buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard
@buffsoldier96.bsky.social
390 followers 85 following 80 posts
Promethean with Dionysian proclivities. Conservative Marxist. Red Devil. Bylines: Unherd, New Statesman, Sublation Magazine, Quillette and The Freethinker "I drink your milkshake!"
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buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · Aug 29
"It is crucial for human freedom, indeed for a civilised society, to acknowledge that human beings aren’t simply political or communal animals."

I reviewed Tiffany Jenkins' illuminating history of privacy/private life via @quillette.bsky.social

quillette.com/2025/08/29/s...
Setting Man Free from Men
Tiffany Jenkins’ new book is a passionate defence of the value of privacy. The ability to keep some things private is at the heart of human creativity, freedom, and happiness, she argues. Perhaps even...
quillette.com
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buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · Aug 12
Portrait of a Young Spanish Woman by Anton Ebert (1880)
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Reposted by Ralph Leonard
trujusticeleague.bsky.social
Truth & Justice League @trujusticeleague.bsky.social · Aug 8
www.compactmag.com/article/the-... The Right Doesn’t Deserve the West | Compact @buffsoldier96.bsky.social
The Right Doesn’t Deserve the West
One of the great lines from Goethe’s Faust states: “What you inherit from your forbears, must be earned before it is owned.” Today’s anti-woke culture warriors would do well to heed this lesson.
www.compactmag.com
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buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · Jul 22
"Jubilee’s Surrounded is a warped caricature of modern debate. It’s more of a game show than a forum for political dialogue."

I've written about Mehdi Hasan going at it with semi-literate fascists on Jubilee's "Surrounded" via
@unherd.com

unherd.com/newsroom/the...
The Mehdi Hasan Jubilee debate was made for outrage
If you want to lose any remaining faith in the idea of lively, good-faith civil discourse, just watch the latest episode of Jubilee’s YouTube series Surrounded. This time, it was former MSNBC host Meh...
unherd.com
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buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · Jun 9
That time when the Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann was followed by a policeman in Genoa because they thought he was Lenin (he got that comparison a lot).

Source: his autobiography
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Reposted by Ralph Leonard
buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · Jun 7
I wrote something on the argument over whether Britain should ban the Muslim face veil via @unherd.com

unherd.com/newsroom/bur...
Burkas are regressive and misogynistic — but they shouldn't be banned
Last week at Prime Minister’s Questions, Reform UK’s Sarah Pochin asked Keir Starmer whether he would consider banning the Muslim face veil “in the interests of public safety”. It brought to mind Fran...
unherd.com
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buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · Jun 7
I wrote something on the argument over whether Britain should ban the Muslim face veil via @unherd.com

unherd.com/newsroom/bur...
Burkas are regressive and misogynistic — but they shouldn't be banned
Last week at Prime Minister’s Questions, Reform UK’s Sarah Pochin asked Keir Starmer whether he would consider banning the Muslim face veil “in the interests of public safety”. It brought to mind Fran...
unherd.com
1 1
buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · May 19
"the BBC permitted Lineker to criticise the human rights record of Qatar when the World Cup was held there; why should the line be drawn when he publicly takes issue with Israel’s human rights abuses?"

My take on the Gary Lineker situation via
@unherd.com

unherd.com/newsroom/gar...
Gary Lineker exit has exposed BBC’s double standards
The BBC has long found itself in a tough spot regarding the question of Israel and Palestine. Supporters of Israel have alleged that the corporation’s coverage of the war in Gaza is biased against the...
unherd.com
Reposted by Ralph Leonard
buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · May 5
I've written for @unherd.com on Trump's proposed tariffs for "films produced in foreign lands" and how if it actually happened it would backfire, and, if it led to counter-tariffs, create a big problem for Hollywood.

unherd.com/newsroom/tru...
Trump's film tariffs will backfire on Hollywood
“WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!” was how Trump concluded — with all caps — a vague and grandstanding post announcing that his administration wishes to impose tariffs of 100% on films “coming i...
unherd.com
2 5 9
buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · May 5
And that bitchiness is perhaps what will make America not just politically, but culturally isolated.
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Reposted by Ralph Leonard
ellehardy.bsky.social
elle hardy @ellehardy.bsky.social · May 5
He really is a just bitchy showbiz guy at heart — and his populism stems from being rejected by pop culture elites
buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · May 5
I've written for @unherd.com on Trump's proposed tariffs for "films produced in foreign lands" and how if it actually happened it would backfire, and, if it led to counter-tariffs, create a big problem for Hollywood.

unherd.com/newsroom/tru...
Trump's film tariffs will backfire on Hollywood
“WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!” was how Trump concluded — with all caps — a vague and grandstanding post announcing that his administration wishes to impose tariffs of 100% on films “coming i...
unherd.com
1 1 10
buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · May 5
cc: @sharonk.bsky.social
buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · May 5
I think @ellehardy.bsky.social you might be interested in this.
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buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · May 5
I've written for @unherd.com on Trump's proposed tariffs for "films produced in foreign lands" and how if it actually happened it would backfire, and, if it led to counter-tariffs, create a big problem for Hollywood.

unherd.com/newsroom/tru...
Trump's film tariffs will backfire on Hollywood
“WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!” was how Trump concluded — with all caps — a vague and grandstanding post announcing that his administration wishes to impose tariffs of 100% on films “coming i...
unherd.com
2 5 9
Reposted by Ralph Leonard
buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · Apr 11
I wrote about the Dave Smith-Douglas Murray debate on Joe Rogan's podcast via @unherd.com

unherd.com/newsroom/dav...
Dave Smith-Douglas Murray debate highlights Right-wing fault lines
Yesterday’s much-discussed debate between Douglas Murray and Dave Smith, hosted by Joe Rogan, almost perfectly epitomises the divide on the political Right. Murray is a neoconservative intellectual an...
unherd.com
1
Reposted by Ralph Leonard
serdarguenes.bsky.social
Serdar Güneş @serdarguenes.bsky.social · Apr 8
Israel – ein siedlerkolonialer Staat?

