Ignore the “moral statisticians”, enjoy life (and Thanksgiving)!
On the occasion of Thanksgiving, when Americans indulge in lots of food and drink while gathering with family and friends, it is worth noting that celebrations like this are great rejoinders to the killjoy health nannies out there. In 1893 Mark Twain wrote a brilliant essay called “The Moral Statisticians”, in which ...
This week’s articles of note
“For a preview of Obama’s America in 2016, look at the crack-up of California,” New Geography, by Joel Kotkin
“The you’re-on-your-own society,” The Nation, by Katha Pollitt
“It’s the welfare state, stupid,” Washington Post, by Robert Samuelson
“The United States, future energy superpower,” Kansas City Star, by E. Thomas ...
America: the decline of politics, the rise of tribes
Bush was booed for chasing after the votes of certain racial and cultural groups. Obama is cheered for doing the exact same thing.
Read my spiked article in full here.
This week’s articles of note: post-election edition
“Welcome to liberal America,” Buzzfeed, by Ben Smith and Zeke Miller
“The case of the missing white voters,” Real Clear Politics, by Sean Trende
“The long game,” City Journal, by Andrew Klavans
“California just became a one-party state,” Reuters, by Peter Henderson, Jim Christie and Mary Slosson
“The edge ...
A small victory in a small campaign
Barack Obama has returned to the White House following one of the most acrimonious, negative and ideas-free campaigns in living memory.
Read my spiked article in full here.
The Democrats’ “New Clerisy”
Joel Kotkin has a very perceptive article in The Daily Beast on the new Democratic Party coalition formed under President Barack Obama. I’ve often struggled with coming up with a term that summarizes the variety of interest groups that comprise this coalition and their outlook, and Kotkin has come ...
This week’s articles of note
“It’s global warming, stupid,” Bloomberg Businesweek, by Paul M. Barrett
“Of Sandy, ducks, and climate change,” National Review, by Charles C.W. Cooke
“Still waiting for the Narrator in Chief,” New York Times Magazine, by Matt Bai
“Clarity needed on Benghazi,” Washington Post, by David Ignatius
“New details on Benghazi,” ...
Hurricane Sandy: a political storm
Pundits’ exploitation of Sandy to big up Barack Obama shows how desperate they have become.
Read my spiked article in full here.
Never mind Big Bird. Where are the Big Ideas?
After expending all his energies demonising his opponent, Obama lost the TV debate because the truth emerged: Romney is not actually evil.
Read my spiked article in full here.
Why the presidential election is volatile
Before the first Obama-Romney debate on 3 October, the consensus among pundits was that it was very unlikely to impact the election contest much. Historically, they noted, debates just do ...
ABOUT SEAN COLLINS
I write about American current affairs for Spiked, the online magazine. I am a native New Yorker, and I divide my time between New York City and upstate New York.
In addition to articles for Spiked, The Australian and other publications, I contributed an essay, "BDS: Demonizing Israel, Destroying Free Speech," for the book Unsafe Space: The Crisis of Free Speech on Campus (2016). I also wrote a chapter on New York City's economy for the book London After Recession: A Fictitious Capital? (2012).
My writings have been cited in American Conservative, Arts & Letters Daily, the Financial Times, Fox News, the Huffington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, the New York Times, Real Clear Politics, and the Times of London, among other media.
For more about The American Situation site, go here.
