Category Archives: Libertarian

Americans who refused to don masks or get vaccinated during the pandemic dont have an easy task constructing a valid philosophical defense of their behavior.

The go-to philosophical authorities typically cited to defend individual liberty in the U.S. John Locke and John Stuart Mill do not provide compelling reasons for ignoring public health messages.

Lockes doctrine of natural law states that people are endowed with natural rights to life, liberty, and estate, premised on duties to God of self-preservation, and any behavior that risks survival constitutes a violation of that natural law. As such, there is no justification to refuse a safe and effective vaccine during a deadly pandemic.

Similarly, Mills harm principle which broadly states that people are allowed to do whatever they want provided they do not directly harm others doesnt help those opposed to vaccines and masks. Their actions might prolong the pandemic, allowing the virus an opportunity to mutate and potentially render vaccines ineffective behavior that puts everyone at risk.

There is, however, another ethical framework that people refusing to be vaccinated or wear masks might turn to, although it comes from an unlikely source: the 19th-century Russian anarcho-communist Mikhail Bakunin.

Perhaps most famous for his lengthy and bitter tiff with German philosopher Karl Marx, Bakunins philosophy of anarcho-communism consisted of the abolition of government, private property and indeed all means of coercion.

As a professor of political theory, I believe Bakunin has been overlooked in the current debate about masks and vaccines. Some of his views are consistent with at least the libertarian-based criticisms of mask and vaccine requirements. Indeed, despite meaningful differences, many libertarians in the U.S. share with Bakunin the belief that freedom is the most important value and governments are by nature coercive. They may distrust Bakunins insistence on linking freedom and rationality and certainly would reject his embrace of communism, but libertarians would likely nevertheless admire his skepticism of authority.

Bakunin might not be an obvious source of support for many in the anti-mask and anti-vaccine camp. His classic 1871 text, God and State, begins in a manner sure to offend certain elements of the religious right, who make up a sizable number of those refusing to follow public health advise on vaccines.

Bakunin attacks Christianity as the enemy of rationality and freedom. If humans wish to be free, he argues, they should learn the physical laws of the universe and social laws of society to inform their decision-making. If guided by genuine knowledge, Bakunin says, people can make smart decisions and become rational agents in charge of making choices for themselves.

But science, too, can be a great threat to freedom, Bakunin suggests and it is here that many of those opposed to mask and vaccine mandates may warm to his argument.

Beyond the fact that there are limits to scientific knowledge, Bakunin believed that there is always the possibility that scientists themselves will be invested with coercive authority.

If rationality and knowledge are requisite for freedom, Bakunin argued, then those with knowledge are in a position to force people to do, or not do, certain things.

As such, Bakunin worried that scientists, emboldened by their importance in society, will arrogantly claim the right to govern life.

We must respect the scientists for their merits and achievements, but in order to prevent them from corrupting their own high moral and intellectual standards, they should be granted no special privileges and no rights other than those possessed by everyone for example, the liberty to express their convictions, thought and knowledge. Neither they nor any other special group should be given power over others. He who is given power will inevitably become an oppressor and exploiter of society, he wrote in 1873.

Bakunins solution to the risk of coercion by scientists was to lessen their authority without diminishing the value of scientific knowledge. To do so, he makes each individual responsible for learning and acting on whatever knowledge they have. The idea is for people to consult scientists for knowledge with the understanding that no one scientist has all the answers and that the accumulated knowledge of all scientists likewise is limited and cannot give perfect answers.

To apply Bakunins theory of freedom to pandemic America, no one should be required to get a vaccine. Rather, the population should be encouraged to investigate the efficacy and safety of the vaccines.

For its part, the scientific community needs to vigilantly scrutinize itself and present knowledge in an honest fashion, eagerly volunteering to the public what it knows and does not know.

Bakunin would be highly critical of both nave optimists and doom-and-gloom pessimists in the scientific community. People need the unvarnished truth presented in simple and clear terms. If the answer is we scientists dont know, then so be it.

Bakunins theory of freedom asks much of the population. It requires individuals to know something of the nature of scientific knowledge, ask sensible questions and then make a rational analysis of the available evidence. It requires scientists to check their egos and desire for quick celebrity and soberly present their knowledge in accessible and honest terms.

And granted, Bakunin did not account for disinformation campaigns of the sort found on the internet that undermine access to reliable scientific data. He did, however, have faith in people to sort through information and make rational decisions. This ability, according to Bakunin, is a precondition for freedom.

Vaccine skeptics, thus, might find comfort in Bakunin. If they ask good questions and do not find satisfactory answers, then his philosophy suggests they should absolutely refuse a vaccine. The same goes for masking: If the scientific community cannot effectively communicate why masks are still needed, then people should not be expected to wear them, Bakunin might argue.

At the same time, those opposing masks and vaccines need to sincerely follow the science and allow themselves to be convinced by data, Bakunins philosophy suggests. Refusing to wear a mask based on an uneducated hunch or because of a belief that the government wants to control me constitutes folly, not freedom. In short, anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers, to claim their freedom, need to be reasonable.

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Why a 19th-century Russian anarchist is relevant to the mask and vaccine debate - The Conversation US

Danae Columbus

The Plaza Tower is one of many under-utilized buildings that could be converted to a new City Hall.

While Mayor LaToya Cantrell told members of the Save Our Soul (SOS) coalition Tuesday that she was good with the Municipal Auditorium not becoming the next City Hall, the historic structure remains her first choice probably because of the $38 million allocation from FEMA that comes with it.

