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Dear friends of VTIPG and CCC,
We share five articles each week that we find timely and meaningful that address significant concerns related to the state of our democracy and civil society. We aim to offer pieces that illuminate a wide array of dimensions of our country's policy and governance challenges and the state of social norms that sustain the possibility of addressing them successfully. Please note, the views expressed in these essays do not necessarily reflect the perspectives of VTIPG or Virginia Tech. We also upload these essays and stories to our website. You may find the archive at News and Opportunities at http://ipg.vt.edu.
If you would like to suggest an article for consideration for this series, and I encourage you to do so, please contact me, Billy Parvatam, at pbilly97@vt.edu.
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Our first piece, from the New York Times, discusses the latest (third) indictment of former President Donald Trump for, in this case, attempting to overturn the 2020 election and its potential implications for American democracy.
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Our second story, from BBC News, examines this summer's European heatwave and outlines the possible implications of such temperatures for tourism across the continent in the years to come.
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A third article, from The Associated Press, describes the recent trend of teachers of color leaving that profession amidst growing restrictions in many states concerning what they can teach.
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Our fourth offering, from The Conversation, contends that western democracies have been built on the suffering of others.
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Last, we share an article from FiveThirtyEight suggesting that voting in the 2020 election could portend voting patterns in future elections.
Brief synopses of these articles appear below. We hope the perspectives offered in these pieces encourage reflection and conversation!
Best wishes,
Billy Parvatam
VTIPG Communications Coordinator
pbilly97@vt.edu.
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Five Pieces Worth Reading | |
Trump’s case has broad implications for American democracy
New York Times reporter Peter Baker discusses the latest indictment of former President Donald Trump for his efforts to subvert the will of the voters in 2020 in this story. Baker argues that the outcome of this trial and polarization concerning it will define the future of American democracy. The long-time reporter contends that debates concerning whether a national leader can commit such acts without consequences are more familiar to citizens of nations with a history of coups and dictators than to the U.S. or democracies. Indeed, should Trump win the 2024 election, he may consider pardoning himself for the actions for which he has been indicted. Baker contends that the justice and electoral systems may be on a 15-month collision course to render a verdict on the Trump presidency and that outcome will likely determine the future course of democracy in the United States.
Baker, P. (2023, August 1). “Trump’s case has broad implications for American democracy.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/01/us/politics/trump-charged-jan-6-election-democracy.html
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Europe weather: How heatwaves could forever change summer holidays abroad
Georgina Rannard argues in this piece Europe’s current heatwave could change holiday travel plans in future summers, as at-risk individuals and others may be less likely to travel in such conditions. Rannard contends that while there will always be a section of the population willing to travel, even in the hottest temperatures, certain areas of Europe, including Belgium, the Netherlands, and Ireland appear set to become more popular tourist destinations given their generally lower summer temperatures, compared to more traditional destinations such as Greece.
Rannard, G. (2023, July 30). “Europe weather: How heatwaves could forever change summer holidays abroad.” BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-66340261
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Burnout, low pay and politics are driving away teachers. Turnover is soaring for educators of color
Marc Levy discusses a growing trend among Black and Hispanic teachers leaving their profession amid increasing political restrictions concerning what they may teach and how they may do so. Levy also cites endemic stress, pandemic-era burnout and low pay as additional factors underlying this disturbing exodus. Levy highlights the fact that the burden of this loss falls most heavily on schools serving high-poverty communities that also have higher numbers of teachers of color.
Levy, M. (2023, August 2). “Burnout, low pay and politics are driving away teachers. turnover is soaring for educators of color.” AP News. https://apnews.com/article/teacher-retirement-quit-job-b0c39ec0d4320e12f2767a342e503f85
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The world’s most powerful democracies were built on the suffering of others
Shaun Narine argues that the United States is no longer a credible champion for democracy, given the fact that it has a long history of overthrowing and undermining democracies abroad. He also points to the corrupting power of money in U.S. politics, voter suppression, and the attacks on civil rights as evidence of a flailing American democracy. Beyond these current concerns and more deeply, Narine contends that several western democracies, including the U.S., United Kingdom, and Canada, have long embraced colonialism and neo-colonialism to extract wealth from other peoples and nations to enrich themselves.
Narine, S. (2023, July 31). “The world’s most powerful democracies were built on the suffering of others.” The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-most-powerful-democracies-were-built-on-the-suffering-of-others-208443
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What 2020 did - and didn’t - change about how Americans vote
Kaleigh Rogers analyzes voting methods in this article as Americans head into a presidential election year. In particular, voting by mail has become more partisan in character, as Democrats are more likely than Republicans to use that mechanism to cast their ballots. Given this trend, several states have passed laws either expanding or restricting the right to vote by mail, depending largely on which party was in control of their governments at the time. Rogers concludes that it is not yet clear how these trends will affect the 2024 election.
Rogers, K. (2023, July 31). “What 2020 did - and didn’t - change about how Americans vote.” FiveThirtyEight. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/2020-election-changes-election-administration-laws/
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