Akim Reinhardt is a professor of History at Towson University in Baltimore. Born and raised in the Bronx, he has also lived in Michigan, Nebraska, and Arizona. He is the author of several books with more in the hopper. Email: yankeeslim [at] gmail.com
Website: https://ThePublicProfessor.com
by Akim Reinhardt Stuck is a new weekly serial appearing at 3QD every Monday through early April. A table of contents can be found here. Prologue: Full of Sound and Fury Last year we drove across the country. We had one cassette tape to listen to on the entire trip. I don’t remember what it…
by Akim Reinhardt I saw Joker last week. I think it’s an excellent film. But the two friends I was with, whose tastes often overlap with my own, really hated it, and we spent the ensuing 90 minutes examining and debating the film. Critics are likewise fiercely divided. Towards the end of our conversation, one…
by Akim Reinhardt It doesn’t take much. A small piece of gravel, spit out by a truck’s wheel, ricochets off the windshield, taking a tiny chip of glass with it. A microscopic divot and discreet little lines, like crow’s feet at the corner of an eye. Barely noticed for months, the accordion of heat and…
by Akim Reinhardt Smacked my head on the pavement while jogging across campus in the rain. Had my hands on my stomach, holding documents in place underneath my shirt to keep them dry. So when my foot went out after skipping over a puddle, I couldn’t get my front paws down in time to brace…
by Akim Reinhardt Several co-workers, all of whom have Ph.D.s. An old friend who’s a physicist. Scads of family members of both blue and white collar variety. Numerous neighbors. And of course the well dressed, kindly old women who occasionally show up at my door uninvited, pamphlets in hand. One can point to general trends…
by Akim Reinhardt A wave of friends is having babies. I’m 51 years old so this is nothing new. Friends of mine have been having babies for nearly three decades. However, this time it feels different, and not because I’m now old enough to be a grandfather. Rather, as we approach the year 2020, my…
by Akim Reinhardt In 1974, noted science fiction author Joe Haldeman published a novel called The Forever War, which won several awards and spawned sequels, a comic version, and even a board game. The Forever War tells the story of William Mandella, a young physics student drafted into a war that humans are waging against…
by Akim Reinhardt First things first. Am I happy that Notre Dame Cathedral burned? Don’t be silly. Of course not. Do I wish it hadn’t burned? Absolutely. If I could wave a wand and undo the fire, would I? Without hesitation. This isn’t about my intellectual understanding of the building’s historical or architectural significance, it’s…
by Akim Reinhardt You shouldn’t curse. People will take you less seriously. Cursing also reveals a certain laziness on your part, suggesting that you can’t be bothered to come up with more descriptive language. In the end, when you curse, you short change both yourself and your audience. Instead, take the time to use the…
by Akim Reinhardt In early August of 2000, I made my way from Lincoln, Nebraska to Tempe, Arizona. I had recently completed my Ph.D. and was hustling off to begin work as a post-doc at Arizona State University. Everything I owned, including two cats, was jam packed into a red Ford Escort station wagon. As…
by Akim Reinhardt I’ve met Montanas, Dakotas, and Asias Brooklyns, Chinas, and Indias Roses and Irises, Lilys and Daisys Porsches and Lexuses and Mercedes, Persons turned to Places and Things I’ve met Mayas, Gypsys, and Cheyennes People who were people they’ve never been I’ve met Aprils, Mays, and Junes People defined and consigned to sunny…
by Akim Reinhardt Your numbers are off I said your numbers are off You forgot your watch You forgot your glasses You misread You misunderstood You’re missing the point You’re naive You’re irrational You’re close minded You’re vain You’re shallow You’re overly emotional It’s wishful thinking You’re too optimistic You’re too pessemistic You’re full of…
by Akim Reinhardt What’s the ultimate fate of humanity? It’s hard to picture a scenario that ends well. Some hungry plague could kill us all off, or at least kill enough of us to send the survivors groping backwards down the trail towards caveman life. An asteroid or some other space debris could smash into…
by Akim Reinhardt Donald Trump is not a fascist. He’s far too stupid to be a fascist, or to coherently advocate for any complex national political doctrine, evil or otherwise. He is, however, a would-be tin pot dictator. And his largely failed but still very dangerous attempts to establish himself as a right wing autocrat…
by Akim Reinhardt In 1790, shortly after the 13 states ratified the U.S. Constitution, the new federal government conducted its first population census. Its tabulations revealed an astonishingly rural nation. No less than 95% of all Americans lived in rural areas, either on a fairly isolated homestead (typically a farm) or in a very small…
by Akim Reinhardt Once upon a time there was a cat. He was smarter than you, and smarter than me. For want of a thumb he could have ruled the world. But alas, he was encumbered with paws: black pads and sharp claws. And he knew. His green eyes, like spiraling jade, he saw through…
by Akim Reinhardt “In Memory of Franz Klammer” Franz Klammer soared down alpine mounts, His glory assured by the clock’s count The lord of Austria, the king of the hill, the master of the Alps, the bringer of thrills His grace, his speed, defied laws of nature His beautiful name redefined nomenclature Franz Klammer! Franz…
by Akim Reinhardt Spectator sports can reflect a society’s worst inclinations by promoting pure partisanship. Pure partisanship is profoundly anti-intellectual. Pure partisanship can disable a person’s moral compass. Anyone who follows sports, even tangentially, witnesses this frequently. This team’s victory or that team’s loss have led to countless riots. Here in Baltimore a few years…
by Akim Reinhardt “It’s a long, long way from the Trump administration to an actual fascist dictatorship,” I said, “but it’s a straight line.” Although generally reserved, Julius (I’ll call him) belly laughed a good while at that, his outburst fueled by personal experience. He’d spent his childhood in General Francisco Franco’s fascist Spain. Specifically…
by Akim Reinhardt It’s an exhaustive list. Far longer and deeper than you might suspect. The Tribune tracks U.S. school shootings of the past 50 years. A well documented list by Wikipedia goes back to 1840, when a student named Joseph Semmes shot University of Virginia law professor John Anthony Gardner Davis. Three more school…