Cantrell has given SOS a 90-day deadline to come up with a solid, fully funded plan to renovate, operate and maintain the auditorium. In the event that SOS successfully meets that goal, city officials might want to start looking at other suitable locations across New Orleans.

If the prevailing sentiment is to stay in the downtown area, the Plaza Tower could be ripe for the picking. The 485,000-square-foot building features 45 floors, 13 elevators and its own parking garage. Theres even a separate parking lot for sale directly behind the building. Of course, the Plaza Tower is loaded with asbestos, but a gut renovation would certainly cure that.

Danae Columbus

The former A to Z Paper Co complex on Tchoupitoulas Street and the neighboring Market Street Power Station might also be viable locations.

Two other locations close to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Centers proposed entertainment district might work: the former A to Z Paper Co. site and its adjoining parking lot or A to Zs next-door neighbor, the Market Street Power Station. All three would be readily accessible via the Tchoupitoulas Street exit.

If a view of the Mississippi River is important, the Jackson Avenue Wharf which the state donated to the Dock Board two years ago might hit the spot.

Whether the overpass stays or comes down, perhaps there is even land along Claiborne Avenue that could be assembled for the next City Hall. If the Claiborne and St. Bernard corner, across from Circle Foods, was the epicenter of a new complex, residents and businesses along both avenues could benefit.

Perhaps the most likely and best location for City Hall is somewhere almost anywhere in New Orleans East. On the site of the former Plaza in Lake Forest? By Banner Chevrolet or Household of Faith? What about at the Morrison exit or along the Chef?

When traffic along the interstate is running smoothly, New Orleans East is only a hop, skip and a jump away. The residents of New Orleans East could benefit from the project in so many ways as an emotional lift and as a catalyst for economic growth including fine dining and upscale entertainment.

With the City Council having created a new zoning process for City Halls future, it may be 2022 before a final decision is made on the relocation. That will give the SOS coalition leaders more time to put all the development pieces together at the Armstrong Park site.

Until then, interested citizens can keep their eyes and ears open to possible locations for New Orleans third City Hall.

WHO QUALIFIED FOR THE OCTOBER MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS?

Seventy-three diverse candidates from across New Orleans paid their qualifying fees last week for mayor, council, assessor, sheriff, coroner, clerks of court and state representative.

Of that group 46 are male and 27 female. Forty-eight are Black, 20 are White and five are Hispanic or Asian. Two are Republicans, 55 are Democrats, six are Independents. Eight are registered as No Party, and one each belong to the Libertarian and Green parties

Yeisha McFarland, a Black female Democrat who qualified against Clerk of Court Chelsey Richard Napoleon, has already withdrawn from the race. At press time, no legal challenges have been filed against any of the candidates who qualified last week.

Danae Columbus, opinion columnist

Danae Columbus, who has had a 30-year career in politics and public relations, offers her opinions on Thursdays. Her career includes stints at City Hall, the Dock Board and the Orleans Parish School Board and former clients such as former District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro, City Councilman Jared Brossett, City Councilwoman at-large Helena Moreno, Foster Campbell, former Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, former Sheriff Charles Foti and former City Councilwomen Stacy Head and Cynthia Hedge-Morrell. She is a member of the Democratic Parish Executive Committee. Columbus can be reached at swampednola@gmail.com.

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Viewpoint: If not the Municipal Auditorium, what could become the next City Hall? - Uptown Messenger

Every time there are crowds of protestors in a foreign land, theres a rush of U.S. commentators hoping to spin your perceptions of the protests purpose and meaningnot so much for or against the protestorsasin favor of the U.S. commentators own political agendas.

Inlast weeks column, I mentioned the odd spectacle ofTheNew YorkTimescorrectly calling (some of)Cubas current wave of protests anti-government while Fox News (and libertarian Anthony Fisher) were uncharacteristically eager to tamp down the implications of the protests, their rough consensus being that the protestsmight be anti-communistbut were not per se anti-government, as if it makes much sense to split hairs about that in a place like communist-run Cuba.

The bland Biden administration initially appeared to endorse the view that the protests were narrow inscopeobjecting to COVID lockdowns, COVIDspread, and shortagesbut the administrationhassince, to its credit, clarified that (some of) the protests are both anti-government and anti-communism and that communismand socialism to bootare failing systems. Good for Biden.

But awave of lefty academics on Twitter was quick to assert that the real meaning of the protests (as supposedly attested by a few flags and placards in the crowds) ispro-communist(at least one big rally has been)and thatthe problem with the current Cuban regime is that it hasntheld true to the principles of the revolution. The tweeters can hope thats true, and you cant blame them for spotting the flags and slogans they prefer, but keep in mind that rebellious crowdsoften express their outrage in the language of the current regime, even ifthey dont particularly want that regimesticking around.It gives them a sort of common language and decreases their odds of getting shot.

The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989in China were a jumble of pro-democracy denunciations of the Communist Party and almost-Maoist-sounding accusations that the Party had betrayed the core precepts of Marxism and thus fallen into corruption. Accusations of hypocrisy are powerful stuff for protest purposes, even when the protestorswouldnt necessarily like consistent adherence to the principles being violated. The Tiananmen protestors abutted thoroughly Chinese calls for social democracy to the occasionalU.S.-friendlyStatue of Liberty symbol, and(to the bafflement of some leftists) there have been American flags amidst the Cuban protestors, too.

Confusion on the leftshouldntbe taken as a sweeping endorsement of the U.S. governments policies toward Cuba,either,which at the moment include a wrongheaded triple-whammy of economic blockade, patrol boats preventing refugee emigration, and the occasional very-quiet murmur in favor of military intervention (which coincidentally or not might be made easier by the toppling of the nearbygovernment of Haiti bywhat appear to be fighters trained in Colombia with U.S. aidpartlyduring Haiti-molesting Bill Clintons presidency).None of those policies are libertarian or market-friendly.

