In American politics, the “us vs. them” frame gets the media’s attention on February 13, 2021As the Trump presidency recedes day by day and week by week into the past, I still find myself very anxious as I open up the news each morning. I still expect to see more nonsense from the White House. In reality it’s been, dare I say, quiet and boring? Relatively speaking, of course. Former […]
Reflections from a political texter on November 4, 2020Every four years, the United States elects or re-elects their president. In my lifetime, the rhetoric around each of those elections (eight since I was old enough to vote) has always included a statements like “this election is the most consequential in history” as well as “this nation has never been more divided since the […]
What it means to be ‘Dad’ on July 9, 2020During the recent Father’s Day observance, my social media feeds were full of fond remembrances and remarks from my Pakistani and American friends about their fathers. Since my 75-year-old father is not on social media, I called and wished him a Happy Father’s Day. According to Wikipedia, Father’s Day was first celebrated in the U.S. […]
Re-defining normal life in small US town on June 5, 2020Two and half months of lockdown may not seem very long, but given the emotional and social upheaval that I have experienced, it now feels like another lifetime. In mid-March, the US was in the early phase of the pandemic. Some of the earliest restrictions prevented me from traveling to Pakistan for work to support […]