Stan Persky

Stan Persky taught philosophy at Capilano University in N. Vancouver, B.C. He received the 2010 B.C. Lieutenant-Governor's Award for Literary Excellence. His most recent books are Reading the 21st Century: Books of the Decade, 2000-2009 (McGill-Queen's, 2011), Post-Communist Stories: About Cities, Politics, Desires (Cormorant, 2014), and Letter from Berlin: Essays 2015-2016 (Dooney's, 2017).
Cuckoo Coup
Stan Persky reflects on the ex-prez’s Jan. 6 coup attempt, and the danger that the “next coup” poses to democracy in a post-truth era.
Read MoreIf it quacks like a Duck, it might not be a Duck, it might be just a Quack. If it sounds like Donald Trump… well, he probably said it, or maybe it was Fox News, or QAnon, or whatever.
Did Trump say it? Did he deny saying it? Who knows?
Read MoreApropos of Woody Allen: The Anxiety of Being… and don’t forget Nothingness
Woody Allen’s autobiography is not-so-great, but the films are more than good. Stan Persky reviews the book, the scandals, and the stuff on the silver screen.
Read MorePaul Krugman vs. the Policy Proposals of the Living Dead
Paul Krugman’s Arguing With Zombies drives a stake through the heart of “zombie ideas.” The premier U.S. op-ed columnist who writes honestly about dishonesty.
Read MoreOnce in Europa: What do the 2019 EU election results mean?
The rightwing populist tsunami didn’t happen; Greens blossom; Europe fragments, pro-EU majority maintained.
Read MoreSonnet About Orpheus (Where)
Singing the Lord’s song in a strange land.
Read MoreTrump Prose Poem, a.k.a. Potus Takes a Snooze
POTUS takes a snooze.
Read MoreGuardians of the Truth? Notes on MSM
Stan Persky checks out the “guardians of the truth,” and puts in a good word for mainstream media (MSM). It’s “breaking news.”
Read MoreThis Year’s Question
Can Democracy Work? asks James Miller. It’s not only this year’s question, it’s a question for the ages, from ancient Athens to the Trumpian present.
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