If journalism is, as they say, the first draft of history, that first draft is a mess compared to what tends to solidify in the history books years later,isnt it?For now, you can choose among major media telling you the Cuba protests are anti-government, pro-government, anti-communist, pro-communist, anti-U.S.-blockade, or a purely internal matter depending on your political preferences, especially if you steer clear of uncertainty and nuance.

Is the mainstream consensuscoincidentally or not the sort of consensus the moderatesat the U.S. intelligence agencies tend to likethat we want gentle pressure on the Cuban government, not sudden violentupheaval, and forgoodnesssake not so much upheaval that the masses everywherein the worldmight start getting revolutionary ideas?

There have been trickier analytical morasses across the world in the past decade or so,though,including theories galore about what the Arab Spring meant for the future of freedom in that region, whether the Obama administration dropped the ball by not supporting massive Iranian anti-government protests on its watch (Biden and his colleagues being eager at the time towork out an expensive arms control bribe/agreement with the regime), and whether various subsets of the broader Chinese population from Tibet to Taiwan have any hope of making common cause against Beijing. (Given how reluctant people are to make sweeping,abstract anti-Communist arguments today, we may have to make do with little empirical tidbits of what the future could hold such asthe new documentary about unrest in Hong Kong that was unexpectedly unveiled at Cannes.)

The global struggle against communismleaves us with countless tricky strategic, pragmatic questions, from whether the Color Revolutionsof Eastern Europe were authentic (and how much that matters) to whether William Shatners new talkshow on RT (formerly Russia Today),calledI Dont Understand, will make him an unwitting tool of Russian propaganda. Im inclined to think he shouldnt do the showon that channel, butthen, I think PBS should cease to exist, as a matter of anti-governmentprinciple.

The world makes so much more sense if you drop the right/left tribalism and the nationalist tribalism and adopt consistent anti-government principles:End the blockadeof Cuba. End communism. End government of all stripes, everywhere, including here, even if means saying no to some charming,flag-waving social democrat protestors.Stick to property rights, a functioning price system, and no or, if you insist, very littlegovernment.

Along the way, watch for new protest-and-rebellion opportunities. A study suggests two-thirds of Southern Republicans would like to secede from the U.S. Let them go, and encourage others from all factions to follow. Surely,weariness with lockdowns is also turning into a political-spectrum-spanning educational opportunity about the limits of the publics patience with regulation. Does anyone (who is not a pro-government fanatic) relish the thought of an immense government crackdown on, say,bootleg liquor orhomes with peeling paint on their exteriors after all that government has already put us through in the past year and a half?Itshould leave us alone now.

New talk of the U.S. requiring women to register for the draft could somehow turninto just another right vs.left moment, but it wouldmake a lot more senseif it became amoment that united the left (out of anti-militarism), the right (out of anti-feminism), the far right (out of anti-imperialism), libertarians (out of opposition to all coercion), and conventional civil libertarians against government (and particularly against the military-industrial complex).I look forward to all the usual bland intellectuals and media outlets trying to spin that one if it gets out of control, struggling to book the two sides of the issue on the usual TV shows.

Itsenough to make you hope Selective Service triesand if the surprise result is the whole world united against establishment-liberal feminists-for-the-military(Hillary hawks,if you will), so be it. The hippies of old wouldve understood. Even me admitting that and seeing those hippiesas natural allies means a wall of some kind is crumbling.Be rebel girls, notanyonesestablishment weapons.

Todd Seavey is the author ofLibertarianism for Beginnersand is on Twitter at@ToddSeavey.

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Protest and Contest - Splice Today

By Rich Moniak

On Monday, oral arguments were heard on an election lawsuit ripe with irony. It seeks to invalidate Alaskas new voting law for statewide offices that narrowly passed last November. Proposition 2 created a nonpartisan primary that advances the top four vote-getters to a ranked-choice competition in the general election.

The plaintiffs are Kenneth Jacobus, a registered Republican and the attorney who filed the lawsuit; Scott Kohlhaas, a member of the Alaska Libertarian Party; The Alaskan Independence Party; and Bob Bird, AIPs chairman.

The complaint Jacobus submitted describes how the non-partisan primary stripped all three parties of their ability to control the selection of candidates in Alaskas elections. In doing so, he argues, Proposition 2 violates their rights to free political association and creates a system in which political parties are rendered irrelevant.

Now Im not a fan of our two-party duopoly, but the Alaskan Independence Party and Alaska Libertarian Party are already irrelevant. Combined, they account for only 4.3% of all registered voters in Alaska. In 2020, the two parties nominated a total of six candidates for 32 statewide offices. They all lost by huge margins. Their record for the prior decade is just as bad.

If their candidates cant do any better in a nonpartisan primary, then Proposition 2 does nothing more than reschedule their embarrassing showing from November to August.

Kohlhaas has personal experience in the art of political irrelevance. He lost two state House races by more than 40 points. And in his 2014 bid to be our U.S. senator, he finished third with just 14% of the vote in his partys primary. Its worth noting that the winner of that got under 4% in the general election.

Before that, Kohlhaas filed lawsuits against the state for refusing to certify two ballot initiatives he proposed. Both were about giving Alaskans the choice to secede from the union. Jacobus, who represented him both times, took his appeals to the state Supreme Court where they were unanimously rejected.

Their record as a team suggests this is just another a crank lawsuit. Which is probably why the GOP opted out. But because it serves the GOPs desire to limit who can appear on the general election ballot, its leadership is hoping Kohlhass and Jacobus prevail this time.

