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 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…
by Akim Reinhardt Old white men wearing ties can do anything they want. -Mike Cooley, “One of These Days” (2001) I am more powerful than I used to be, and it unnerves me. I am a white man. And to be a white man in America is to have more power than women and people…
by Akim Reinhardt There are, of course, many ways in which I am nothing like Donald Trump. I do not publicly berate subordinates. I never drink Diet Coke. I am not a piece of human filth. I have not run for president, especially in a state of gross unpreparedness and unqualification. But it should go…
by Akim Reinhardt Pocahontas was an informal childhood name, a nickname meaning "playful one" or "mischievous girl." Although "Pocahontas" is what the British colonists came to know her by, her formal name in public was Amonute. Her ritual name, known to her kin, was Matoaka. Amonute spoke an Eastern Algonkian (sometimes spelled Algonquin) language. While…
by Akim Reinhardt Every time of year is ripe for bread and circuses in America. There is nary a day when you can't eat cheap fast food and indulge in aimless distractions. There are all the holidays, like Christmas, Memorial Day, and Labor Day, which used to mean something but now are little more than…
by Akim Reinhardt "….Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart." -Donald Trump via Twitter (January 6, 2018) Oh, that was good. But here's the thing. What exactly are his two greatest assets? Or yours? Or mine? Trump's tweet is funny/horrifying not only because it's the…
by Akim "Hot Cha Cha" Reinhardt *Omg, so excited about Prince Harry announcing he's getting hitched to the absolutely fabulous Meghan Markle. Way to go, royal family! *The Trump presidency continues shifting Foucualtian microtechnologies power, including the reinforcement select biopower apparatuses around immigration and race but, despite this, has thoroughly betrayed earlier promises to disrupt…
by Akim Reinhardt No, I'm not suicidal. Not that it would matter much if I were. If an adult decides they've had enough and want to call it quits, who are we to say they don't have that "right?" Rights are, after all, little more than make believe: dinner table manners and Christmas gift lists…