liberty in the Age of Data Surveillance and Soft Totalitarianism

Rod Dreher’s new book, already a bestseller on Amazon, examines the erosion of religious freedom in the West and draws valuable lessons from the faithful who survived under Communist oppression. Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher, Sentinel, 2020 256pp Live Not By Lies is Rod Dreher’s widely-anticipated follow-up to The Benedict […]

Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis will help him win re-election

Trump’s strong leadership so far has produced excellent economic results. Even weakened by the virus, he is still more robust than Biden. For Americans, the most surreal election cycle in a century just got even more surreal. We are attempting to conduct an election in which the entire direction of the country hangs in the […]

In a Pandemic, Dogmatism is the Real Enemy

What we need is careful science, not scientism Eight months into this pandemic, we sometimes seem to be no nearer to knowing what’s going on than we were at the beginning. Lockdowns vs. no lockdowns; masks vs. no masks; hydroxychloroquine vs. remdesivir; opening schools vs. closing schools, etc., etc. Every day, top-level experts express significantly […]

Trump’s ban on Critical Race Theory, explained

Does Critical Race Theory promote racial harmony or does it “sow division” as the Trump administration claims? And what is its relation, if any, to Marxism? With the November election just around the corner, it’s only to be expected that President Trump would seek to rally conservative voters and drive his supporters to the polls. […]