The Problem with Social MediaThe last four years has seen a dramatic erosion of facts and truth, one of the essentials of our democracy. In its place are conspiracy theories, misinformation and blatant lies....Read MoreMarch 1, 2021AccountabilityBusinessMediaPersonalitiesResponsibility
Will Shakespeare, No Anti-VaxxerThree virus-related stories. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The coronavirus vaccine is on its way. The bad news is it’s under cyber-attacks aimed at stealing “technology for keeping the vaccines refrigerated in transit or to sabotage the movements [of shipments],” The New York Times reports (Dec. 7). “Josh Cormay,” the Times writes, “a coronavirus...Read MoreDecember 9, 2020Health CarePersonalitiesResponsibility
The Price of GreatnessSome citizens in Wolfford, Texas see the refusal to wear a mask to protect others as a principled stand. “I’m not doing it because I woke up in a free country.” “… we’re done with all that.” “…we don’t care.” Facing a tidal wave of defections from advertisers angered by the hate speech that appears next to their names in...Read MoreJuly 6, 2020PersonalitiesRespectResponsibility
Don’t Read This!It’s boring. It’s just another vanity website, only this one’s about “ethics.” Come on! I already know the difference between right and wrong. This guy is just another pseudo-intellectual, California liberal telling us how to live our lives. What a gasbag. He just uses it as an excuse for writing another negative riff on the president. (Okay, I don’t like...Read MoreFebruary 14, 2020Ethics
Just What is Good for Society, Mr. Zuckerberg?“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” Fact-check: while attributed to Winston Churchill, versions of the expression existed as far back as the 1700s. Since the advent of social media, however, that cautionary quote needs serious updating and here’s why. Currently, more than 2.41 billion individuals use Facebook, of...Read MoreNovember 1, 2019AccountabilityBusinessHonestyMediaPersonalitiesPoliticsResponsibility
Dispatches From the FrontLet me get this straight: … the Senate will vote to approve a woman with ties to authoritarian leaders, a man who has pushed vaccine...AccountabilityCynicismEnvironmental responsibilityEthicsExtremismGovernmentHealth CareJournalismLoyaltyMedicinePersonalitiesPoliticsResponsibilityScience
Godfather, Part Now“I don’t feel I have to wipe everyone out, Tom, just my enemies.”—Michael Corleone, The Godfather Note: I must pause my earlier commentary suggesting how...ExtremismJusticeLoyaltyPersonalitiesPolitics
The Political System Explained (from the opening of my doctoral thesis)(Note: this is a rough draft and still undergoing revisions.) Welcome, esteemed colleagues, to a comprehensive exploration of one of the most perplexing and confounding...EthicsHonestyhumorIntegrityPersonalitiesPoliticsTruth
Something Like a WarI’ve been revisiting Ken Burns’ series on the history of baseball, and it sparked some interesting comparisons to a subject that headlines the news daily....CharacterEthicsPersonalitiesSportsviolence
Descaling Our PsychesI recently descaled my espresso machine—removed the limescale buildup that hinders efficiency. How might we descale the returning president from our psyches? Donald Trump has...Citizenship
Foreshadowing What’s to ComeAfter learning that one of Donald Trump’s first actions as president pardoned nearly all of the 1,600 January 6, defendants, police officer, Michael Fanone–who was...AccountabilityJusticePersonalitiesPoliticsviolence