Author Archives: Seán Ruth

We have a lot to learn from the current crisis around Covid-19. Middle-class people, in particular, need to notice that class and other oppressions have a major impact on how people are affected by this virus. Continue reading →

The controversy over whether or not there should be a commemoration of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) highlights a confusion around the nature of oppressive systems. Every such system tends to induce members of oppressed groups to act as agents … Continue reading →

Introduction As Ireland changes and becomes more diverse, the question of Irish identity becomes more complex. What does it mean to be Irish? How has Irish history left its mark on the people? What might it mean to talk about … Continue reading →

The revelation by the actor, Liam Neeson, that he reacted to the rape of his friend by looking for a Black man to attack has generated a lot of publicity. Some of his own comments and the comments of others, … Continue reading →

One of the things we can take some pride in here in Ireland is that we haven’t got pulled into an extreme racist and xenophobic type of politics as has happened in some other countries. Having said that, it was … Continue reading →

Since the early 1970s, capitalism has become increasingly volatile. Little has been learned from the crash of 2008 and we seem to be moving in the direction of another crash before too long. Many mainstream economists believe it is not … Continue reading →

I saw an advertisement recently for a television programme about political correctness. It reminded me how much I dislike this term. It is a concept used by people of privilege to avoid taking responsibility for their own behaviour. It masquerades … Continue reading →

Efforts to label Donald Trump as mad or insane are seriously misleading and misguided for two important reasons. Firstly, the use of mental health labels has been a particularly damaging feature of the mental health system. Attaching mental illness terms … Continue reading →

Have you noticed how Facebook postings about Donald Trump from both pro- and anti-Trump positions seem to be mirror-images of each other? For example, many of them, on both sides, adopt a tone of triumphalism or superiority.  Or they cite … Continue reading →