Author, Investor, Speaker, Mentor
Old-school videogames often had a cheat code–a special sequence of actions that, when entered, would make your game avatar invincible. Cheat codes weren’t particularly sporting, but they made it much easier to win a game. Donald Trump has found a cheat code for our current national politics, and he seems content to use it every … Continue reading The Trump Cheat Code
It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of President Donald Trump. I think that he is lazy, ignorant, incompetent, and as a result, a danger to our country and our world. But I think it is entirely possible that we may someday look back upon his election as lucky accident that strengthened the United … Continue reading Why America Is Lucky Donald Trump Was Elected President
I get a lot of crap from people because I argue that those of us who oppose the policies and behavior of Donald Trump should try to understand and empathize with his voters. If I were to summarize the criticisms from fellow Trump opponents, it’s that Trump voters are racists and bigots who made a … Continue reading The Hopelessness Behind Trump’s Support
Ta-Nehisi Coates’ cover essay for The Atlantic, “The First White President,” explores the role of race and racism in Donald Trump’s election as President of the United States. Coates’ essay, has been widely read, and drawn praise and criticism (a sign of success; the goal of nearly every writer is to elicit a reaction from … Continue reading Donald Trump, Race, and the GOP
Like Indiana Jones, when confronted by Nazis, most of us want to punch them in the face. American white supremacists like Richard Spencer are so obviously and cartoonishly evil that the temptation is to treat them like movie villains, and dispatch them with heroic fisticuffs. However, it’s critical that we resist this temptation to go … Continue reading Violence is (almost) never the right answer
It’s safe to say that Silicon Valley’s reputation hasn’t been having a good year. Uber has reached the point where the number of pages that claim to be “the definitive list of Uber scandals” runs off the first page of Google results, with widespread sexual harassment and discrimination resulting in the termination of over 20 … Continue reading Silicon Valley in the Mirror (a Trump Silver Lining)
The fall of Uber’s Travis Kalanick offers an interesting gloss on Donald Trump. If anything, Kalanick had a stronger position than Trump. Rather than narrowly winning an election in which he lost the popular vote, Kalanick had absolute control over Uber thanks to his super-voting shares. And unlike Trump, who is a mediocre real estate … Continue reading Travis/Trump: What Uber Tells Us About The White House
As someone who makes a living with words, it bothers me that so many choose to use them wastefully, extravagantly, and paradoxically enough, cheaply in today’s political discourse. Many have argued that our politics are at the most polarized point in recent memory. To date, I’ve scoffed at the alarmists, pointing out that the invective … Continue reading If Words Matter, Use Them Responsibly
One of the comments on my post on conservative comedy made an argument that I’ve seen a lot: “Someone (can’t remember who) said that comedy is about kicking up, not kicking down. Republicans kick down. It’s not funny.” I generally see it referred to as punching up, rather than punching down (I think my reader … Continue reading Punching Down Is A Matter Of Perspective
I know that many people are frightened and angry because of the actions of the Trump administration, and rightly so. It’s very tempting to express that fear and anger by insulting or verbally abusing those who voted for and/or support Trump. But doing so, while it might make you feel better in the moment, is … Continue reading How To Change The Minds Of People Who Voted For Trump