The irony here is thethe Alaskan Independence Party and Alaska Libertarian Party are to the political right of the GOP. So, if the court strikes down Proposition 2, general election candidates from both parties will continue syphon off a small percentage of conservative voters. Twice in the past 10 years, the loss of those votes resulted in a narrow defeat for Republican House candidates.

Because the top four vote-getters advance to the general election though, its unlikely theyll be spoilers in the primary. Indeed, as the plaintiffs argue, all four are likely to be Democrats or Republicans.

But with the GOP becoming little more than a cultish allegiance to former President Donald Trump, it doesnt want a principled Republican like Sen. Lisa Murkowski on the general election ballot.

Murkowski earned Trumps wrath a year ago for agreeing with the blistering criticism of him by his former Secretary of Defense. And again after she voted to convict him during his second impeachment trial.

Murkowski has got to go! Trump said last month when he endorsed Kelly Tshibaka for the Senate.

Tshibaka thinks its time to replace Lisa with an Alaskan who is not a Washington, D.C., insider politico. And claims to have a fire in my heart to rebuild Alaska.

Those are amusing statements coming from a Harvard Law graduate who spent 17 years climbing the bureaucratic ladder in Washington, D.C., before returning to Alaska in 2019.

But rather than recruit a candidate with a real Alaskan resum, the GOP bowed to Trumps preference and grievances by endorsing her last week.

Tshibaka would probably beat Murkowski in a traditional primary because the voices of nonpartisan and nonaffiliated Alaskans are irrelevant. But they outnumber the combined registration of all three conservative parties 2-to-1. If the courts uphold Proposition 2, theyll help Murkowski finish in the top four.

And if she wins election, the GOP leaders who bet on Trump and Tshibaka will be free to associate with their party while finding a place alongside Kohlhaas in ranks of the politically irrelevant.

Rich Moniak is a Juneau resident and retired civil engineer with more than 25 years of experience working in the public sector. Columns, My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire. Have something to say? Heres how to submit a My Turn or letter.

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Opinion: The parties to political irrelevance - Juneau Empire

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Californias next governor could be a retired homicide detective, a marijuana reform advocate, or an Olympic champion.

Or, a former Mayor of San Francisco who went on to win the Governor's office a few years ago.

The state on Saturday released a list of 41 people who filed the required paperwork to run in the Sept. 14 recall election that could remove Gov. Gavin Newsom. The lineup includes 21 Republicans, eight Democrats, one Libertarian, nine independents, and two Green Party members.

Voters may be familiar with several names on the list, including Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympian turned reality TV personality; and John Cox, the Orange County businessman. Other, perhaps lesser-known candidates include Democrat Kevin Paffrath, 29, a YouTube financial advisor; Libertarian Jeff Hewitt, 68, a Riverside County supervisor, and Republican Sam Gallucci, 60, a former executive at the financial management firm PeopleSoft and current pastor at an Oxnard church.

See all 41 candidates: Whos Running In Newsom Recall? Politicians, Activists, Californians Of All Stripes

The number of candidates is smaller than some analysts expected; predictions at one point ran up to 100. That could be a setback for recall supporters who had hoped for a large, prominent field to attract voters for the first question of whether or not Newsom should be recalled.

If that question fails, the recall is over and Newsom remains in office, mooting the candidates on the second ballot.

A certified list the one voters will see will be released Wednesday and changes are possible.

What questions do you have about Southern California?

Originally posted here:

Here's Who's Running For CA Governor In The Upcoming Recall Election, So Far - LAist

There is a type of all-natural Instagram influencer who, at first glance, appears to be all about living her best, healthy life. She is an avid proponent of meditation, clean eating, yoga, and a vague form of Asian spirituality. Her approach to life and health is holistic. And her social media feeds are a whiplash of content, ranging from the benefits of gua sha and ayurvedic diets to her skepticism about the effectiveness of masks and vaccines.

Over the past year of the pandemic, the wellness space a blanket term used to describe practitioners and promoters of noninstitutionalized Western medicine, from crystal healers to yoga teachers has grown rife with politically motivated misinformation on QAnon, Covid-19, the prevalence of child trafficking, and election integrity.

Media coverage has largely centered on these New Age-type influencers as peddlers of a libertarian, anti-science ideology that refuses masks, social distancing, and vaccines. Californias yoga, wellness and spirituality community has a QAnon problem, read a recent Los Angeles Times headline. Wellness influencers are spreading QAnon conspiracies about the coronavirus, declared Mother Jones. In March, the Washington Post wrote about QAnons unexpected roots in New Age spirituality.

These articles explore a concerning facet of American life, a phenomenon researchers call conspirituality, or how conspiracy theories have found a home in spiritual circles that are skeptical of Western medicine and established institutions. The observations stop short of implying that certain practices, like yoga, are a direct pathway to radicalization. Blame is generally assigned to the wellness communities where these fringe, anti-science ideas comfortably fester. Still, while most coverage identifies the prevalence of these dangerous, unfounded beliefs accurately, there is often little context on the wellness spaces relationship with Orientalism (or the Wests tendency to romanticize, stereotype, and flatten Asian cultures) and libertarian individualism.

For decades, many health and medicinal practices have been exported from Asia to the West, including yoga, ayurveda, reiki, and aspects of traditional Chinese medicine such as cupping, gua sha, and acupuncture. Such traditions are often categorized under the alternative medicine or New Age umbrella vague terms that conflate different philosophical and medical systems into a uniquely Western mishmash of ideas. The nuance and history of these traditions, however, dont exactly get first billing when they go viral.

