Author Archives: authorbengarrido
Coronavirus and the Young-ish People
When Marie Curie was a young woman, the Russians conquered her homeland. They declared that Poles were racially inferior and that women were intellectually weak. Curie had no rights, was protected by no freedoms and was granted no equalities. In response, she gathered her courage, pursued an illegal education and, when necessary, endured starvation in […]
A History of the Race Idea
It is my belief that understanding should precede judgment. With this in mind, let’s attempt to reconstruct the history of race and expand understanding that we might better judge what ought to be done. Part One: Race, As Understood by Most Ancient People In many ancient texts you will find references to “races of men.” […]
An Open Letter to Journalists, Activists and Academics
Dear colleagues in the academy, dear former colleagues in the media and to my friends in activism, we need to talk. What We Just Saw On May 25th, four police officers in Minneapolis murdered George Floyd. One of them, Derek Chauvin, acted as executioner, pressing Mr. Floyd’s neck with his knee for nearly 6 minutes […]
Trump and Putin, Bromance for the Ages
What, exactly, are these two getting out of each other?
Japan and Korea Hate Each Other
The only two rich democracies in East Asia, both of which are threatened by China’s expansion, would much rather undermine each other than cooperate. Why?
Brazil, WTF? The Homely Gangsters, Season 2, Episode 1.
The president of Brazil wants you to know that burning the Amazon is awesome and remind you that putting the fires out is imperialism. Beyond the obvious WTF factor, what’s going on? https://www.buzzsprout.com/255212/1946880-brazil-wtf
The Homely Gangsters, Episode 11
Immigrants are good for the economy, slightly good for unemployment rates, they commit way fewer crimes and their kids are better students and more upwardly mobile than similar SES natives. And this is all a problem. You see, most people would rather have social status than a slightly more efficient economy or a safer neighborhood […]
The Homely Gangsters, Episode 10
Like a lot of things people are passionate about, the stuff we say about abortion and the stuff we seem to mean are very different.
The Homely Gangsters Episode 9
This isn’t the first time in history we’ve had celebrity scientists. It’s not the first time these celebrities have used their expertise to tell us how we should live, what values we should have, and how we ought to interpret the world. That history is surprisingly dark. Are we heading down the same dark path […]
The Homely Gangsters Episode 8
In the most serious episode to date, we tackle the Eastern and Western zodiac/horoscope. Also, if you don’t share our zodiac signs, you suck. https://www.buzzsprout.com/255212/1093208-the-horoscope-is-about-zodiac-your-world?fbclid=IwAR0dJofnPT-MajE5SIdHGzxJfxglgjdoEB4rqkoFmO-S_TNpgyk0JrnLuhA
Ben Garrido's Author Page 