Years of the Modern

The Maybe-One War A Hundred Years Plus More Civility Labor Pains No Asterisks Getting to the Point Siege Engines Leading the Witness Corporatocracy And Guns, Too And Still More Today Reforms Get It Together How (Not) To I sometimes get called an optimist, especially when talking about politics in the United States. For example, looking at the rage against DEI, protests, the attacks on transgender folks, the attempts to dismantle a pluralistic democracy, and much more, I see desperation on the part of reactionaries, not strength. To me, the far right looks like cornered, wounded animals, capable of doing serious damage, but at the end of their story if we handle them right. Personally, I don’t see where the optimism comes in. On my side of the screen, I see it as much more as “gaming events out” and seeing where they go. If placed in somebody else’s position, I often wonder what conditions would have led me to make the choices that got them there, and what choices would I make from…