Eastern India and much of southeast Asia is suffering under an intense heatwave. More than 300 have died in India and temperature records have been set in both Cambodia and Laos. In the Indian state of Bihar, outdoor fires have been banned during daytime hours because of very dry temperatures and high winds which have been responsible for fires. Life is particularly difficult for farmers who must choose between letting their crops go or working outside in the crippling heat. The mid-June monsoon season cannot come quickly enough.
Andrew Sullivan has written an essay for The New Yorker on how democracies sometimes slide into tyrannies. Taking a cue from Plato, Sullivan argues that the unthinking expansion of the idea of freedom leads to political instability within a democracy:
“As the authority of elites fades, as Establishment values cede to popular ones, views and identities can become so magnificently diverse as to be mutually uncomprehending. And when all the barriers to equality, formal and informal, have been removed; when everyone is equal; when elites are despised and full license is established to do ‘whatever one wants,’ you arrive at what might be called late-stage democracy. There is no kowtowing to authority here, let alone to political experience or expertise.”
Sullivan’s words of caution about the complacency of many about what the movement behind the success of Donald Trump actually means should be heeded. Trump in some sense deserves our scorn; those who support him deserve to be heard.
There are some media genres that seem to be universal, and one of these is the military recruitment video. Here is China’s latest installment, which is virtually indistinguishable from one from any other country on the planet.
Here is the translation, courtesy of Quartz. Unfortunately, I cannot testify to the accuracy of the translation, so viewer beware!
There is always a mission on your mind.
There is always an enemy in your view
There is always responsibility on your shoulders
There is always passion in your heart
War could erupt any time
Are you ready?
Even if a bullet passes through my chest
My mission remains carved in my heart
Brothers, let’s follow this path
[Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!]
Roar with animal spirit
Look to the bravest general of them all
Walk from here toward the site of combat
My mission remains carved in my heart
From the center to the borders
Let’s go to war, let’s fight to win
When we follow the commands of the party
The country honors our guardianship
The rising head of a loyal patriot
If I don’t bear the burden, who else will?
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