Samantha Hancox-Li

3 weeks ago | liberalcurrents.com | Samantha Hancox-Li |Jamelle Bouie |Adam Gurri |Melvin Rogers

Kristi Noem’s staged propaganda video in front of men in the El Salvador prison to which U.S. officials renditioned them has been drawing comparisons to the horrors of Nazi fascism. It’s easy to see why, and, frankly, I agree. The men behind her have had their heads shaved; they stand and sit on multi-decker bunks, looking toward the camera; and they are all there in the absence of due process.

Nov 7, 2024 | liberalcurrents.com | Robert L. Tsai |Danielle Wenner |Samantha Hancox-Li |Katherine Cross

In the days after January 6, 2021, it appeared that the worst was finally behind us. The shock of that event was felt quite broadly at first. It seemed as though Trump might truly be politically finished, that we needed only to make it to Biden’s inauguration without another incident and we would all be able to breathe a collective sigh of relief. The worst outcomes had been avoided—so it seemed at the time. Yet here we are, in November of 2024.

Oct 2, 2024 | liberalcurrents.com | Adam Gurri |Samantha Hancox-Li |Janet Bufton |Paul Crider

We have forgotten feudalism. We think of lords and gentry in the same way we think of knights and castles. Feudalism is little more than a fantastical setting for our imagination. Sometimes there are dragons. It isn’t an organizing analogy we use in our lives or in our politics. If we want nostalgia, we reach for the imagined America of the 1950s, or perhaps the settling of the wild west.

Oct 1, 2024 | liberalcurrents.com | Samantha Hancox-Li |Janet Bufton |Jacob Grier |Adam Gurri

The liberal ideal is that we ought always to be striving for an open society; a society that is “open to ideas,” “open to people,” and “open to change.” In an open society, if you hate your boss or your job, you can quit. If you hate where you live, you can move somewhere else. Artists do not need to fear offending either the church or the party. Citizens can criticize or even insult political leaders without fearing reprisal. Subcommunities can experiment with different lifestyles freely.

Sep 30, 2024 | liberalcurrents.com | Janet Bufton |Jacob Grier |Sam Mace |Samantha Hancox-Li

— 7 min read A spectre is haunting America: the spectre of Bad Vibes. People don't like how the economy is working, or at least they say they don't. We live in an era of unprecedented material prosperity, but this is accompanied by deep-seated popular discontent with the overall shape of the economy. Arguably the first great irruption of this discontent was 2011's Occupy Wall Street.