Cultural exports are a complex, inevitable result of globalization, and cultural appropriation doesnt always carry negative effects. As Asian-inspired practices and treatments edge toward the mainstream, the problem isnt necessarily appropriation. Its what appropriation can produce: an Orientalist perspective toward non-Western practices that can be misrepresented to further a political agenda.

The process by which this happens is likely familiar to anyone with a passing knowledge of Gwyneth Paltrows Goop, although this type of appropriation predates the brand by decades. It usually begins with an influential (usually white) Westerner who encounters a practice with origins in East or South Asia. The person integrates the tradition into their lifestyle, publicly touts its benefits, and helps disseminate a version of the practice to their own community. (Such was the case for acupuncture in 1971, after a New York Times reporter wrote about the benefits of his treatment in China.)

Its New Age capitalism at work: A robust system of knowledge is taken apart piecemeal, divorced from any philosophical or religious roots, and transfigured into a commodity, something that can be bought and sold to improve consumers lives. For example, gua sha is a traditional Chinese treatment that has recently gone viral online. It is intended to be a scraping treatment for a persons back and body, rather than the face. Yet, the beauty industry markets gua sha stones and jade rollers, another Chinese-inspired facial tool, as beautifying gimmicks a way to contour ones jawline and mimic the results of a facelift instead of contextualizing their traditional use.

Social media has, for better or worse, popularized these once-niche practices to a broader American audience. And the pandemic has facilitated this consumer interest. Stuck at home in the event of a novel disease, millions of people took to fretting over their health and well-being as the American health care system buckled. People turned to yoga, meditation, and essential oils, in addition to spiritual practices such as astrology, reiki-inspired crystal healing, and manifestation. Amid this social upheaval, some gravitated toward the alternative and sought out unorthodox theories to explain their uncertain reality.

The thing about the spiritual East or the Orient is that theres a history of Westerners cherry-picking customs, traditions, and practices to serve their needs, that they can tie to a particular political agenda, said Shreena Gandhi, an assistant professor of religion at Michigan State University who researches yoga and its history of appropriation. There are multiple aspects of Orientalism at play here. Theres the romantic approach to Eastern wellness and alternative therapies, and its hysterical counterpart, which is fearful or distrustful of traditional beliefs.

Nazi leaders, for one, were proponents of yoga and its spiritual philosophy; they were obsessed with purifying and elevating an individuals body as a microcosm of the nation-state. Modern-day wellness communities appear much more focused on the individual (without mentioning the state), but according to Matthew Remski, journalist and co-host of the Conspirituality podcast, there are lingering fascist undertones in New Age beliefs.

New-Agers are not secretly Nazis, Remski wrote in a four-part blog on yoga and conspirituality. Its more like: fascist ideas of the perfected body and earth [have] generated enduring cultural memes for holism, embodied spirituality, and health. Those memes, sanitized of their explicit politics, carry jagged edges of perfectionism and paranoia about impurity. And that double message your body is divine but it is also under attack has become standard in the commodification of yoga and wellness.

Its common for believers of conspirituality to reference South or East Asian religions and teachings. It lends to the appearance of gravitas, history, and authority, Remski told me. Its a positive Orientalism that has nothing to do with the actual practice or history involved.

In February, for example, a holistic facialist in Miami Beach made an Instagram post suggesting that wearing a mask blocks the flow of Lung Qi, borrowing language from traditional Chinese medicine on qi, or energy, that flows through the human body. This claim, while false, relies on a Western tendency to approach Eastern medicine erroneously, from a universal perspective. Its a type of medical Orientalism that exoticizes non-Western practices and caters to New Age notions of mystical, natural healing.

The onset of the coronavirus in Asia has polarized perceptions of Eastern medicine and alternative therapies, hardening a sense of scientific dualism in Asia and abroad that people, particularly its practitioners, are either pro- or anti-science. (Government officials in India, for example, have received backlash for encouraging the treatment of Covid-19 primarily with traditional medicine.) At the same time, souring US-China relations have fomented sinophobic distrust and paranoia toward Asian Americans, regardless of their citizenship status and ethnic heritage. Some believed these attitudes were fueled by Asias, specifically Chinas, initial association with the coronavirus outbreak.

It becomes political. Its easy to associate anyone who promotes or practices Chinese medicine as a mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party, said Michael Stanley-Baker, a historian of Chinese medicine at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. My opinion is that biomedicine and scientific research is good and authoritative. That shouldnt discredit other knowledge systems. Chinese medicine is a systematic, robust form of knowledge that isnt static. Its not anything goes, and it certainly isnt random.

The professionalization of certain fields of alternative medicine, like acupuncture and ayurveda, has standardized such practices in the West to an extent. But these treatments have plenty of skeptics, and are often dismissed as useless at best and harmful at worst. At the same time, this standardization process in the US has marginalized and even led to arrests of Asian American practitioners, argued Tyler Phan, a lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh, in his doctoral thesis on American Chinese medicine.

Meanwhile, todays wellness industry attracts a demographic of predominantly white, middle-class adherents. According to a 2017 Pew Research Center survey, roughly six in 10 American adults, regardless of their religious affiliations, believe in at least one New Age belief, such as psychics, astrology, and spiritual energy in objects.

This tendency toward the spiritual, according to Remski, is perhaps a replacement for community. He attributes it to a cultural emptiness at the heart of alternative spirituality and modern-day yoga, which coincides with the breakdown of community and health care in the US. As a result, the modern yoga studio and by extension, the greater wellness world became devoid of politics. Its siloed outlook focused on an individuals religious potential and spiritual well-being at the expense of the collective. What appears to be countercultural then becomes quite similar to libertarianism, Remski said. That spiritually libertarian attitude has permeated yoga culture through its boom cycle.

