There's been much discussion about the significance of Orbán's electoral defeat, not to say his prior rule. But as I ask and try to answer here, why do so many people across the political spectrum continue to obsess over Hungary in the first place?

As the recent attack on the the U.S. consulate in Toronto indicates, the persistent targeting of Jewish institutions in Canada are not just a problem for Jews, but for Canadian sovereignty itself. I explain why in @nationalpost.bsky.social today nationalpost.com/opinion/syna...

I recently half-joked that we decided to destroy modern literacy in order to get rid of imaginary "lit bros." I make the actual argument here: www.washingtonexaminer.com/premium/4470...

This is our Iliad, and even if it weren't it's not like we're exactly surfeited with literacy among the young these days that we need them discarding what reading materials they have

I am not wildly enthused about Trump's latest bluster over Greenland, but as I wrote here, it has been instructive to see Europeans, Canadians, et al. displaying such outrage at being treated like American dependencies. What exactly did they think they were? thecritic.co.uk/how-much-res...

For your New Year's reading: debates over citizenship are everywhere, from the birthright question in the U.S. and Canada to the Alaa Abd El-Fattah controversy and beyond, but we we lack a clear understanding of how the concept has changed over time. www.city-journal.org/article/anci...

Needing a break from heavier themes, I wrote probably more than most people want to know about properties of sound, audio equipment, and collecting vinyl records. davidpolansky.substack.com/p/my-music-c...

I reviewed the new book by @shadihamid.bsky.social which makes the case for American power. My takeaway is that he's reverse engineering neoconservatism albeit from very different premises. Give it a read (both the book and the review): davidpolansky.substack.com/p/review-sha...

Free speech Canada vs US, an ongoing conundrum. A delight as always to chat with @polanskydj.bsky.social, for The Jewish Angle @thecjn.bsky.social thecjn.ca/opinion/is-f...

I mostly stayed offline yesterday, but I did set down some thoughts on why, as much as I do hope this latest peace proposal sticks, the larger question of Palestinian sovereignty is still unresolved—partly because people seem to keep seeing past it. davidpolansky.substack.com/p/what-did-w...

I mostly stayed offline yesterday, but I did set down some thoughts on why, as much as I do hope this latest peace proposal sticks, the larger question of Palestinian sovereignty is still unresolved—partly because people seem to keep seeing past it. davidpolansky.substack.com/p/what-did-w...

In the wake of Kirk's killing, I am seeing what has become a common tendency to attribute such attacks to a kind of abstract political contagion or historical momentum we can barely withstand. I try to explain here why I think we should resist this impulse. davidpolansky.substack.com/p/against-th...

Living outside the United States on this 4th of July, I wrote about the theme of exile, with reflections on Dante, Caetano Veloso, and Jason Stanley -- a sentence that I'm pretty sure no one has written before. Link below. davidpolansky.substack.com/p/on-exile

I wrote (what I hope is) a non-hysterical consideration of the problem of rising antisemitism in Canada. Unlike the United States, it's not significantly involved in the Middle East already, which may allow for greater clarity. thehub.ca/2025/06/20/d...

"I like it here in the mental asylum"

For your Memorial Day reading, I wrote about the mistaken belief that we're living in a time of intense ideological conflicts. davidpolansky.substack.com/p/non-immens...

Quite a few books have been written lately on the emergence of right-wing threats to democracy. I reviewed two of them—Zack Beauchamp’s The Reactionary Spirit and Quinn Slobodian’s Hayek’s Bastards—but found their explanations wanting. americanaffairsjournal.org/2025/05/demo...

Quite a few books have been written lately on the emergence of right-wing threats to democracy. I reviewed two of them—Zack Beauchamp’s The Reactionary Spirit and Quinn Slobodian’s Hayek’s Bastards—but found their explanations wanting. americanaffairsjournal.org/2025/05/demo...

I wrote about the question of greatness, particularly in light of Trump and his supporters for @wisdomofcrowds.bsky.social -- give it a read: wisdomofcrowds.live/p/michael-jo...

Was great to have @polanskydj.bsky.social on the podcast for mid-election-day analysis!

I am in @thehubcanada.bsky.social today on that rarest of things: an important Canadian election. thehub.ca/2025/04/28/d...

