Terrorism is distinguished by the particular heinousness of its acts. Picture: REUTERS/Eric Gaillard. Every new terrorism outrage inevitably provokes furious debate, particularly of the “But what about…?” kind. Such arguments are a common response to reports of Islamic terrorism – or indeed, any report of terrorism – but they are also a depressingly fallacious and …
Ours is a society obsessed by juvenilia. Where once children were best seen and not heard, since at least the 1960s, the adolescent has come to be regarded as somehow the acme of human development. This is frankly rubbish, both physically and cognitively. Physically, human beings reach their peak in their late 20s to 30s. …
Continue reading Ignorant Children Spouting Junk Should be Neither Seen nor Heard
On the occasions this Devil and the family venture over the water to the Big Island, the instant our plane lands the cubs clamor to stop somewhere for pizza. Despite Tasmania’s reputation as a “foodie destination”, pizza is one delicacy Taswegians just don’t seem to have be able to get either of their heads around. …
In what should be essential viewing, Steven Crowder memorably outlined just how social media intrinsically leads to echo-chambers. This is just as true of the right as the left. Leading by example, Crowder’s “Change My Mind” videos attempt to break the groupthink by explicitly reaching out and talking only to people who disagree with him. …
Continue reading Why You Should Talk to People You Disagree With
First Donald Trump broke the media, then he made them a laughing-stock. Despite their endless self-regard, everyone knows who the real fake news are now. The 2004 comedy Anchorman opens with the observation that “there was a time…when people believed everything they heard on TV”. The joke is grounded in reality: in the early 70s, …
It’s a sad irony of modern history that the free speech movement was birthed and then murdered by the left. In fact, the slow killing of free speech started when the movement had scarcely seen out its first decade. If you could pinpoint the moment the left turned against free speech, I would nominate the …
A Devil's Curmudgeon 