Der Zionismus basiert auf dem ethnischen Nationalismus Europas. Doch auch die linke »Dekolonisierungsthese« ist problematisch

Ralph Leonhard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social , 07.04.2025

www.nd-aktuell.de/artikel/1190...
Israel – ein siedlerkolonialer Staat?
Der Zionismus basiert auf dem ethnischen Nationalismus Europas. Doch auch die linke »Dekolonisierungsthese« ist problematisch
www.nd-aktuell.de
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buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · Apr 11
I wrote about the Dave Smith-Douglas Murray debate on Joe Rogan's podcast via @unherd.com

unherd.com/newsroom/dav...
Dave Smith-Douglas Murray debate highlights Right-wing fault lines
Yesterday’s much-discussed debate between Douglas Murray and Dave Smith, hosted by Joe Rogan, almost perfectly epitomises the divide on the political Right. Murray is a neoconservative intellectual an...
unherd.com
1
Reposted by Ralph Leonard
raulzelik.bsky.social
Raul Zelik @raulzelik.bsky.social · Apr 8
Der britisch-nigerianische Autor Ralph Leonhard hat ein großartiges und differenziertes Stück über "Israel - ein siedlerkolonialer Staat?" geschrieben. Unbedingt lesenswert.

Auf Deutsch heute im ND.

www.nd-aktuell.de/artikel/1190...
Israel – ein siedlerkolonialer Staat?
Der Zionismus basiert auf dem ethnischen Nationalismus Europas. Doch auch die linke »Dekolonisierungsthese« ist problematisch
www.nd-aktuell.de
2 5 13
Reposted by Ralph Leonard
buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · Mar 29
I've written my thoughts on Slavoj Zizek's Christian Atheism for @thefreethinkermag.bsky.social

freethinker.co.uk/2025/03/can-...
Can Christianity Save Atheism? On Žižek's Christian Atheism Cringe  - The Freethinker
A review of Slavoj Žižek's 'Christian Atheism: How to Be a Real Materialist'
freethinker.co.uk
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Reposted by Ralph Leonard
buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · Mar 30
I sometimes think I left school at just the right time. Like I was part of the last generation to still have had a somewhat 'normal' education just before smartphone dominance, teachers turned into glorified day care workers, & then ChatGPT being a cheat code.
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buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · Mar 30
I sometimes think I left school at just the right time. Like I was part of the last generation to still have had a somewhat 'normal' education just before smartphone dominance, teachers turned into glorified day care workers, & then ChatGPT being a cheat code.
3 9
Reposted by Ralph Leonard
tobei123.bsky.social
wellesch @tobei123.bsky.social · Mar 29
Fastenzeit Lektüre
buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · Mar 29
I've written my thoughts on Slavoj Zizek's Christian Atheism for @thefreethinkermag.bsky.social

freethinker.co.uk/2025/03/can-...
Can Christianity Save Atheism? On Žižek's Christian Atheism Cringe  - The Freethinker
A review of Slavoj Žižek's 'Christian Atheism: How to Be a Real Materialist'
freethinker.co.uk
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buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · Mar 29
I've written my thoughts on Slavoj Zizek's Christian Atheism for @thefreethinkermag.bsky.social

freethinker.co.uk/2025/03/can-...
Can Christianity Save Atheism? On Žižek's Christian Atheism Cringe  - The Freethinker
A review of Slavoj Žižek's 'Christian Atheism: How to Be a Real Materialist'
freethinker.co.uk
4 3
Reposted by Ralph Leonard
thefreethinkermag.bsky.social
The Freethinker @thefreethinkermag.bsky.social · Mar 28
Today in the Freethinker, Ralph Leonard reviews Slavoj Žižek’s recent book on 'Christian Atheism'. @buffsoldier96.bsky.social

freethinker.co.uk/2025/03/can-...
Can Christianity Save Atheism? On Žižek's Christian Atheism Cringe  - The Freethinker
A review of Slavoj Žižek's 'Christian Atheism: How to Be a Real Materialist'
freethinker.co.uk
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Reposted by Ralph Leonard
buffsoldier96.bsky.social
Ralph Leonard @buffsoldier96.bsky.social · Mar 16
Here is my review of Steven Soderbergh's Black Bag. A film I rather enjoyed and in its own way is a very pro-marriage film.

Black Bag; Suave, Sexy and Smart

blackjacobin.substack.com/p/black-bag-...
Black Bag; Suave, Sexy and Smart
Steven Soderbergh has the prolific productivity of a one-man b-movie horror-trash studio.
blackjacobin.substack.com
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