About this book

These 70 commentaries were written as blog posts from 2020 to 2022, amid worldwide threats to health, safety, and freedoms previously taken for granted. While most of us dealt with lockdowns, social distancing, work and study from home, contact tracing, hospitalization rates, and an unfathomable loss of loved ones, the author points out that pseudo-populists amplified threats to democracy.

The collection shares ways to counter the nonsense talk and ruthless disregard of pseudo-populists for human life, truth, and freedom. The author explores the media, language, books, politics, sport, and daily occurrences to offer a variety of approaches for keeping the perspective needed to see through and dismantle disinformation, misinformation, and manipulation.

Amid ongoing challenges, the author supports the insight of Albert Camus who recognized a substantial value of democracy to be what it prevents. These commentaries suggest when and how to: Hold public figures and the media accountable; Stand up to the verbal abuse that Orwell predicted; Reassert truth and other core values in daily life.

Contents: Bestest Words? 1. Hope. 2. Humor. 3. Leadership. 4. Speaking & Writing. 5. Democracy. 6. Truth, Law, & Justice. 7. Media. 8. Propaganda. 9. Thinking for a Future. Blogpost Titles, First Lines, & Dates of Publication. Bibliography. Index.

Keywords: public discourse, media, English language, rhetoric, stylistics, civics, truth.