Monthly Archives: June 2020

Cops’ Invisible Disciplinary Records

By Robin Bates | Published: June 9, 2020

There’s a thrill in acting with impunity. Bad cops know this and so does H.G. Wells’s invisible man.

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Love in the Time of Covid-19

By Robin Bates | Published: June 8, 2020

For my 47th wedding anniversary, I reflect upon the concluding chapter of “Love in the Time of Cholera,” which seems only fitting.

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Russian Lit and Moscow’s Gentleman

By Robin Bates | Published: June 7, 2020

Towles’s “Gentleman in Moscow” is filled with allusions to Russian poets and fiction writers.

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Time to Revisit “I Have a Dream”

By Robin Bates | Published: June 6, 2020

Given the protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death, it’s worth revisiting King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, with its synthesis of civil rights and religious vision.

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Sartre Captures White Privilege

By Robin Bates | Published: June 4, 2020

Sartre’s “Respectful Prostitute” captures many of the race dynamics of our current situation.

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What Would Lucille Clifton Say?

By Robin Bates | Published: June 3, 2020

How would Lucille Clifton have responded to the death of George Floyd and the subsequent turmoil? I comb through her collected poems to find out.

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Achebe vs. Trump’s Heart of Darkness

By Robin Bates | Published: June 2, 2020

50 years ago, black protesters would have been seen as Conrad sees Africans in “Heart of Darkness,” an undifferentiated mass. Achebe helped change that.

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When Grief Turns Violent

By Robin Bates | Published: June 1, 2020

In protesting police violence against communities of color, protesters must avoid grief-fueled violence, the archetype of which is Grendel’s Mother.

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