Tag Archives: authoritarianism

The Fascist Right Goes for Sendak

By Robin Bates | Published: April 17, 2022

The authoritarian Christian right has now begun going after public libraries, one of which recently had Sendak’s “In the Night Kitchen” pulled.

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Zelenskyy Could Be a Hugo Character

By Robin Bates | Published: March 17, 2022

Friday A Washington Post column yesterday reminded me of a post I wrote a year ago and which I am reconfiguring for today. Seeking to balance the inspiring leadership of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky with the grim reality of the war, David Ignatius wrote, Zelensky has taken the West with him, emotionally, to the barricades […]

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For GOP, Hellish Descent Is the Easy Part

By Robin Bates | Published: March 16, 2022

NeverTrumper Bill Krisol recently quoted Virgil in revealing that he may have to vote for a Democrat in the next presidential election.

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Liberal Arts vs. Authoritarians: Who Wins?

By Robin Bates | Published: January 31, 2022

Can the liberal arts counter authoritarianism? I consider an optimistic argument that they can.

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A Mimeo Fable Explains Vax Foes

By Robin Bates | Published: October 21, 2021

A Scott Bates fable captures Trumpist authoritarianism when it comes to vaccine resistance.

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The Second Coming of Trumpism?

By Robin Bates | Published: September 29, 2021

Yeats’s “Second Coming” pretty much describes the current GOP, with Trump auditioning to be the rough beast.

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“Citizen Kane” Foretells Trump

By Robin Bates | Published: November 22, 2020

“Citizen Kane” is Trump’s favorite movie. It matches up only too well with his presidency.

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Novels That Predicted a Trump

By Robin Bates | Published: August 30, 2020

Lewis’s “It Can’t Happen Here” and Roth’s “Plot against America” do a very good job of predicting a Donald Trump.

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Is Golding’s Novel True? Sadly, Yes

By Robin Bates | Published: May 11, 2020

A recent Guardian article about actual shipwrecked boys raises doubts about the psychology of “Lord of the Flies.” Sadly, the book is still true.

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