by Kevin Schofield
This weekend’s read is an essay by Peter Ludlow, “The Varieties of Bullshit.” In the age of QAnon, Donald Trump, and now Vladimir Putin spinning up demonstrably false narratives with a stunning level of perceived sincerity, it seems an apt moment to reflect on why this kind of obvious deception is so ubiquitous — and so powerful.
Continue reading Weekend Reads: The Nature of Bullsh*tby Kevin Schofield
I’ll begin this week’s column with two confessions. First, I had a completely different “read” planned for this week, but the events in Ukraine caused me to scrap it. Given that he has now emerged (or perhaps more accurately reemerged) as the newest warmongering “strongman” dictator to shatter peace on the European continent, we need to talk about Vladimir Putin.
Second confession: With a nod to Lin-Manuel Miranda, “We Don’t Talk About Putin” has been stuck in my head as I write this. Which is not as far off from the truth as we might like, as we shall see.
Continue reading Weekend Reads: How to Talk About a Brutal Dictator
