Rich Rubenstein's Blog

Here is an article that I am afraid to write, which is why it seems important to write it.

I fear criticizing the campaign to force the governor of Virginia to retire, because I know that people reading the critique, including some I love and honor, may consider it racist or insufficiently sensitive to the feelings and needs of people of color. Even so, I am compelled to say that I do not think that Ralph Northam should resign his office.

As we now know, Northam’s medical school yearbook page, created in 1984, contains a photo of two people posed as characters in what one might call a Southern immorality play: one man is in blackface, and the other wears … read more...

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(This article also appears in Counterpunch Magazine)

Playing Trump’s game is almost irresistible. At least, most of his opponents seem unable to resist it.

The name of Trump’s game is Personalistic Moralism. The President’s politics are not policy-free, but policies in his political universe are inextricably wedded to personal moral characteristics. If you want the Wall (“border security”), for example, that means you are strong, tough, and protective. You are knowledgeable about the physical and cultural dangers posed by immigrants, and you care for your fellow Americans. But what if you don’t want the Wall? In this case, you are weak, effeminate, ignorant, uncaring, and secretly in favor of “open borders.”

This, by the way, is the text. The … read more...

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Note: the ABC Network canceled the revived sit-com, “Roseanne,” after its eponymous star, Roseanne Barr, tweeted a grossly racist insult aimed at former Obama administration chief of staff Valerie Jarrett. “Roseanne” was a comedic series about the adventures and mishaps of an American white working class family.

It is difficult to talk sensibly and accurately about the role of racism and xenophobia in Trumpland. The latest sign of this is an article in The Nation by Edward Burmila, who writes that the Roseanne Barr affair gives the lie to media efforts to explain the economic basis for Donald Trump’s support among many white workers.

“Roseanne is inseparable from this quest to find evidence that Trumpers are ultimately good, … read more...

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When I began thinking about this sermon, two voices sounded in my mind’s ear. One was the voice of my late friend and comrade, Eqbal Ahmad, a Pakistani scholar and anti-war activist with whom I worked in Chicago in the late 60s and early 70s. “I hear a lot from my students about ‘walking the talk,’ Eqbal said. But I tell them that you can’t walk the talk without first having the talk. First you decide what’s real and what’s right; then you act on the basis of that understanding. Finally, the results of your action can force you to re-define what’s real and what’s right. That is what we call praxis.”

A more recent sage, the Slovenian … read more...

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SHOULD WE WORRY ABOUT FASCISM IN AMERICA?

HOW CAN WE PREVENT THE SITUATION FROM DETERIORATING FURTHER?

   A talk by Richard E. Rubenstein at Congregation Adat Reyim

West Springfield, Virginia

September 10, 2017

    I’m very happy to be back at Adat Reyim, where my daughter became bat mitzvah and I spent many happy hours worshiping, listening to Rabbi Bruce Aft’s sermons, and laughing at his attempted jokes. I am delighted to have been asked to speak by Rabbi Aft, a great exponent of Jewish learning and values and a colleague in teaching and practicing conflict resolution.

   Current Causes of Concern

What brings us here this evening is a growing concern about the resurgence of American organizations with fascist or neo-fascist sympathies … read more...

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[This TEDx Talk was recorded at George Mason University on September 10, 2017.  When edited, the video will be posted on the George Mason website and on YouTube.]

 HELLO! I’M VERY HAPPY TO BE HERE TODAY TO TALK WITH YOU ABOUT HOW TO RESOLVE DESTRUCTIVE CONFLICTS.

    I WISH THAT WE DIDN’T HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THIS TOPIC AT ALL – BUT, UNFORTUNATELY, WE DO. DESPITE THE REAL PROGRESS MADE IN MANY FIELDS OF HUMAN ENDEAVOR, WHEN IT COMES TO LEARNING HOW TO LIVE TOGETHER PEACEFULLY AND HAPPILY, WE STILL HAVE A VERY LONG WAY TO GO.

    THREE DECADES AGO, WHEN THE COLD WAR ENDED, MOST PEOPLE BREATHED A SIGH OF RELIEF AND LOOKED FORWARD TO A COMING AGE OF PEACE. … read more...

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Adat Reyim… read more...

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THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM IN A TIME OF CRISIS

Remarks to Entering Fulbright Scholars
August 16, 2017 at George Mason University, Arlington, Virginia

This year my university earned the contract to conduct a three-day orientation for some sixty-five Fulbright scholars entering the United States to study at universities around the country. I spent a morning with two faculty colleagues (Profs. Jennifer Ritterhouse of the history department and Susan Trencher of sociology/anthropology) talking with a very lively and concerned group of graduate students about what to expect in an America undergoing painful, largely unpredictable political change. A summary of my remarks follows:

Welcome! I am delighted to meet this year’s Fulbright scholars, especially since I was a Fulbright teacher myself, first … read more...

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Friends, a leaker who will remain nameless sent me a copy of this letter from the infamous Ebal Al-Masri. It is reproduced below without comment.

From: Eqbal Al-Masri, Commander-in Chief, Global Jihad Organization

To: Local GJO Commanders Worldwide

Beloved Comrades,

You have probably heard by now that the fool in the White House has banned immigration to the U.S. from six countries. The ban is termed “temporary,” but it will probably last for years. Thanks be to G_d for giving us such an opportunity to make the Americans pay for their crimes against our people.

As you know, four of the six countries listed by Mr. Trump’s executive order are failing states that contain some of the poorest, most desperate … read more...

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