And so long as conspiracy theories persist, the redpilling will continue on Instagram, in yoga studios, and in other wellness-related spaces. Yet, according to MSUs Gandhi, there is some hysteria surrounding the stereotype of a wealthy, yoga-practicing mother who refuses to vaccinate her kids. Its not only wellness and yoga practitioners who believe in this ideology, she said. Its more than just yoga classes. QAnon is an explicitly political conspiracy rooted in white supremacy.

This hysteria, Gandhi added, is reminiscent of the attitudes that fueled the yellow peril of decades past. This sentiment isnt entirely explicit, but the fixation toward flawed, New Age-y notions of wellness often lumps together alternative, Eastern therapies and practitioners into one broad group. As a result, these practices become collectively vilified and politicized for indoctrinating vulnerable Americans.

This conflation is not only unhelpful, but also dismissive of the work and history of non-Western knowledge systems that are valuable and complex in their own right. It also makes it harder for authoritative figures to debunk false information. There should be a nuanced middle ground, Stanley-Baker argued, where various types of medicinal practices can coexist and supplement one another.

There needs to be a conversation as to what constitutes robust knowledge in Eastern and Chinese medicine, he concluded. We need to differentiate the Orientalists and the Goop wellness influencers and enthusiasts from serious and respectful practitioners.

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The yoga and wellness worlds have a conspiracy problem - Vox.com

More than 100,000 people rallied across France on Saturday to protest President Emmanuel Macrons plans torequire a Covid-19 health pass to access public places such as cafs and cinemas starting next week. In addition to traditional concerns about curtailed civil liberties, conspiracy theories have fuelled the opposition to making proof of vaccination obligatory.

Starting July 21, a health pass (pass sanitaire) will be needed to access any of Frances leisure and cultural venues serving more than 50 people, including cinemas and museums. From the beginning of August, the pass will be required on any long-distance public transport, in shopping centres or at cafs and restaurants including on Frances famed outdoor terraces.

The pass must either include the QR code that proves someone has been fully vaccinated in France or results from a negative PCR or antigen test taken in the previous 48 hours.

Frances Covid-19 infection rate has reboundedalarmingly as the more contagious Delta variant has spread, with the average number of new cases confirmed per day soaring to nearly 11,000 from fewer than 2,000 in late June. The uptick prompted Macron to announce the health pass restrictions on July 12.

Too far

Butthe movehas provoked furious opposition among manyin France: some137 rallies took place across the country on Saturday, gathering nearly 114,000 demonstrators(including 18,000 in Paris), according to the interior ministry.

Many appeared to have taken to the streets out of alibertarianbelief that obliging people to be vaccinated if they want to accesspublic venues and activitiesis aninfringementon their basic rights.In no way does a president have the right to decide on my individual health, one Paris protester, who gave her name as Chrystelle, told Reuters.

Lucien, a young shop manager demonstrating in Paris, told AP he was by no means ananti-vaxxerbut that the state should not effectively coerce people to getinoculated.The government is going toofar, he said.

Some mainstream politicians have echoedthese arguments. Franois-Xavier Bellamy, a prominent young MEP for the conservativeLes Rpublicainsparty, and Loc Herv, vice-president of the SenatesCentristesbloc, penned a joint opinion piece in Le Figaro this week in which they laid out their reasons for opposing the measure.

Opposing the health pass does not make someone an anti-vaxxer, they wrote. The essential problem with the pass is that, for the first time in our history, people will have to present a document in order to do the most simple, ordinary things.

Extremes on both sides

But most of the political opposition to the health pass has come from extremes on both sides of the political spectrum. Macrons plans mark a backward step for personal freedoms,said leader of the far-rightNational Rally (Rassemblement Nationalor RN) party,Marine Le Pen,earlier this week. The health pass is an abuse of power,thunderedJean-Luc-Mlenchon, leader of the extreme-leftFrance Unbowed (La France Insoumiseor LFI).

LFI firebrand Franois Ruffin went further on Friday as he urged people to rally, characterisingthe health pass as a means of humiliation coming from an absolute monarchy in the form of Macrons government. Florian Philippot, Le Pens former right-hand man and leader of the right-wing populistLes Patriotesparty,declaredahead of Saturdays protests that they woulddemonstrate the power of the people in the face of a disgrace.

Various populistshave argued against the health pass on civil libertarian grounds, avoiding anti-vax statements. But many of Saturdays protesters thought differently.

Tellingly, when Philippot was addressing the Paris rally and introduced a man called Benjamin onto the stage, saying, Hegot vaccinated, but that was hischoice,there was an awkward moment of hesitation in the crowd,Le Figaro reported. It then erupted into cheers when Philippotsaid, But hes against the health pass! asBenjamin ripped up his vaccination certificate.

Embedded in the crowd, LeFigarosreporterrepeatedly overheardconspiracytheories such as that the pandemic wasorchestrated in advance and its all to make money for the laboratories. When Richard Boutry a former France Tlvisionsjournalist who now tours the country propagatingconspiracy and anti-vax ideas arrived on the scene, many demonstratorschantedhis nickname: Ricardo! Ricardo!

Were members of the Resistance; youve only just go to look at what happened under Vichy one minute different people have different rights, the next a demonstrator told Le Figaros reporter one of several comparisons he heard to the Nazi Occupation.

On Friday night, a vaccination centre in rural southeastern France was broken into and vandalised with the Cross of Lorraine (a symbol of the French Resistance) and graffiti saying Vaccination = genocide and 1940,presumably a reference to the year theVichy regime was founded.

