Top 5 Blog Entries of the Libertarian Jew for 2020

2020 has been a crazy year. We had the worst pandemic since the Spanish Flu. We are experiencing the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Social unrest and political polarization have not been this tumultuous since "who knows when." The U.S. presidential elections were an absolute circus. In future years, 2020 is going to be the year we would like to forget, but we will end up remembering not-so-fondly. As I look back on the year, I look at the good, bad, and the ugly in my personal life. I also look back at my blogging for 2020. Here are five of my favorites: 

1. Cancel Culture and J.K. Rowling's Remarks About Transgenderism & Biological Sex. How do we deal with people whose viewpoints or opinions we find disagreeable? I explored this question after J.K. Rowling made comments that "sex is real," a comment that resulted in accusing Rowling of transphobia. After providing nuance in the world of transgenderism, I segue over to criticizing cancel culture and how cancel culture is toxic for society as a whole. 

2. Why We Need to Start Lifting Coronavirus Lockdowns Sooner Rather Than Later. About a month-and-a-half after the lockdowns commenced in March, I got fed up enough where I decided to write a list of thirteen reasons and considerations for why we needed to gradually lift restrictions. In early May when I wrote this, I called for a balanced approach and using standard risk management to figure out how the best way to navigate the pandemic. It's sad to see how much fear superseded logic in the proceeding months. 

3. A Sukkot Lesson on Schach and Being Comfortable with the Uncomfortable. While the pandemic has come with a lot of negative aspects, I did find myself growing spiritually. During the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot, I looked at some of the architectural technicalities of the sukkah (temporary dwelling) and reflected on how to develop equanimity during tough times. 

4. The Smithsonian's Take on "White Culture" Begs the Question: When Does "Wokeness" Start to Resemble Racism? Martin Luther King, Jr. believed that we should judge people not by the color of their skin, but their content of their character. It's amazing how certain parts of society have devolved from that ideal. This past summer, the Smithsonian published an infographic outlining "whiteness" and "white culture" in an offensive form of stereotyping. I first delve into why over-generalizing an entire race is problematic, both factually and morally. Afterwards, I ponder where the line is between improving racial justice and becoming so obsessed with race that one's thoughts, words, and actions ressemble or parallel that of bona fide racists. 

5. Reflecting on My 1,000th Blog Entry and Why I'm Still a Libertarian, Pandemic or Not. Time flies when you are having fun, and my blogging has been no exception. It took over ten years, but I reached the milestone of writing 1,000 blog entries. I took the time to reflect on how I became libertarian. I then outlined the values-based (i.e., why I find it morally compelling) and outcomes-based reasons (i.e., why a look at empirical evidence led me to conclude that the private sector generally outperforms the public sector) as to why I adhere to libertarianism. I finally illustrate why a pandemic did not deter me from being libertarian, and if anything, why it strengthened my libertarianism.