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For those who have been reading Troy Smith’s series on “Dispossessing the Poor” waiting for my response, here we go. Troy’s representation of history is accurate but skewed by …
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John Gottlied
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7/20/23
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A few weeks ago, I talked about agrarianism versus industrial capitalism and the fact that by 1800 many people had come to regard subsistence farmers as - not quite civilized. This was because …
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I recently shared online an opinion editorial by Michael A. Cohen, of MSNBC, in which he falsely claimed that the Supreme Court’s latest rulings are examples of judicial activism. Judicial …
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John Gottlied
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7/14/23
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I have written five installments about the history of labor and capitalism and have not mentioned slavery. I’m mentioning it now, because it played such a role in both capitalism and labor for …
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Troy Smith
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7/14/23
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So far in this series of columns, I’ve asserted several points. By 1800, many people believed that anyone who existed outside the prevailing economic system, by being self-sufficient, was …
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Troy Smith
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7/6/23
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I have struggled to write anything for this opinion column the last few days. There are many things that I could complain about, and I am at no loss for groups or individuals who deserve to have …
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John Gottlied
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7/6/23
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In a 2022 survey, about 68 percent of Americans responded that they were Christians. In 2010, Christians represented about 75 percent of those questioned. Over 90 percent of Americans …
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Before I expand this series into Appalachia, I want to look closer at some of the prevailing arguments by 18th century philosophers about labor and wealth.
Most educated people in England and …
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Artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly sophisticated over the past few decades. While AI has the potential to provide significant benefits in a variety of fields, there are also …
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6/22/23
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“Here every man may be master and owner of his owne labour and land. If he have nothing but his hands, he may by industries grow quickly rich.”
Imagine how such words would …
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Troy Smith
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6/22/23
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My ninth grade civics teacher (also 11th grade history teacher), Burl Johnson, was also a county commissioner and deeply patriotic. This was in the ‘80s, when - as had been true for well …
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Troy Smith
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5/28/23
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It is early 1984, and I am sitting across the board from one of the top-rated women chess players in the state. Susan Smathers was a high school student just like me, and she was intimidating. I …
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John Gottlied
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5/28/23
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About 20 years ago, I wrote a novel about our local Confederate guerrilla, Champ Ferguson. Champ was a divisive character in both history and historical memory (how groups remember something). At his …
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Troy Smith
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5/11/23
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I will upset some people with this article, but I will try to be plain. Some states have been banning books from schools. One book mentioned in the ban, “Are You There God? It’s Me, …
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John Gottlied
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5/11/23
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