Mental Health & Society

The biggest surprise when I became a science communicator nearly 10 years ago was the level of animosity and vitriol aimed at "experts," including scientists like me.

Chronicling the ongoing, stunning decline of the New York Times from America's newspaper of record to a malicious, partisan rag unworthy of the paper it's printed on is something of a hobby of mine.

One of the most depressing features of American life in 2020 is the fact that everything has become politicized.

As I mentioned previously, I've been marooned in Poland for a few months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Poland, along with several other Eastern European countries, implemented a very severe lockdown.

"Now is the winter of our discontent," begins Richard III, one of Shakespeare's most famous plays.

I like Steven Pinker. He has no idea who I am, though I once met him and forced him to take a picture with me. How could I not? He's got fantastic hair. But his awe-inspiring lion's mane isn't the only reason I like him.

Despite COVID-19 being a public health crisis, we have politicized our understanding of the disease.

Everybody likes to consider themselves open-minded. (Few, if any, people would proudly claim, "Nah, I'm closed-minded.") Like kindness and humility, open-mindedness is widely perceived as a good character trait.

Our world faces many serious problems. Just under one billion people do not have electricity. Millions die every year in abject poverty due to lack of access to basic necessities, such as clean food and water and healthcare.

Which snowflake caused the avalanche? It's a ridiculous question because we all know the answer: Blame can't be placed on any particular snowflake; it was the accumulation of billions of them that caused the avalanche.