I feel there were likely fewer avowed and strident civilian libertarians than there were conspiracists at these demonstrations, said Andrew Smith, a professor of French politics at the University of Chichester.

French anti-vaxxers likening themselves to the Resistanceconstitutes a worrying manipulation of history,he continued.

It also shows something very specifically French about the anti-vax movement in the country.That language aboutdefeat, collaboration and Nazism its a big difference from what you see in Anglo world, where Nazis are, of course, often the bad guys many people evoke but its much more abstract.

Rise of QAnon

Polling data shows thatFrench anti-vax sentimenthaswanedas thevaccinationrollout proceeded in the first half of the year. Nevertheless, anOpinionWaysurvey published in May found that 20 percent of French adults would turn down a jabwhile13 percent are undecided.

The French Academy of Medicine has said the country needs 90 percent of its adult population to be fully vaccinated toreceive herd immunity and defeatCovid-19.

The popularity ofFrenchpseudo-documentaryHold-Upshows that Covid disinformation has a big audience inthis country.Endorsing anarrayof debunked claims, the online film got more than 2.5 million views after its release in November, with several famous faces including iconic actress Sophie Marceau sharing the video.

It is in this context that the QAnon conspiracist phenomenon which weaves falsehoods about the coronavirus into a broader tapestryof fantasy, including warning of a worldwide cannibalistic cabal of paedophiles hasgrownin France over the past year, boosted byFrench-languagemisinformation websites such as DQodeurs and FranceSoir (a renowned broadsheet in the years after theWorld War II,which closed in 2012 before re-emerging two years ago as a conspiracist Internet publication).

READ MORE:'Stakes are high as QAnon conspiracy phenomenon emerges in France

A boon for Macron?

Nevertheless, conspiracy theories remain a marginal force in French society. Most people in France see that hard work and sensible policies are the route out of the pandemic, not conspiracies, Andrew Smith said.

It seems most Frenchcitizenssee Macrons plan as one such sensible policy: An Ipsos-Storia Sterna poll published on Friday showed that 60 percent of French people favour the health pass and the accompanying plan to oblige all health workersto be vaccinated.

And the pass may well prove to have beena politically expedient move for Macron ahead of the presidentialelectionnext April. When Macron made his announcement on Monday, plenty of people saw it as partly a public health measure but also a campaign message for the presidential elections, observed Paul Smith, a professor of French politics at Nottingham University.

Macrons health passcould beespecially effective at winning over moderate voters who see him charting France a path out of the Covid nightmare and see themselvesas part ofa silent majoritystanding against both the far left and the far right, said Andrew Smith:This policy changes the terrain of the battleground. The traditional right- and left-wing partiesLes Rpublicainsand theParti Socialistewill not and cannot challenge Macron on taking a measured, sensible approach to the pandemic.

You dont win the presidency through 117,000 people spread across the streets of France, Andrew Smith observed.You win through sensible, evidence-based policy to end the pandemic and restart the economy.

Read more:

Conspiracy theories fuel French opposition to Covid-19 health pass - FRANCE 24 English

If conservative talk show host Larry Elder has his way, the "Sage of South Central" will be the next governor of California.

After Elder indicated earlier this month he was considering joining the recall race against Gavin Newsom, on Monday he made the news official on his radio show.

Elder said months ago he was approached by Dennis Prager to run. Elder said he thanked him but said "Hell, no. I think this state is un-governable."

But then Elder said more people that he respected suggested he run.

"The more I thought about it and the more egregious the behavior of Gavin Newsom was as he sits there with the very people that drafted the coronavirus outline at The French Laundry ... it's egregious...

"Maybe just maybe I can do something about it," said Elder, noting that Newsom has no spending limits but he does and supporters can donate at his website at ElectElder.com.

Calling Newsom "an arrogant Democratic governor," Elder said in a tweet of a video earlier Monday, "If I enter this race one of the big reasons is the way this man handled the coronavirus, imposing the most severe lockdowns of any of the 50 states, often ignoring science, science that said in-school learning would be perfectly okay under precautions."

In the tweet, Elder noted the story of a single mom he talked to over the weekend whose 17-year-old son, who is one of the top wrestlers in California, had to stop practicing his sport under California's COVID-19 restrictions. Because of this, the youngster experienced severe depression and suicidal thoughts.

"This did not have to happen. This arrogant governor has got to go and maybe just maybe I'm the man to replace him."

He also noted the state's skyrocketing crime rate, and he attributed part of that to the early release of 20,000 prisoners by Newsom. That's as California prepares to release 76,000 more inmates, including violent and repeat felons, as the state aims to further trim the population of what once was the nation's largest state correctional system.

Elder also said he's also running because of "this attack on America as systemically racist."

Elder will join supporters on Tuesday, July 13 at the L.A. County Registrar of Voters office in Norwalk, Calif., to celebrate his official announcement scheduled for around 10 a.m. Those wanting to join the celebration are to meet at the Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills at 8 a.m. that morning. Signs of support and patriotic flags are encouraged.

Elder, 69, who considers himself a libertarian, has a nationally syndicated radio show on the Salem Radio Network. He also makes regular appearances on Fox News, is an author of non-fiction books, has a nationally syndicated column and is a filmmaker. His recent documentary Uncle Tom was initially sold through the SalemNOW platform and later through ITunes, Amazon and Amazon Prime.

Born in Los Angeles, Elder grew up in the Pico-Union and South Central areas of the city. The son of a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, Elder was deeply impacted by his father who he has said was "intimidating but we never doubted his love or his commitment to his family." In 2003, he and his brother Kirk accepted a Congressional Gold Medal on their father's behalf.

