Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson If you use the word dementia, you usually use it to describe a disease that affects the elderly. But doctors are starting to talk about a new type of cognitive condition affecting younger individuals. They call it “digital dementia.” It results, they say, from the overuse of digital technology, such as smartphones and computers. Brain function deteriorates because of digital overuse. The left side of the brain is generally associated with rational thought (numbers, and facts). The right…

Kerby Anderson In previous columns and even in the interview he did with me, Dennis Prager documents how the Left ruins just about everything it touches. In the past, he has talked about how it has ruined university education, the arts, race relations, and free speech. His latest column adds science to that list and gives four examples. First, is the desire of science departments in universities throughout America that have declared their “intention to hire physicists, biologists and other…

Penna Dexter Question: Will Americans vote to stop the riots, the looting and the defund-the-police efforts in major cities across the country? The parties certainly understand that citizens, even those who sympathize with the peaceful George Floyd protests, are appalled at the violent turn some of the protests took. Most people abhor the violence, and the destruction of businesses and the livelihoods of their owners and employees. Other than calls to defund police, we didn’t hear a word about this…

Kerby Anderson Some American cities may never recover. First, there was the coronavirus pandemic, then the lockdowns, and now the protests and riots. Joel Kotkin writes about “The Twilight of Great American Cities” and wonders if we can reverse this downward trend. James Altucher is more pessimistic and declares that “New York City is Dead Forever.” The pandemic has exposed the danger of densely packed urban life. City dwellers find themselves in constant contact with people in crowded, unventilated places…

Kerby Anderson Why do the rioters in the street have so much rage? Trying to find rational answers to irrational actions is often a worthless endeavor. But Ned Ryan has found some reasons for “The Misdirected Rage of Young Rioters.” His recent column parallels some of the insights from the book, The Coddling of the American Mind, that I have discussed in previous commentaries. He notes that many of the rioters come from a “spoiled, enabled, and poorly educated generation…

Kerby Anderson Six months into this pandemic, Americans still misperceive their risk of death from COVID-19. That is one of the conclusions from an extensive survey done by Franklin Templeton in conjunction with Gallup. They also found that the misperception is greater for people who identify as Democrats and also for people who rely more on social media for their information. Americans generally underestimate the impact of the coronavirus on a person aged 55 or older. They believe that people…

Kerby Anderson One striking difference between Europe and America has been the temptation of many European countries to fall into totalitarianism. Dennis Prager reminds us that after World War I, many of these countries embraced communism, fascism, or Nazism. There is a very good reason why. The primary beliefs that gave rise to meaning in life were patriotism and the Judeo-Christian religion. The senseless slaughter during the Great War (as it was called) challenged both of those foundations. National identity…

Kerby Anderson A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention documents what we already suspected. The coronavirus pandemic has adversely affected our country’s mental health. Correspondent Alexander Nazaryan summarizes the findings from a CDC survey of 5,412 Americans. More than four in ten (40.9%) respondents reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition. More than three in ten (31%) suffered from anxiety or depression. More than a quarter (26%) experienced symptoms of traumatic disorder. Many…

Penna Dexter After months of online worship services, many Americans are happy to get back to in-person church. But parents with young children, who would love to return to church, may find that their church is open, but Sunday school isn’t. Churches that offer nursery care often haven’t ramped up classes for kids beyond age 3. Many moms and dads have never considered bringing their squirmy little ones into the service. Perhaps now is a good time to rethink this…

Kerby Anderson Andrew McDiarmid is a media specialist at the Discovery Institute and author of a blog that attempts to apply biblical principles to technology. He was on my radio program recently to talk about an article posted on the Breakpoint website. The global pandemic has affected our lives in countless ways. One of the most concerning is the reality that our screen time has skyrocketed. We are now relying on technology companies more than ever. He concludes that the…

Kerby Anderson The last two months have shown us how easily the veneer of civilized American society can be shattered. We naively assumed that the moral foundations and social institutions would be strong enough to handle a global pandemic and scattered protests and riots. Now we see their weaknesses. Victor Davis Hanson writes about this thin veneer of American civilization and begins by focusing on New York City which used to be thriving not so long ago. “The city is…