I have a guest post in @shadihamid.bsky.social 's excellent new newsletter discussing the strange state of affairs in which liberals find themselves defending established norms and institutions--kinda like, um, conservatives. www.shadihamid.net/p/on-conserv...

In light of the news of the Trump administration pulling $400 million in public funding from Columbia University and the complaints about free speech in response, I'm reposting what I wrote on this question last year, which I think still applies. www.washingtonexaminer.com/magazine-lif...

I have an essay on an underappreciated factor that contributes to the madness of contemporary politics: how broadly liberal or left-leaning establishment institutions now find themselves in the essentially conservative position of defending the status quo. www.strangefrequencies.co/on-conservat...

In my new @washingtonpost.com column, I argue that it's okay to have mixed feelings about "the system." Personally, I'm neither pro-system nor anti-system. And that's a fine place to be, however uncomfortable it may feel. More people should join us. wapo.st/3EUWhkv

There's this emphasis on humor as a kind of political expression under the new regime, in contrast to the previous era of high wokeness. The trouble is, you can't really will yourself into comedy without turning it into a kind of kitsch, as I discuss here. thecritic.co.uk/why-politics...

Love this examination by @polanskydj.bsky.social . Humor is true morality. It protects us from both the moralist piety of the Left and the immoral cruelty of the Right. thecritic.co.uk/why-politics...

I am in @postopinions.bsky.social along with several others with comments on the very brief trade war between the United States and Canada. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/int...

I had a nice discussion here for @nationalpost.bsky.social on the problems of the Canadian nation nationalpost.com/news/canada/...

I wrote about some of my favorite music anywhere ever cafeamericainmag.com/the-rockstea...

The now-departing Prime Minister Trudeau declared Canada the first postnational country back when he first assumed office to much acclaim. The results of this experiment, however, have been dire, as I wrote for the excellent @wisdomofcrowds.bsky.social wisdomofcrowds.live/p/does-canad...

I wrote an uncharacteristically impassioned piece on Canada's troubles for @thehubcanada.bsky.social . Though I don't normally encourage anger in political life, there are times when it's warranted. Like now. t.co/R7StSVLIpP

The now-departing Prime Minister Trudeau declared Canada the first postnational country back when he first assumed office to much acclaim. The results of this experiment, however, have been dire, as I wrote for the excellent @wisdomofcrowds.bsky.social wisdomofcrowds.live/p/does-canad...

I admit that I'm a bit surprised that people are still making rock biopics after Walk Hard, but since they are, I went and reviewed the new Bob Dylan movie. t.co/5Lj8FpbxTW

Having spent at least 10,000 hours listening to the man, I feel qualified to review the new Bob Dylan movie, which is what I did. www.washingtonexaminer.com/magazine-lif...

With Eyes Wide Shut apparently everyone's new favorite Christmas movie, I gave it a rewatch, and found myself wondering whether it's a successful unerotic film or an unsuccessful erotic one. Or neither. So I wrote about it. t.co/V85izgfHzF

With Eyes Wide Shut apparently everyone's new favorite Christmas movie, I gave it a rewatch, and found myself wondering whether it's a successful unerotic film or an unsuccessful erotic one. Or neither. So I wrote about it. t.co/V85izgfHzF

Remember: language games and status competition are something the other guy does

I am in @torontostar.bsky.social with an op-ed comparing today's Canada to the Canada of the 1980s -- an era with a number of similarities to our own. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

I wrote about that rarest of things -- a married couple who made truly great music together. Give it a read and then go listen to everything Richard and Linda Thompson recorded. t.co/qi7clBtaDw

Trump's reelection has reignited discussions of fascism. And while I'm not particularly interested in this debate by now, I am interested in why it continues to get traction, so I wrote about it here. t.co/5Pp0jl2LwN

I am in @torontostar.bsky.social with an op-ed comparing today's Canada to the Canada of the 1980s -- an era with a number of similarities to our own. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

I wrote about that rarest of things -- a married couple who made truly great music together. Give it a read and then go listen to everything Richard and Linda Thompson recorded. t.co/qi7clBtaDw

Trump's reelection has reignited discussions of fascism. And while I'm not particularly interested in this debate by now, I am interested in why it continues to get traction, so I wrote about it here. t.co/5Pp0jl2LwN