Twitter Archives - Richard M. Langworth

“The Social Dilemma” and Churchill’s “Mass Effects in Modern Life”

22 February 2021

“The Social Dilemma” is excerpted from an Essay on Winston Churchill’s 146th birthday, 30 November 2020, published by the Hillsdale College Churchill Project. For the original post, please click here.

“The Social Dilemma”: Netflix, 2020, 90 minutes.

“Is not mankind already escaping from the control of individuals? Are not our affairs increasingly being settled by mass processes? Are not modern conditions—at any rate throughout the English-speaking communities—hostile to the development of outstanding personalities and to their influence upon events: and lastly if this be true, will it be for our greater good and glory?…

How Would Churchill Tweet? -National Review

13 August 2017

“How Would Churchill Tweet?” appeared in National Review, 12 August 2017.

Since President Trump has taken office, the public has quickly learned to get its political news from a novel source—namely, the President’s Twitter account.

The move to this platform represents a shift in the nature of politics, both for good and for ill. Trump might be among the first political leaders to use this medium to attack opponents or make major announcements. He is certainly not the first to utilize the kind of brevity the platform requires to make his points.

Such brevity also characterized the rhetorical style of Winston Churchill, whose wit, humor and insight complemented his decisive and effective political leadership.…