My new article, “When Monsters Walk Among Us,” which argues that monsters are neither born outside of history nor reducible to particular individuals. They are produced by societies, institutions, and power that make the intolerable appear ordinary.https://t.co/eGXcLGSQcE— Henry A. Giroux (@HenryGiroux) September 18, 2026
When Monsters Walk Among Us
More than four decades ago, the Greek composer and public intellectual Manos Hadjidakis issued a warning that now reads less like a reflection on fascism than a prophecy of our own time. The greatest danger, he suggested, comes when we grow accustomed to the monster, when its presence no longer shocks the conscience and its violence begins to merge with the routines of everyday life. Tolerance does not diminish the monster; it multiplies the conditions that allow it to flourish, strengthening its presence in public life until monstrosity itself acquires the authority to govern. In this instance, the collapse of conscience is inseparable from the uncoupling of “belief from judgment, conviction from action.”
the Long 90s are Over
I Wanted to Create “The Most Human Gathering”—and Created a Monster
What my failed attempt at curation says about the next “intelligence explosion” “The word for world is forest“ – Ursula K. Le Guin With everyone now a coder, you’d think this would be a good time for curators like me.
Pluralistic: By all means, tread on those people (26 Aug 2025) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
Just as Martin Niemöller's "First They Came" has become our framework for understanding the rise of fascism in Nazi Germany, so, too is Wilhoit's Law the best way to understand America's decline into fascism:
Fascist femboys, autogynephilia, and flattering narratives
Among those who believe [autogynephilia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanchard'stranssexualismtypology) is real and the primary explanation for many or mo...
The Authoritarian Personality
This hugely influential study on the psychology of authoritarianism was written in answer to Hitler’s Germany—and now rings more relevant than ever as fascism and anti-Semitism sweep across America.What makes a fascist? Are there character traits that make someone more likely to vote for the far right? The Authoritarian Personality is not only one of the most significant works of social psychology ever written, it also marks a milestone in the development of Adorno’s thought, showing him grappling with the problem of fascism and the reasons for Europe’s turn to reaction. Over half a century later, and with the rise of right-wing populism and the reemergence of the far-right in recent years, this hugely influential study remains as insightful and relevant as ever.This new edition includes an introduction by Frankfurt School scholar Peter E. Gordon and contains the first-ever publication of Adorno’s subsequent critical notes on the project.“Adorno and his colleagues could easily have been describing Alex Jones’s paranoid InfoWars rants or the racist views expressed by many Trump supporters.” —New York Times
Geeks, MOPs, and sociopaths in subculture evolution | Meaningness
How muggles and sociopaths invade and undermine creative subcultures; and how to stop them.
The Big Man
Elizabeth Maher's world-building series continues, reimagining American folklore from a protocolized perspective
Deleuze and Biosemiotics: Biological Emergence, Agency, and Subjectivity in Logic of Sense and A Thousand Plateaus
The hidden ‘rules of the game’ that dictate how we navigate the world | Psyche Videos
How free are we really, if human behaviour embodies the complex, intertwined webs of society and history?
Gargoyles and grotesques: Parliament Hill’s sinister sentinels
The misshapen demons scattered through Centre Block, West Block and East Block are one of Parliament’s more bizarre architectural features. Their pedigree dates back to the Middle Ages and, no, they’re not all gargoyles.
