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Steve Nelson

Steve Nelson is a retired educator, author, and newspaper columnist. He and his wife Wendy moved to Erie from Manhattan in 2017 to be near family. He was a serious violinist and athlete until a catastrophic mountain bike accident in 2020. He now specializes in gratitude and kindness.

http://www.stevenelson.substack.com

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Autocracy or Meritocracy?

December 26, 2023 Like 0 Steve Nelson

During a fascinating podcast with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, colleague Rachel Maddow made an interesting point, supported by multiple historic references. She observed that autocrats or fascists like Mussolini and Hitler didn’t sway the masses because of their charisma or potent…

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Whose Speech Is Free?

December 11, 2023 Like 0 Steve Nelson

Reading about or watching the news these days is like the old game that asks you to find “how many things are wrong in this picture?” In the matter of Elise Stefanik vs. the Ivy League, perhaps too many wrong…

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Who Politicizes Identity?

November 19, 2023 Like 0 Steve Nelson

Recent New York Times columns by David Brooks and Pamela Paul identified what they believe is a chasm between “liberalism” and “progressivism.” Their theses are echoed throughout the media, often in allusion to stultifying political correctness on college campuses. Typically,…

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We Are Barbarians Too

November 11, 2023 1 0 Steve Nelson

As the human toll mounts in Gaza, the irrational justifications for, and execution of, war are front of mind. I won’t wade into the complex history of the region or opine one way or another on the oppression or bigotry…

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Bonfire of the Humanities

November 3, 2023 Like 0 Steve Nelson

They are not called the “Humanities” for nothing. The latest debate on college campuses, perhaps rivaled only by the corrosive tension around anti-Semitism, is the dismal state of the humanities. A recent New York Times piece reported the nationwide assault…

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America Has a Mental Health Problem

October 26, 2023 1 0 Steve Nelson

“It’s a mental health problem.” That and the usual “thoughts and prayers.” If there is a God, she must be tiring of this endless flood from the United States. This was the response from many GOP politicians to the mass…

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Where Are The Peacemakers?

October 19, 2023 Like 0 Steve Nelson

I cannot bear to look at the images from Israel and Gaza yet I cannot bear to look away. A dead child does not judge. Whether her last moment came at the edge of a Hamas blade or at…

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Real Life is Better for Children

September 28, 2023 Like 0 Steve Nelson

“This car climbed Mt. Washington.” This bumper sticker is commonly seen in New England and refers to the highest peak in the East. As is implied, there is a winding road to the summit. The bumper stickers never fail to…

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Sub-Prime Time

September 25, 2023 Like 0 Steve Nelson

Sub-Prime time. Like mortgages of the same description, the University of Colorado is paying a high price for a few moments in the spotlight. I’m not gloating because the Buffs were blown out of the water by the Oregon Ducks. …

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A Different View of 9/11

September 18, 2023 Like 0 Steve Nelson

9/11 changed this country profoundly. Not for the better. As another anniversary passed with the usual – and appropriate – grieving and remembrances, my thoughts went back to that day and its aftermath. I stood on the plaza as Calhoun…