Should Democrats Move the Convention?

Almost immediately after Amendment 1 constitutionally banned same-sex marriage in North Carolina, a horde of liberal commentators—with pitchforks and torches in hand—took to the blogosphere to vent frustration. Hoping to exact revenge on the Tar Heel State for enacting such a discriminatory amendment, many are demanding that Democrats jettison plans to host the 2012 party convention in Charlotte. Gay Marriage … Read more

The Evolution of the Family Sitcom

In the aftermath of Harvard’s exam season I have finally spent some quality time with family at home. Not my own family of course but all the families I’ve neglected throughout the year: the Griffins, the Simpsons, and the Dunphys, among many others. All this family time has given me pause to consider the evolution … Read more

Vietnam: the Hidden Asian Tiger

While visiting Hanoi recently, HPR staff writer Jay Alver noticed an astounding number of privately owned businesses in the city. Slightly confused, he asked a local guide how this could be true, given the supposedly absolute control the Communist Party wields. Smiling a bit, the guide responded slyly that with increasing liberalization in Vietnam and … Read more

Class Action

Charles Murray is no stranger to controversy. In 1994, as the co-author of the bestselling book The Bell Curve, Murray inflamed the passions of critics and supporters alike by arguing in the vein of genetic determinism that intelligence was one of the most important factors that determined one’s lot in life. Now 18 years later, … Read more

All in the Family

Generally, the photos and videos released by North Korean state media are meant to uphold the regime’s aura of power and greatness. But in February 2011, state television aired footage of Kim Jong-un holding binoculars upside down as military officials surrounded him, a mistake uncharacteristic of the tightly controlled government. For the then-vice chairman of … Read more

Welcome to Nowhere, USA

The journey along US Route 2 from Burlington to Bangor is fraught with dichotomies.  From a natural perspective, the geography varies little, as serpentine hollows and marmalade leaves flow from Vermont to New Hampshire to Maine with no regard for political boundaries.  But while each polity has been given this identical natural canvass, they have … Read more

The Political Apathy of a Liberal by Default

Welcome Pre-Frosh. Do you feel psychologically inadequate or weak? Then Harvard University might be the perfect place for you. If you wish, you can go weeks or even months without reading a national newspaper, engaging in a political discussion, or talking about anything but that one Crimson editorial entitled, “On Grinding.” Perhaps you have come … Read more

Lowered Sights

Dear Readers, Some—if not many—of Harvard’s best moments seem to lie outside the classroom. You could create your own world-class education simply by cherry-picking from amazing speakers that pass through: Ban Ki Moon, David Petraeus, Oprah, Geoffrey Canada, Stephen Colbert. Even if their words are at times trite, their very presence, personality, and tone are … Read more

The Unexpected Advocates

On Dec. 6, 2011, at a Human Rights Day convention in Geneva, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that “being LGBT does not make you less human. And that is why gay rights are human rights.” The United States and many other Western democracies pride themselves upon being progressive leaders, yet with respect to … Read more