Catching Up: The Academic Direction of this Blog

Hello! I am still out of town, but I definitely wanted to update tonight to keep people up to date and to keep me on schedule.

This morning, I woke up to a friend's message that indicated his interest in discussion in these topics, but did not see their connection to Reagan as a person or the events as directly caused by his administration's policies. This is totally valid and understandable, so I would like to clear up the direction this blog is headed in academically.



Previous posts have dealt largely with issues occurring within "Capitaliam" in modern times, without direct reference to concrete Reagan policies and more of a ghostly specter that haunts leftists and Keynsians. The exact topic of my thesis is attempting to create a connection between Reagan's specific policies and the literature published during his time in office. To do this, a historical review of Reagan's presidency must be completed and sourced, occurring largely outside this blog and instead in libraries, my legal vault of a dorm room, and probably a couple bars. However! We are going to get specific.

I leave for Gettysburg this Sunday, where I will have access to several happily helping economic departments, a terrific library, and an academic center in which to put these ideas to review. My advisors, Professors Sobelle and Madra, will be helping put this focus into perspective and moving what seems like a collection of lit reviews into a cohesive and presentable paper.

If you have enjoyed this blog for the random culture and analysis, keep reading. At no point am I going to stop playing with pop songs and editorials. But expect to see more straight academicism, backed by traditional citation and direct references to the policies of Reagan instead of the lingering ghost of Reagonomics mentioned before.

For tonight, I'd suggest you read this incredible article by Richard Wolff which expands on his ideas of capitalism within the household. It is admittedly very long, but worth at least skimming to understand the roots of this blog's feelings toward modern capitalism. The challenge is to explore if Reagan is responsible for this atmosphere, determine the perception of Reagan and his policies in culture, and move to the present to understand the changes in capitalism Reagan propogated.

Expect a real post tomorrow, but right now I believe Mr. Wolff can say far more than I can.