The Big Sort : extremism

It's Time Now To Allow Politicians To Do Their Jobs

Bill Bishop — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:20:00 GMT

Anthropologist E.E. Evans-Prichard studied the Nuer, a pastoral people living in the Upper Nile region of Africa, herders who moved with their animals to the tune of the region's rivers. In flood times, Nuer tribes retreated to higher ground, and when...(read more)

This Campaign Has Gone Positively 19th Century

Bill Bishop — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:08:00 GMT

This election is getting out of hand. For one rally, I read, the locals rigged up six horses to a wagon big enough to carry a pipe organ and a glee club with 40 singers. Was this a prop for another Barack Obama mega-rally? Or maybe a Sarah Palin revival?...(read more)

Extremism at McCain Rallies Comes Naturally

Bill Bishop — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:50:00 GMT

French students who disliked America (and loved Charles de Gaulle) were once asked to talk about the United States for an hour or two. At the end of the session, conducted as part of experiments in the 1960s, the students disliked America — and loved...(read more)