Against ‘evil’ and ‘bad guys’

Rhetoric in the United States regarding our military opponents has descended to the point where childish name-calling has become the default. Calling others ‘evil’ and ‘bad guys,’ without explanation, should be the stuff of children’s entertainment. Instead, the widespread use of these terms is anti-democratic as it hinders citizens’ understanding of our opponents and selves, and it impedes peace-making through compromise.

Retaining college students: new research

College dropouts – and the majority of students in the U.S. will drop out – say that more-immediate financial and scheduling commitments outweighed the investment that attending college represents. The solutions appear obvious but require a financial investment in equal opportunity.

Statute of limitations on horror?

Because I teach anthropology and history, I frequently describe horrific events. I’ve noticed that my teaching and students’ reaction to it change depending on the distance in time of the events in question. It makes me wonder whether, someday, enough time will have passed for even many sensitive people to treat the Holocaust cavalierly.

Let’s replace the 2nd Amendment

The Supreme Court’s recent decision regarding gun control in Washington, DC, has returned this issue to the headlines. A central disagreement, as usual, concerns how to interpret the Second Amendment (the full text of which is at bottom). Part of the problem with this amendment is that it seems internally contradictory. It justifies the uninfringeable rights of “the people” in terms of the necessity of “a well-regulated militia,” but the connection between the two is not clear. Another problem is that it addresses gun-ownership rights in terms of “the security of a free State,” (italics added) when most – but not all - of the debate over gun-control laws these days centers on personal defense, individual liberty, and hunting. Finally, it is not clear whether the amendment limits only federal powers or those of the states, too.

Given these ambiguities, why not replace the amendment altogether? Let’s have a national debate and referendum on a clearer amendment that will address the central point of contention – who, if anyone, can legally control the use and ownership of guns.