In the opening pages of his Symbolic Uses of Politics, sociologist Murray Edelman writes, “Political forms thus come to symbolize what large masses of men need to believe about the state to reassure themselves.” Edelman argues that political forms and the symbols that represent them are infused with different meanings by different observers, and those meanings often disguise “…wide gulfs between our solemnly taught, common sense assumptions about what political institutions do and what they actually do.” These political symbols thus sustain people in their belief systems, shielding us from more tenebrous truths we’d rather not face. More

When Spanish President Mariano Rajoy deployed thousands of police forces to Catalonia to repress an illegal referendum for independence, he probably thought it would bring some closure to an open issue. Perhaps, enforcing the law violently on peaceful citizens who just wanted to cast a vote, and doing it on the global stage would finally convince those rebellious Catalonians that their cause was lost.

Far from closure, the events of 1 October 2017 will cause more consternation in Catalonia than ever before. It is fair to question if Catalonians live in a 21st Century democracy, whether their most basic human rights are going to be respected and whether there is any room for political dialogue. Many of those who were not pro-independence before yesterday but supported a referendum, are probably wondering today whether there is any point in even considering staying in Spain, after all. In total, at least 60% of the electorate supported a referendum as per the last State elections in Catalonia in 2015. More

For a while my editors considered me the go-to guy for tragic death. A little girl gets killed when Gabby Giffords is shot? I’m on it, with “A Moment of Silence.” Bombs explode at the Boston Marathon? I’m there, with “The 27th Mile.” America shrugs at the death of young children in Newtown? I’m on TV saying, “I’m not anti-gun, I’m pro-kindergartner.”

Well, I’m going to be a little less elegant in my phrasing this time around: We don’t give a shit. Americans don’t care about gun death, not really. It’s obvious. Right-wingers want to cling to their gun fantasies because it makes them feel empowered in a world where they’re economically powerless and emotionally impotent. Liberals are better on the issue, but too many of them keep promoting politicians with pro-corporate agendas that weaken their appeal and doom their chances at getting elected. More