On Received Ideas

Twenty years: that’s how long it took Gustave Flaubert to note and classify the approximately 1,000 definitions, aphorisms, and quotations that make up his Dictionary of Received Ideas. The unfinished work appeared long after his death. But is a dictionary ever finished? We should recall that he wrote in a century ravaged by epidemics, international […]

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City Journal

Cold Comfort

In Wicker Park on Chicago’s near northwest side, at the Six Corners intersection of Milwaukee, Damen, and North Avenues, stands Flash Taco. In the taqueria’s windows, signs proclaim, “We feel your struggle #BLM. We Be About It. Not Talk About It.” Adorning one of its walls is a mural of a suited-up Colin Kaepernick, gazing […]

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City Journal

Losing Their Way

Few would dispute that the federal government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic was less than optimal. The FDA, CDC, and NIH were criticized for their initial inability to develop a reliable Covid test, their failure to collect key data and help states control the spread, and their inconsistent messaging to the public. As these failures […]

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City Journal

Free-Speech Entrepreneurs

When video-sharing platform Rumble announced in August that it had struck deals with such prominent figures as Glenn Greenwald and Tulsi Gabbard, it marked a significant milestone in the eight-year-old service’s rise. Founded in 2013 by Canadian tech entrepreneur Chris Pavlovski to help “the little guys” stand out in a crowded market dominated by YouTube, […]

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City Journal

Enemies of the School Board

School boards have always attracted their share of controversies: disagreements over curriculum, bitter election fights, and personality clashes. But in recent months, as parents express their frustration over Covid lockdowns, mask mandates, and critical race theory, local school districts and federal law enforcement have upped the ante by monitoring parents, requesting undercover agents at school […]

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City Journal

Leaving the Field

A new era in college sports governance is coming. On November 8, the NCAA released a revised draft constitution that radically shifts power from itself to the three college sports divisions and the athletic conferences. The new constitution, likely to be approved at the January NCAA membership meeting, leaves the most important work of rules […]

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City Journal

The Continuing Need for Immigration Reform

The prospects for meaningful immigration reform couldn’t be bleaker. Policy failure or inaction is the rule in almost every area of immigration policy, the only arguable exception being anti-terrorist legislation. In Congress, immigration reform has been pretty much a dead letter since the Obama administration’s failed effort. President Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer […]

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