Author: Dain Fitzgerald

Lefties See Ayn Rand EVERYWHERE

Or the Koch brothers, of course. But right now it’s Ayn Rand, as evidenced by a new book review by Thomas Frank of Wharton School of Business author Adam Grant’s Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World. It’s the newest in the trendy “creative genius” category of business traveler books. Here’s Frank: Had he chosen to, Grant could […]

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“On the Reception and Detection of Pseudo-Profound Bullshit”

That’s the title of this new study in the journal Judgement and Decision Making. Abstract: Although bullshit is common in everyday life and has attracted attention from philosophers, its reception (critical or ingen- uous) has not, to our knowledge, been subject to empirical investigation. Here we focus on pseudo-profound bullshit, which consists of seemingly impressive […]

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For the Artsy Left, Scars > Obesity

From a Facebook post by super chic NOWNESS, we get a glimpse of high art fans’ feelings about a photo collection all about scars: 32 people like it. OK, no biggie. But witness the same crowd’s reaction to obesity-themed photography: Not feelin’ it. If there’s anything the art school crowd can’t abide, it’s fatness. Talk […]

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High/Low Status Leftism: A Taxonomical Sketch

LOW: Fukushima, ecological catastrophe, astrology, 9/11-as-conspiracy, amorphous ideological boundaries, alternative weeklies, legalize drugs, anti-GMO, Edward Snowden rocks!, “I don’t subscribe to labels,” Damn those Republicrats!, Django Unchained, Uber is whatever, FEMEN is truly outrageous, atheism is cool, Mountain West, expanding consciousness, nurses union, pit bulls, Noam Chomsky, Free Tibet, Yes to Burning Man, punk aesthetics […]

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Telling Lines

That’s lines, not “lies.” A Christian Science Monitor piece on Bernie Sanders’ race “problem” inadvertently hints at why left libertarianism’s hoped-for inroads with the black community – and with the ascendent progressives more broadly – will face obstacles: “This [Black Lives Matter movement] is fueled in large measure by young people and it is a particular […]

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