Author / Luke Voyles
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Two Slaps, Rogernomics, and the Unpredictability of Historical Eras
Through years of studying history books and essay, a person can come to view certain times in history through the lens of historical models. Perhaps they might see things through economic, moral, religious, or pragmatic lenses, but the lenses can be omnipresent in the thinking of many people. For instance, the end of the 1960s…
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Why Elections Matter and Why We Care About Them Too Much
The title of this piece might seem like an odd statement that could be from the Cheshire Cat rather than be an actual statement of fact. Yet the more general elections, midterm elections, and by-elections of various nations around the world are studied, the less they tend to feel permanent in the long-term, even though…
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The Resurrection of Former Communist Leaders
Noted civil rights activist and feminist scholar Dr. Angela Davis gave a lecture at Washington University in St. Louis on Jan. 24. She spoke about how American society continually allows sexual predators positions of power through not giving women the respect that they deserved as human beings. Her speech visibly moved the audience, which erupted…
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Why the 2016 Election Was Not the Worst Election in American History
I generally despise using generalizations without near-encyclopedic citations. However, it must be stated: the 2016 election received universal criticism. Nobody beamed with pride at either set of candidates. Many Americans loathed both tandems and gritted their teeth at the ballot box. If an American did vote for one of the two sides enthusiastically, they firmly…
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Why Trump Can Never be an Autocrat
On October 30, 2017, conservative writer and intellectual Norman Ornstein spoke at Washington University in St. Louis to promote a book he co-wrote, One Nation After Trump. He argued that the Trump presidency is leading the way toward autocracy (government by one person), kleptocracy (government by thieves), and kakistocracy (government by the worst). In fact,…
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The American Civil War Was Not a Civil War
Recently, I spoke with a family member about the American Civil War. While agreeing with the aim of the Union Army, he wondered how William Tecumseh Sherman could be viewed as anything other than a war criminal. However, he deemed Dwight Eisenhower’s treatment of German soldiers during the Second World War as completely acceptable. I…
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Did the Confederacy Ever End?
On July 30, 2017, April Reign posted a message onto Twitter that would reverberate throughout the night. She created a hashtag called #NoConfederate in response to HBO’s Game of Thrones creators plans to create a show called Confederate where the Confederacy triumphed in the American Civil War. Overnight, the hashtag became the second most popular…
