Monthly Archives: January 2017

On Hypocrisy…

Posted on January 31, 2017 by bsixsmith

Some sins are so dramatically evil that context does not redeem them in the slightest: mass murder, say, or child abuse. The nature of other sins depends on scale and intent: lying, say, or greed, or hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is one … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics | 4 Comments

No One Likes Us, And We Love It…

Posted on January 29, 2017 by bsixsmith

Some people mistakenly think that politics is about making people happy. Sometimes it is, of course, but some people can’t be made happy. Others shouldn’t be made happy. On the other hand, politics is not about making people angry. Some … Continue reading →

Posted in America | 5 Comments

On the Domestication of Victims…

Posted on January 25, 2017 by bsixsmith

The victim is a romantic figure in Western thought: Gandhi, resisting British imperialism; Mandela, enduring South African apartheid; Aung San Suu Kyi, surviving her house arrest in Burma. We admire victims who are weak in a material sense but have … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, War | 1 Comment

For My Grandmother…

Posted on January 24, 2017 by bsixsmith

When I was a child I collected soft toys. This was not a stereotypically feminine exersize in playing house but an ambitious, undeniably eccentric form of worldbuilding. Each glove puppet, slipper, teddy bear and doll became a character: from “Eddie”, … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | Leave a comment

On Punching Nazis (And Dealing With Extremists)…

Posted on January 22, 2017 by bsixsmith

This week, Richard Spencer, prominent Alt-Right ideologue, was punched by an anti-fascist as he was being interviewed. Leftists cheered, because of their belief in direction action and, I think, because applauding violence from the comfort of their bedrooms makes them … Continue reading →

Posted in Extremists, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

This Is Not Why Trump Won…

Posted on January 21, 2017 by bsixsmith

“Trump! How did this happen?” asks Brendan O’Neill. Well, he doesn’t ask it. He already knows the answer. There is a cottage industry of commentators telling us why Trump won and invariably their answers accord with their politics. Bret Stephens, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Two Polish Poems…

Posted on January 20, 2017 by bsixsmith

Gdansk After gold and suits of armour We find simple unframed posters Bearing empty, bomb-torn ruins In stark and spectral black and white. We know these streets. We wandered them And lunched beneath their stately walls And arches that seemed … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

On Being An Uncharismatic Christian…

Posted on January 19, 2017 by bsixsmith

For some people, growing up as a Catholic makes one feel bad for enjoying oneself. Growing up as a Charismatic Christian can make one feel bad for not enjoying oneself. I hate people exaggerating the trials of their youth. Sometimes … Continue reading →

Posted in God, Personal, Religion | 2 Comments

O’Neill Again…

Posted on January 16, 2017 by bsixsmith

What is one to say about this ludicrous post? If O’Neill sincerely thinks that the Nazis invading Poland, killing millions of its people and razing its cities is equivalent to strengthening its army then he is unhinged. If he is attempting … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | Leave a comment

The Blank Slateism of the Right…

Posted on January 15, 2017 by bsixsmith

My new essay for Quillette… “What a piece of work is a man!” Hamlet exclaimed. What indeed? Something less than God. Something more than dust. But what else can be said has remained controversial. There is an idea that human … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatism, Science | Leave a comment