Barry Brownstein
Contributor
Barry Brownstein is professor emeritus of economics and leadership at the University of Baltimore.
He is the author of The Inner-Work of Leadership, and his essays have appeared in publications such as the Foundation for Economic Education and Intellectual Takeout.
To receive Barry’s essays in your inbox, visit mindsetshifts.com
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How Government Subsidizes Obesity
“Change begins with the willingness of individuals and families to overcome ignorance of what weakens the immunological cockpit of the human body. We can learn from those that didn’t come back from Covid. We can strengthen our immunological system by rejecting a diet of subsidized, heavily processed calories.” ~ Barry Brownstein
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How to Be an Anti-Authoritarian
“We can choose to be more open in face-to-face conversations arising organically with friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues. Even in those conversations, the intolerant will ridicule you and blame you for the troubles in the world. Yet your display of genuine curiosity will evoke curiosity in others. Out of your courage to share ideas and…
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Vaccine Passports are Cronyism
“Win-win outcomes arise from the capitalist mindset that others are peers whose freedom to opt-in or opt-out of any transaction we respect. Such a mindset orients us towards service and away from coercion. The crony mindset rationalizes exploiting the power of the state to profit by coercion and is anything but lovely.” ~ Barry Brownstein
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How and Why Government Creates Disease Panic
“During this pandemic, governments exacerbated rather than eased an out-of-proportion, fear-driven reaction to the pandemic. Actively fueling hysteria has exacted terrible economic, social, mental health, and educational consequences without providing demonstrable relief from the effects of Covid-19. How this can be prevented next time is a question few consider.” ~ Barry Brownstein
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Will the Fed’s “Feelgood” Medicine Cause an Economic Collapse?
“The promise of cheap money leading to perpetual asset price sunshine may seem like a reality today. Tomorrow the consequences will be like Dr. Feelgood’s needles. To avoid the worst, markets—not politicians or bureaucrats, must be free to uncover the real cost of borrowing money.” ~ Barry Brownstein
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A Soviet Dissident Explains American Censorship
“Self-censorship manifests when reasonable minds no longer express their differences. As authoritarian roots sink deeper into American society, the consequences are dire. As Grossman warns, ‘Then life itself must suffocate.'” ~ Barry Brownstein
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The Monsters Are Due on Nantucket Island
“Turning on others with whom we are interdependent is a form of mental illness. The worst economic and social consequences of the pandemic will be over when we decide to wake up from our psychosis. Isolated leaders will never sound the all-clear signal. Our choice is to withdraw our belief in their madness.” ~ Barry…
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There is a More Beautiful Melody than Fear
“A more beautiful melody would be the songs of liberty that remind us how human beings flourish and what free people can achieve. Such songs must be plentiful and unforgettable, or the sirens’ calls of authoritarians will rule the day during a social mood winter.” ~ Barry Brownstein
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Giving Thanks for Our Mutual Dependence
“We need not surrender to authoritarian politicians our own moral agency to care for others. While some try to tear the ties that bind us, we can express gratitude for the great chain of human connection holding us together. We can celebrate the relationships that set us free and make the modern world possible.” ~…
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Attacks on Dissenting Voices Set Back Scientific Progress
“Learning depends on open inquiry. Thoughtful, informed people know that something is terribly wrong with the Covid-19 orthodoxy. Others have ‘nagging suspicions.’ If dissenting voices continue to be attacked by those in positions of power, there is little doubt that decades from now historians will ask, How could they have been so blind?” ~ Barry…
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•
How Government Subsidizes Obesity
“Change begins with the willingness of individuals and families to overcome ignorance of what weakens the immunological cockpit of the human body. We can learn from those that didn’t come back from Covid. We can strengthen our immunological system by rejecting a diet of subsidized, heavily processed calories.” ~ Barry Brownstein
-
•
How to Be an Anti-Authoritarian
“We can choose to be more open in face-to-face conversations arising organically with friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues. Even in those conversations, the intolerant will ridicule you and blame you for the troubles in the world. Yet your display of genuine curiosity will evoke curiosity in others. Out of your courage to share ideas and…
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•
Vaccine Passports are Cronyism
“Win-win outcomes arise from the capitalist mindset that others are peers whose freedom to opt-in or opt-out of any transaction we respect. Such a mindset orients us towards service and away from coercion. The crony mindset rationalizes exploiting the power of the state to profit by coercion and is anything but lovely.” ~ Barry Brownstein
-
•
How and Why Government Creates Disease Panic
“During this pandemic, governments exacerbated rather than eased an out-of-proportion, fear-driven reaction to the pandemic. Actively fueling hysteria has exacted terrible economic, social, mental health, and educational consequences without providing demonstrable relief from the effects of Covid-19. How this can be prevented next time is a question few consider.” ~ Barry Brownstein
-
•
Will the Fed’s “Feelgood” Medicine Cause an Economic Collapse?
“The promise of cheap money leading to perpetual asset price sunshine may seem like a reality today. Tomorrow the consequences will be like Dr. Feelgood’s needles. To avoid the worst, markets—not politicians or bureaucrats, must be free to uncover the real cost of borrowing money.” ~ Barry Brownstein
-
•
A Soviet Dissident Explains American Censorship
“Self-censorship manifests when reasonable minds no longer express their differences. As authoritarian roots sink deeper into American society, the consequences are dire. As Grossman warns, ‘Then life itself must suffocate.'” ~ Barry Brownstein
-
•
The Monsters Are Due on Nantucket Island
“Turning on others with whom we are interdependent is a form of mental illness. The worst economic and social consequences of the pandemic will be over when we decide to wake up from our psychosis. Isolated leaders will never sound the all-clear signal. Our choice is to withdraw our belief in their madness.” ~ Barry…
-
•
There is a More Beautiful Melody than Fear
“A more beautiful melody would be the songs of liberty that remind us how human beings flourish and what free people can achieve. Such songs must be plentiful and unforgettable, or the sirens’ calls of authoritarians will rule the day during a social mood winter.” ~ Barry Brownstein
-
•
Giving Thanks for Our Mutual Dependence
“We need not surrender to authoritarian politicians our own moral agency to care for others. While some try to tear the ties that bind us, we can express gratitude for the great chain of human connection holding us together. We can celebrate the relationships that set us free and make the modern world possible.” ~…
-
•
Attacks on Dissenting Voices Set Back Scientific Progress
“Learning depends on open inquiry. Thoughtful, informed people know that something is terribly wrong with the Covid-19 orthodoxy. Others have ‘nagging suspicions.’ If dissenting voices continue to be attacked by those in positions of power, there is little doubt that decades from now historians will ask, How could they have been so blind?” ~ Barry…