Category: Culture

There are Ways to Handle a Midlife Crisis Without Buying a Corvette

Tony Wyman

by Tony Wyman At 57, I find too many times that I am “that guy,” the older, greying veteran warning younger men to prepare better for middle age than I did, to be in a better place emotionally to handle that moment that will inevitably come when they realize their best days are behind them. Greybeards warned me, of course, when I was in my 20’s and was smarter than everyone else.  And I treated their advice with the same disdain the young men I talk to treat my words. …

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Because We Lack True Friendships, Men Are Living Unnecessarily Lonely Lives

Tony Wyman

by Tony Wyman A little more than a year ago, I shared a table at an Irish pub outside Dayton, Ohio, with three fellow business executives, men all in their 50’s who held high-paying positions in major companies where they had enjoyed long and successful careers that made them well-respected and affluent members of their communities. And all three of them were miserable. None of them had money problems, unfaithful wives, recalcitrant children or failing health.  In fact, from an outsider’s perspective, their lives were pretty much what they should…

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Delusion of Freedom: The U.S. Far Right and the Kremlin

Tony Wyman
Fascist Alexander Dugin

by Kseniya Kirillova One of the pillars of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s political system is confrontation with the outside world and the search for enemies. His regime conducts “information operations” against the West to try and undermine democracy. The operations are in many ways similar to the propaganda techniques used by the Kremlin inside Russia. They use lies, slander, selective use of facts, conspiracy theories and a multitude of contradictory versions of reality designed to destroy the notion of truth, as well as exploiting the slightest contradictions within Western societies. However, the…

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Is America Suffering from Compassion Fatigue?

Tony Wyman

by Tony Wyman With the news of the world always at our fingertips, it shouldn’t be surprising that Americans are growing fatigued by a constant stream of bad news, mass shooting, destructive storms and rampaging wildfires.  With almost no way to escape the endless flow of information, more and more people are saying “Enough! Give me a break!” In fact, according to a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center early this year, 68% said they are overwhelmed by the volume of information coming at them day and night.  And,…

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Nationalism isn’t Patriotism, It Is Another Form of Collectivism

Tony Wyman

by Tony Wyman “You know, they have a word. It sort of became old-fashioned. It’s called a nationalist. And I say, ‘Really, we’re not supposed to use that word?’ You know what I am? I’m a nationalist. … Use that word.” – Pres. Donald Trump When Mr. Trump used that word in front of an adoring crowd of supporters in Houston, Texas in late-October, he kicked off a controversy two weeks before the midterm elections that had fans praising his patriotism, critics warning that his dictatorial nature was showing, and…

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The Death of Madelyn Linsenmeir Shouldn’t Matter More Than the Deaths of Other Drug Victims

Tony Wyman

by Tony Wyman On October 7, 2018, in the idyllic community of Burlington, Vermont, a 30-year-old mother in police custody laid in a hospital bed where, later that evening, she would take her last breath, succumbing to the ravages of opioid addiction. Madelyn Ellen Linsenmeir left behind a 3-year-old son, a life full of promise and unrealized talent, as well as a family that penned her obituary so full of heartbroken melancholy that it touched the world.  Publications like People Magazine, The Washington Post and USA Today in the United…

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How To Detoxify The Way We Debate And Respectfully Disagree

Paul Hamlin
graphic with hand and marker writing the word "debate"

by Paul Hamlin Today’s political environment is corrosive and toxic.  There can be no question of that.  We are often motivated by fear and anger when we approach anyone that has a different opinion than we do.  We have allowed this anger and fear to create severe division and allowed the political parties to capitalize on those emotions and drive us further and further apart.  We have become so attached to our fear and anger that we have stoppered our ears to the arguments of others and worse, we have…

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How Russian, American And European Information Warfare Persuades With Emotions

Tony Wyman
image pastiche of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin flanked by Peter the Great and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin

by Kseniya Kirillova As Russian propaganda and disinformation spread around the world, more and more initiatives  are being created to expose the lies and distortions emanating from the Kremlin: projects to expose fake news, analytical centres that review and monitor disinformation campaigns, and many private initiatives to observe Russian media. However, experts increasingly acknowledge that despite all these efforts, Kremlin propaganda remains a very effective tool of information warfare – much more effective than its Soviet predecessor. In many respects, this difference is explained by the fact that, unlike Communist propaganda, today’s Kremlin’s ‘information operations’ do not need…

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Tropical Storm Florence: Rescue Me (Part 1)

Lynda Bryant-Work
Rescue Boat

By Lynda Bryant Work “In times of disaster, basic connectivity is a form of aid that connects people to the resources critical for survival and enables humanitarian organizations to quickly deliver life-saving information.” -Tae Yoo Hurricane Katrina began a movement of civilian rescuers and relief work largely because the government is proving to be mostly ineffective in a disaster. Talking to those Katrina victims, who had no one to rescue them, it is apparent why citizens turned to one another for help – and why many rescue groups have sprung…

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Mollie Tibbetts’ Death Was About Violence Against Women – Not Immigration

Tony Wyman
photo of murder victim Molly Tibbetts at her graduation. Tibbetts death is controversial due to the immigration status of her assailant.

by Tony Wyman Few would have blamed the family of 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts if they had joined the president in condemning a race of people the day police were led to her body by the Hispanic immigrant accused of brutally murdering her. After all, they had just suffered through 34 days of unimaginable fear and pain, desperately praying for a miracle, only to be crushed by the news they would never again see Mollie’s beaming smile light up a room again. Emotions will lead us to public statements that we…

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