Crash Course: What crisis of democracy? Scholar Larry Bartels says the real crisis is corrupt leaders

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Scholar Larry Bartels says the real crisis is corrupt leaders "The notion that democracy is in crisis provides a compelling hook for much recent political writing," writes political scientist Larry Bartels on the first page of his new book, "[Democracy Erodes From the Top: Leaders, Citizens, and the Challenge of Populism in Europe](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbWl4ZndlanE0ay8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWtXA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)." "One aim of this book," he continues, "is to document the gulf between the alarming portrait of democracy in crisis and the more prosaic reality of contemporary European public opinion." That's not to say that democracy is just fine, and that figures like Donald Trump or European counterparts like Viktor Orbán in Hungary or Giorgia Meloni in Italy are nothing to worry about. Nor is it to say that troubling populist attitudes don't exist. But it is to say that dramatic shifts in public opinion aren't the driving force that should concern us — first, because they haven't actually happened and second, because these elite figures are the primary vectors of the threat, and bungling establishment elites are far more responsible for giving them an opening than any modest, and usually transitory, shifts in public opinion.  [Read the rest from Paul Rosenberg](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZTN4Yms3a3hzei8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images) How a quest to sharpen my sense of smell made me a more grateful cook When we eat, our brain registers smells spatially, breaking them down and reconstructing them alongside the other senses to construct our sense of taste. When people lose their sense of smell — whether because of medical treatments like chemotherapy, sustaining head trauma, or in more recent years, contracting the coronavirus — their sense of taste can often go with it. I hadn't fully appreciated how startling that would be until I lost my sense of smell after getting COVID last August. It was only fully gone for about six days, so I'm far luckier than many others. But I still remember how jarring it was when, a few days after testing positive, I held a [bag of coffee beans](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcjhlZXlseHdkNi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) under my nose before brewing a pot and inhaling. Nothing. [Read the rest from Ashlie D. Stevens.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvNXZwYWJ5ZGc2ZS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Getty Images/Studio4) - [Garlic scape gremolata](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMveG85c2Z4dTZycC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) is the perfect garnish to brighten up your favorite spring recipes - [Manchin](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMW9ueWhjenB2My8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) weighs in on risks involved in indicting Trump - ["Saturday Night Live"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvYnVkZ2MxOGxnai8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) riffs on Trump's indictment in cold open - Newest flock of [wild California condors](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvYnBuczltMDFpcS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) faces an old threat: lead poisoning - Drama and imagination: [The iconic stylist behind “Sex and the City”](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMveTV0bXU4b3I2bC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) on what fashion should be - “Patriot Act on steroids”: Left and right unite against "fear-mongering" [TikTok ban](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdjU4ZXNhM2lqdy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - [Out of coriander or cilantro?](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvd3Y5NWkwbnFmZC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Try these substitutes If you found yourself here without subscribing, sign up for [Crash Course](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMveDZxY3h4ZXQ0bS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), so you don't miss anything! 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I particularly love the scary academic fictions, the sinister force that may be supernatural and the very real bigotry facing a young Black student at a small college in the 2022 film "[Master](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvNm55MHJwejhwZi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)"; the creepy mentorship of Classics scholars gone too far in Donna Tartt's novel "[The Secret History](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvYjkzdG9oOTduMC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWtXA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)" (which really should be a streaming series). [Read the rest from Alison Stine.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbXUyZnpidmp3dS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Sergei Bachlakov/AMC) - "Funeral held for ‘spitfire’ teacher killed in Nashville school shooting," [The Guardian](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcm5ubGs3aGYwZi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWtXA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Twitter's blue ticks disappear as Musk attacks NY Times," [BBC](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcWE3cnUxMHZucS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWtXA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "French minister under fire for Playboy magazine cover," [CNN](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbHVyaGc4ZWtoNy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWtXA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Pioneering musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto Dies at 71," [Pitchfork](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdGJlcW9xMXU3OC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWtXA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Overturning Roe v. Wade increased mental health distress in women, study finds In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark [ruling Roe v. Wade](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcGIzczZrZ3F4YS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), thus ending the federal enshrinement of [abortion rights in America](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOGJ4b2drbGg2YS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). Immediately after being overturned, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) warned that such a historic overturn would likely take a toll on [women's mental health.Â](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvNXhhZ3pnNnNzYy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) [Read the rest from Nicole Karlis.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvb3FjNnF1dTk1aS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWIwYWVjdHJudWsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZCFBsipk8g6XXFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Getty Images/Maria Korneeva) [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmDTdAP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPUAzNTQzOTUyVwNzcGNCCmQhQbIqZPIOl1xSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Copyright © 2023 Crash Course, All rights reserved. 1000 N. 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