Media and Culture

The gym has Fox television on, and perhaps I should be grateful, because otherwise it would not have dawned on me just how popular and widely embraced stupid is.

The capture of Saddam unleashed so much euphoria that many people have forgotten that the original justification for the war was not merely

Paul Cantor tours the Black Sea region and observes how the juxtaposition of Lenin and McDonald's is curiously symbolic of the whole history of the region. For over two thousand years, two forces have contended with each other in this strategically located area: the state as conqueror and merchants who come in peace.

The new film starring Bill Murray, and directed by Sofia Coppola, has a message that is not hidden: the commercial marketplace is the enemy of true art. Matthew Hisrich says this is an old message, one refuted by Mises in the 1940s. The marketplace gives us more of everything, including good and bad art. 

When the Winter Olympics came to Salt Lake City last year, some of the dirt that visiting journalists dug up to soil Utah's good name was the issue of polygamy. Polygamy, the practice of having more than one spouse at the same time, especially wives, is against the law. But, should it be?

The services provided by the paparazzi are subject to market discipline, writes Erich Mattei. So long as they provide publishers and consumers what they want, freelance celebrity photography will continue to be in demand and people will be drawn to this line of work. And yet, about about ethics? What about criminality?

Perhaps you regret that you didn't take a course on economics from Murray Rothbard. Well, you can. Or perhaps you regret missing the Austrian Scholars Conferences for the last several years. Well, listen online. Concerning texts, Mises.org features all the writings of Mises that we can possibly put online, not to mention nearly everything the Mises Institute has ever published.

As any reporter knows, U.S. attorneys on a regular basis illegally leak information to the press, which dutifully reports it as the unvarnished truth. By empowering the prosecution, the press is not protecting individuals but rather is creating an atmosphere in which government employees can readily break the law and be untouchable at the same time.

On Labor Day, Americans honor the often incredible contributions of its working men and women.

"Social responsibility" is out. Richard Teather explains that activists are demanding even more: corporate citizenship. This concept demands that a company's whole actions be carried out with regard to their "social impact" as interpreted by unions, environmentalists, poverty campaigners, and other non-profits. Of course, and mainly, it also means big donations to their organizations.