A Trustworthy and Credible Guide to Pseudo Events
Jeremy Nathan Marks and James Shelley discuss ‘The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-events in America’ by Daniel Boorstin.
democracy
Meditation of a Poll Official
On Thursday I worked as a poll supervisor for Elections Ontario. I have joined election teams for the last couple provincial and federal elections. I cannot fully explain my enthusiasm for working election days. The days are long and mentally exhausting, and yet strangely rewarding and enlightening. To be a poll official is to spend …
Borders and Birthrights: The Moral Inconsistencies of Liberal Citizenship
Living in Canada is a privilege I enjoy by birthright, and which only exists as a privilege for me to the exclusion of others. How does this fact not squarely contradict my belief that all humans are equal? The more I think about it, the more the concepts of citizenship and borders seem to be …
What does ‘Reconciliation’ mean for an individual Canadian like me?
Why does determining our personal actions toward reparation seem like such a hazy and convoluted dilemma for so many of us present day settlers?
Subjugated to be Free, or Free to be Subjugated?
If your definition of liberty allows one group to restrict the freedom of another group, has your definition of ‘liberty’ become a synonym for ‘superior’?
Identity Politics – the podcast discussion
What happens to the fight for justice when everyone is fighting a different battle?
How much of an impact can the mayor of a city have on the community?
In this conversation in the Curious Public at Central Library series, Kate Graham (@KateMarieGraham) discusses her dissertation, Leading Canada’s Cities: A Study of Urban Mayors. Kate is a PhD student in the Political Science Department at Western University. Learn more about her research at ‘Mayors Project,’ where she is exploring the role of the mayor in …
Dispatches from the campaign trenches
In the summer of 2016 after finishing his undergrad, Micah Richardson (@richardsonmicah) quit his job and joined a fellowship in the Hillary Clinton Campaign. He was stationed in New Hampshire, working in field operations, where he organized a volunteer organization with regular phone-banks and canvassing. In this podcast — a tiny dose of modern history …
Is social media robbing us of our dearest hopes and dreams in life?
The biggest problem with social media? It is designed to give us exactly the opposite of what we truly want in life.
Could an anti-immigration movement gain political traction in Canada?
What would it take for nation known for its diversity to change its inclusionary policies?
Does Proportional Representation Curb Populism?
It’s counter intuitive, but we’re all better off when the polarizing fanatics are involved in the political process.
Your Nation is Going to Hell in a Handbasket
In democracy, there will always be someone who wants power badly enough to tell you just about anything.
The Merits of Red Tape
Red tape is the thread of continuity that allows us to survive the idiosyncratic folks we elect to govern us.
Politics is Toxic. Get Over it?
Was there ever a time when politics was not engulfed in backbiting, backrooms, and backscratching?
The Art of Artless Persuasion
The problem with citizens is that they don’t like feeling manipulated.