“The greatest danger to the State is independent intellectual criticism; there is no better way to stifle that criticism than to attack any isolated voice, any raiser of new doubts, as a profane violator of the wisdom of his ancestors. Another …
The rage behind Transgender Map
Andrea James used to be a respectable, mainstream figure within the trans rights movement. A transgender woman herself, she was (and is) a film producer who carved out an important niche in the very early days of the internet: one …
Witnessing the Media’s Covid Coverage from the Inside
In the movie An Education, the main character gets sidetracked from her studies by a smooth-talking art dealer who turns out to be a criminal—and married. Our protagonist learns more from that experience than from all the medieval literature books …
Don’t Gaslight Me
An email from the editor of a major daily Melbourne newspaper has come into my possession. I won’t say how, since it might incriminate me as being part of a household that pays for a subscription. Let’s just say that …
Panel Discussions from Brownstone’s Third Annual Conference: Rebuild Freedom
At Brownstone’s third annual conference and gala, aptly called ‘Rebuild Freedom’, hundreds of scholars, writers, researchers, fellows, and supporters came together in Dallas for a weekend of meals, panel discussions, and solidarity over the civilization-wide trauma we all endured ever …
Anatomy of Deep State Censorship
Fellow Americans, the government will take care of you!
They don’t want you to have to worry about information that they don’t approve in your social media accounts.
They don’t want you to worry that the US government would directly …
Explaining the Nocebo Effect, Emotional Contagion, and Mass Hysteria
At the beginning of the pandemic, I couldn’t wrap my mind around why so many people were acting in such irrational and self-destructive ways. I had to find a way to explain their behavior, even if just to myself. Despite …
Anti-Lockdown Goes Mainstream
It’s a shift worth marking. New York Magazine is featuring an article called “COVID Lockdowns Were a Giant Experiment. It Was a Failure.” The authors are two excellent journalists, Joe Nocera and Bethany McLean, who have also written a new …
The True Test of One’s Commitment to Free Speech
One’s commitment to the foundational, noble ideals of Western, liberal society is most revealingly tested in times of emergency and mortal danger. Core principles such as individualism, bodily autonomy, tolerance, pluralism, and informed consent are easy to support in abstract …
What Was the Jessica Lynch Story? – Questions For Corbett
So you’ve watched 9/11: A Conspiracy Theory and now you’re wondering who Jessica Lynch is? Well, you can always check the hyperlinked transcript. But while we’re at it, why not dig a little further into the Jessica Lynch and learn …
The Very Model of a Modern Covid Authoritarian
Few Americans embody the Covid regime as well as Dr. Richard Pan. He acquired his power through courting contributions from the pharmaceutical industry and then used his power in government to demand censorship of his opponents. While Americans suffered under …
The Drumbeat of Trauma-Inducing Events in Our Lives
Born down in a dead man’s town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
End up like a dog that’s been beat too much
‘Til you spend half your life just to cover it up, now…
Internet Censorship, Everywhere All at Once
It used to be a truth universally acknowledged by citizens of democratic nations that freedom of speech was the basis not just of democracy, but of all human rights.
When a person or group can censor the speech of others, …
The Future of Alternative Media Is Unknown, But Critical
BBC journalist Andrew Marr: “How can you know that I’m self-censoring?”
Noam Chomsky: “I’m not saying you’re self-censoring. I’m sure you believe everything you’re saying. But what I’m saying is that if you believed something different, you wouldn’t be sitting …
The Post-Cold War Origins of the Surveillance State
Just a few months ago I visited Israel for the first time in 40 years. I stayed in a distant aunt’s apartment, in the spare room that doubled as a shelter from missile attacks. Its two-foot thick walls were curious …