Occupy and History: Are We Near the End and What Will it Mean?

by Akim Reinhardt We may now be gazing upon the fading days of the Occupy movement as an actual episode in which numerous, large scale occupations are taking place and having immediate impact. Then again, maybe not. But if so, it is perhaps time to begin reflecting upon the movement and how we might measure…

The Occupy Movement and the Nature of Community

by Akim Reinhardt I’m currently at work on a book about the decline of community in America. I won’t go into much detail here, but the basic premise is that, barring a few possible exceptions, there are no longer any actual communities in the United States. At least, not the kinds that humans have lived…

The Three Categories of Television Food Show

by Akim Reinhardt Over the last twenty years or so, there has been a proliferation of food shows on television, both here in the U.S. and abroad. In America, The Food Network has been dedicated to that format sincethe 1990s, and a host of other channels also dabble in the genre. It’s not going out…

Must I Be Free?

Sometimes I don’t stand during the national anthem at baseball games. I often do not remove my cap, and almost never place my hand over my heart. Why? Because deep down I believe that group-think is actually antithetical to freedom.

I Don’t Remember His Name, But He Was Tall and Had a Large Adam’s Apple

by Akim Reinhardt Mr. Sabatini? I think that was his name. It’s hard to remember. Maybe it was a plumb position awarded to him because he had buttered up the right school official. Maybe he was owed a favor by a union representative. But for whatever reason, he was not among us very often. There…

America’s Shifting Tides

As Americans deserted the countryside during and World War II, rural America began to sag. Since then, the trend has largely continued unabated down to the present day. Since 1990, over 700 rural counties have lost at least 10% of their population. Half of all rural counties in America now have more deaths than births each year.

A Flowering of Freedom: Reconsidering Iraq amid Revolutions in the Middle East

by Akim Reinhardt I opposed the second Iraq War from the start. My stance was simple. I did not believe the reasons for war being served up by the hawks. There was no evidence that Saddam Hussein had been involved in the September 11th attack. And I was very skeptical about the claim that he…

Identity Politics in the 21st Century

by Akim Reinhardt During the 1990s, there was much hand-wringing in some quarters at the prospect of America’s beautiful mosaic fracturing into an unworkable, divided society. Doomsayers fretted that Americans were no longer identifying themselves as, well, Americans first and foremost. Critics claimed that identity politics were the culprit in this emerging crisis. That too…

Standing Erect in the Face of Christmas

Every year it seems, the weeks at the end of the calendar designated as the “Christmas Season” expand further and further in the direction of the blessed sunny months. Like a plodding, methodical, remorseless, invading imperial army, moving inward slowly and ineluctably towards the capital, grinding up territory with terrifying banality, the “Christmas Season's” expansion…