After graduating from Crenshaw High School, Elder earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Brown University and went on to earn a Juris Doctor from University of Michigan Law School in 1977. His show The Larry Elder Show began as a local program on LA station KABC in 1993. It eventually became nationally syndicated, first through ABC Radio Networks and since 2015 through Salem Media Group. He's long been known as "the Sage of South Central" with his signature calling card "We've got a country to save."

Elder joins a long list of candidates running against Newsom on September 14 after a campaign seeking to remove him from office successfully collected more than 1.7 million signatures.

The election consists of two parts with voters first being asked if they want to recall the current governor and then his removal if 50 percent of voters agree. Following that, Californians will be asked to choose his replacement. So far, more than 70 candidates have already filed preliminary paperwork with the Secretary of State's office. During Governor Gray Davis' recall in 2003, there were more than 130 candidates.

This time around the list includes the 2018 Republican candidate John Cox, who then lost to Newsom. Cox, who launched his campaign earlier this year said as far as he's concerned, the more people pointing out Newsom's failures, the better.

"At the end of the day voters will choose the person they think has the toughness and experience managing an organization for success. That's me, but I welcome the voices calling for change," Cox told Newsweek.

One candidate that has made big news with his announcement he's running is former Olympic athlete and Keeping Up With the Kardashiansstar Caitlyn Jenner, who is transgender and a lifelong Republican who has noted her desire to be a "disrupter" like former President Donald Trump. On numerous occasions and in interviews, she has noted the steep decline of California under the one-party rule and leadership of the Democrats.

Also running is former mayor of San Diego Kevin Faulconer, former GOP member of the House of Representatives Doug Ose, Libertarian businessman and Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Hewitt, retired homicide detective and fianc of Real Housewives of Orange County reality star Vicki Gunvalson, and 29-year old real estate executive and YouTube star Kevin Paffrath.

Republican and tech businessman Sam Galluci, the former acting director of National Intelligence (DNI) Ric Grenell, Billboard model Angelyne, and former pornographic actor Mary Carey have also announced their intention to run.

During his Monday broadcast, Elder emphasized that he'll need help from his listeners and supporters in the form of fund-raising.

"Assuming I get millions of dollars from folks inside and outside the state, I can make this thing a horse race," he said.

During his show on Monday, Elder noted the last time he ran for any office was for fifth grade class president.

Read more:

Conservative Radio Talk Show Host Larry Elder Officially In the Recall Race Against Newsom - Newsweek

We write in response to Roger Southalls criticism that the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) is promoting a right-wing agenda (IRR now a right-wing agitator, June 24) and John Endress claim that the IRR is deviating not an inch from the liberal positions it has steadfastly defended over the past 90 years (In attacking CRT, IRR is holding true to liberal position its defended for years, June 28).

As grandchildren of the late Edgar Brookes, a founder and president of the IRR, we would like to point out that the IRRs championing of the libertarian concept of an unfettered free market economy and gun rights is not in line with the original liberal positions of the IRR and its founders.

The IRR stood for the proper functioning of the state to protect its citizens from all forms of exploitation. Their notion of civil liberties did not extend to the personal right to use force as a solution to social ills.

The IRR has adopted the notions of economic and individual freedoms of libertarian groups in the US, which advocate the removal of the state from regulating the economy and society. The IRR is now insidiously importing these libertarian ideas under the guise of so-called liberal freedoms.

It is with great sadness that we have observed the decline of the IRR from a part of the broader anti-apartheid and human rights movements imbued with liberal-humanist values, to the extremist libertarian misinformation machine of the present. One only has to glance at the manipulation of facts on its news site, The Daily Friend, and Endress mischaracterisation of critical race theory (CRT) to see this.

The IRR was founded on the principles of truth and justice. It accurately researched, reported on and addressed the inequalities and injustices in SA. It was not founded to promote one ideological position over another. Edgar Brookes would have been horrified by the current positions of the IRR and its lack of moral and intellectual integrity.

Today, the IRR no longer upholds the principles of humanism and truth for which he stood and which drove his strong opposition to apartheid, his advocacy for the rights of black South Africans and the economically oppressed.

The IRR and its polemical positions do not play a constructive role in promoting race relations in our country, nor promoting good relations or constructive, thoughtful dialogue of any kind. The IRR should eschew its name and refrain from claiming that it is continuing the legacy of its founders.

Kathy BrookesProf Heather BrookesProf David Brookes

JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an e-mail with your comments. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Send your letter by e-mail to letters@businesslive.co.za. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.

Read the rest here:

LETTER: IRR not continuing the legacy of its founders - Business Day

Alex Tabarrok, perhaps the worlds sole Canadian libertarian, joinsThe Remnanttoday for the first time. Inflation is on the rise, the vaccine rollout is stalling, and illiberalism is resurgent. In other words, there are plenty of demanding issues for Americans to be concerned about. Thankfully, Tabarrok has a range of considered policy solutions for Jonah to explore. How can we revitalize democracy? Would open borders work? And should we abandon advanced civilization now before the machines destroy us all?

Show Notes:

-Alexs website

-Inflation, no chance

-Jonah on the wackiness of vaccine paranoia

-Newsmaxoutcrazies itself

-The Mayor Quimby of anti-vaxxers

-Jonah on the importance of character

-Ezra Klein on the good old days

-Alexs case for open borders

-Born American, but in the Wrong Place

-The Baumol effect

-Home Economics, by Nick Shulz

-The elite masters degrees that dont pay off

Continued here:

Marginal Revolutionaries - by Jonah Goldberg - The Remnant - The Dispatch