Henry Giroux, an American-Canadian theorist of critical pedagogy and cultural critic, has examined the recent treatment of immigrants in America and equates it with extreme nationalism. Let’s not ignore the fact that extreme nationalism is also a characteristic of fascism. In his publications and lectures, Giroux has drawn a parallel between neoliberal capitalism and fascism to explain the suppression of freedom, anti-democratic sentiments, and the swelling of racism. Giroux has addressed…
Author: carolharriyoung
Carol Harrisville Young has a PhD in Anthropology, a BA in Anthropology and Art, and an AAS degree in Veterinary Technology. My passions are reading and writing, and I’m setting out on a new journey to embrace freelance writing, web content creation, non-fiction writing, fiction short stories, and works of young adult fiction.
“Blood Running out of that Building”
New Mexico is not having it with an elected official who participated in the January 6 riot on the capital. Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, and co-founder of “Cowboys for Trump,” was removed from his office by State District Judge Francis Mathew on September 6, 2022. He was removed from his post and disqualified from holding public office for life…
Open Primaries: A Better Model for Democracy?
Last week, Democrat Mary Peltola defeated Republican Sarah Palin and another Republican, Nick Begich III, in a ranked-choice special election for Alaska’s vacant U.S. House seat, creating a ripple of hope for both native women and Democrats in November. The reason for the special election was a vacancy caused by the death of Republican Congressman Don Young, and the results were quite an upset for…
Student Loan Forgiveness: A First Step
Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education. Franklin D. Roosevelt Last week, President Biden announced that federal student loan borrowers will be able to apply for student debt cancellation this fall. Biden said he would cancel up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt for borrowers…
Bat Crazy in Carlsbad
Last weekend, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was the featured speaker at a conservative event in Carlsbad to stump for New Mexico GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Ronchetti and U.S. Representative Yvette Herrell. The Florida Governor spoke for 40 minutes to a crowd of about 1,000, and as expected, attacked “woke ideology,” slammed vaccine mandates, critical race theory, and transgender medical treatment for children….
What a Week
No doubt it has been quite the week this past week. First the good news. President Joe Biden and our representatives and senators in Washington are getting things done. This week a major tax, climate change, and health care bill passed both houses. Congress sent the CHIPS and Science Act and the PACT Act to the White House for Biden’s signature, and Democrats secured the votes for the Inflation Reduction Act. The White…
A Glimmer of Hope
Last week, nearly 60% of voters in Kansas rejected a ballot referendum that would have amended the state constitution, removing a woman’s right to abortion. I must admit this was a bit of a shocker to me as Kansas easily carried Trump in 2020, and is not known for its “liberal” leanings. When I think of the political landscape…
Thank You for Your Service
My husband is a combat veteran. While risking his life to save others as a Pararescue man, he was exposed to agent orange while in Vietnam, and airborne toxins from burn pits in Kuwait during Desert Storm. Agent Orange exposure has been linked to long-term health effects in many Vietnam-era veterans, including Parkinson’s Disease, multiple myeloma, and cancer. The VA fact sheet on…
It Can Happen Here
In college, I was looking for something interesting, and cerebral to read and decided to sit down with Sinclair Lewis’ 1935 novel It Can’t Happen Here. Written during the rise of Hitler and Mussolini in Europe at the time, Lewis penned a story that reveals how fascism can metastasize in any country, including the US. Although the novel…
The Absence of Empathy
The term empathy comes from the Greek term “empatheia,” which literally translates as “in-feeling.” It is the ability to understand another person’s perspective and feelings, even if the culture or life circumstances are not necessarily shared. In short, empathy is placing one’s self in the position of another. I’m a middle-aged caucasian woman, but I can empathize with young Black American men who are repeatedly…