Tag: poverty
four theses on immigration
The following are some core points about immigration that I hope can cut through the rhetoric that both sides of the issue tend to elide. The solutions I have on offer are not easy, nor do I expect they can...
why “education doesn’t work”
If you’ve ever been tempted to read Freddie deBoer’s book The Cult of Smart, I have some good news for you: you don’t have to! America’s favorite Twitter-drydrunk has summarized the most important bits of his book in this essay,...
things that can be true at the same time
I’ve made these points at greater length in other essays, but I can’t seem to get people who disagree to push back in a meaningful way. So I’m trying a different strategy, for the skeptics who seem to think that...
poverty of imagination
I mentioned my Comment review of Jamil Jivani’s debut book Why Young Men? before, and he’s done a follow-up interview with the associated Convivium: One of the things I explore in the book – which is a pretty defining part of...
illth
I stumbled upon this fine little essay from Micah Meadowcroft about illth, a term coined by John Ruskin to describe the misuse of wealth: There are no unique secrets here, just the recognition that money can be misspent — or...
spend time with poor people, be friends and neighbors
I love it when Eve Tushnet gets on her soapbox about poverty and virtue, and this great piece about the much-touted “success sequence” is no exception: The people I speak with believe they have a responsibility—there’s that word again—to achieve...
there are reasons why poor people eat what they eat
Those of us interested in public health and nutrition have heard a lot in the past few years about “food deserts” — places where it’s hard to get fresh and healthy food. It turns out that while poor people may...