Small P and Large P Politics and the F Word

Ur-Fascism: Trump’s Anti-Democratic Populism The King's Hour: Panel Discussion on “The Problem with Trump” King’s University College at Western, September 27, 2017. I have been agonizing for the past week as to what I would say in this address, not because I have nothing to say but because I have too much. How do I frame this in a way to outline coherently my angst beyond a performance of Edvard Munch’s The Scream .   As this is the beginning of the school year, in class we focus on first principles or concepts, so it makes sense for me to return to first principles. First, as a common principle, it is safe to say that Nazi’s are bad. The question this raises though, is why are we even having a conversation where we have to preface our remarks with a reminder that Nazis are bad? We are having this conversation because Donald Trump is a “charismatic populist.” Populism can be a progressive force of democracy when viewed in terms of participatory engagement ...

Here's something I've been working on recently a quick and short introduction to third wave feminism from the perspective of a generational lens. It is intended for inclusion in the 3rd edition Women, Politics and Public Policy. If you were born between the mid-1960s and the 1980s you fall into a generational cohort named Generation -X or Gen-X. Those following Gen-X born between the mid-1980s and 2000, are referred to millennials. Both cohorts are characterized by childhoods dominated by the media, television, advertising and mass consumption, and as a result, are said to be particularly media savvy, at home in the world of popular culture and, with some variation between the cohorts, adept with digital technologies. Both cohorts are also seen to be at ease with change and complexity and with people different from themselves, and are more likely than their elders to take an inclusive view of what it takes for people to be truly considered “one of us” (Pew Research Centre...

The first half hour of the Current this morning (http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent) addressed the cyber abuse experienced by women politicians. The following is the long version of a paper I ended up writing after Newfoundland and Labrador Finance Minister, Cathy Bennett, went public with the abuse she was suffering online. It was originally intended as a blog, but quickly turned into a full paper that I have now revised and sent out. The following is an early draft prior to editing and focusing the argument, which includes more examples of the salacious and outrageous behavior towards women that occurs during parliament debate. What follows is a suggestion for controlling abusive language by starting with parliament taking seriously and modeling the gender-sensitive and inclusive political system that we expect in 2017. This requires a rebalancing of parliamentary privileges which could be attained by recognizing speech acts in the legislature as sexual harassment and...