The Nation is a great publication that has featured the works of scholarly writers such as Eric Alterman, Barbara Ehrenreich, Noam Chomsky and Norman Mailer. Though the issues addressed and the opinions expressed are often labeled as leftist, this magazine nonetheless contains some very thought-provoking nuances and propositions for a better America that sound intelligent.
Though many are outraged about some of the stances that the editors and contributors of The Nation have taken, their retorts often fall short of being strong, tangible, clearly expressed responses. From what I see and hear, too many discussions from them center around using diatribes and trying with no success to portray or effectively deconstruct the perceived merits and flaws of this work or the like.
It was from reading nonfiction books by Ayn Rand that I was perpetually presented the term straw man, an argument approach that was, according to Rand, used by those of altruistic and socialistic agendas that stripped mankind of its individual freedoms. With The Nation, there are bits and pieces of anecdotal evidence that might oppose any laissez-faire capitalistic themes championed by Rand, but I cannot say that they are mere straw man commentaries.
I concur that the magazine might be somewhat slanted, as are all other publications. But global and domestic complexities, I believe, are abounding at a rate that not even the most sophisticated philosophies or ideologies from years past can focus upon in adequate context. To me, The Nation is one of those rare, bold sources that unequivocally acknowledge this disturbance.
Among the recurring themes in this publication is that in this twenty-first century, despite the technological advances that have come to fruition, our nation and world are as divided as ever and that economic globalization seems to have married or melded the worst elements of opposing political platforms. To many contributors, it was decades ago that very few envisioned that the powerful from the freest of societies would be expanding their businesses and increasing their wealth by overtly banking upon productivity levels from geographical areas where human rights are minimized or obliterated.
In The Nation, very interesting columns and analyses are provided regarding the living conditions that working class Americans are either embracing or enduring. Suggestions are intermittently proposed regarding higher pay, better health care, and improved living standards through government reforms, often where the efforts from hard-working individuals and the private sector fall short.
As a reader, I do not necessarily agree with the views espoused, and the level to which I do so is not what I find to be the value of The Nation. What is priceless about this publication is that regardless of what school you are from or what think tank you highly esteem, it will either perpetually reinforce your cherished ideals or will make you use introspection, perhaps re-examine what you thought were sound resolutions for a progressive society.