The Brooklyn Rail

“Whenever a separation is made between liberty and justice, neither, in my opinion, is safe.”
–Edmund Burke

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
–Abraham Lincoln

“Women’s freedom is the sign of social freedom.”
–Rosa Luxemburg

“Democracy, while weapons were everywhere aim’d at your breast, / I saw you serenely give birth to immortal children.”
–Walt Whitman

Tradition has it that every four years America gets the chance to re-correct the big and small failures or defects the nation has previously suffered. These elections have therefore been as contentious as imaginable ever since the very beginning of US history. In 1801, for example, the House decided a tied presidential election because of a constitutional flaw. The race between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr was deadlocked, which prompted Alexander Hamilton, Jefferson’s long-time adversary, to advocate for Jefferson’s candidacy rather than Burr’s; and this  led to Burr killing Hamilton in a duel. In 1824, Henry Clay, as Speaker of the House, helped John Quincy Adams win over Andrew Jackson because Clay thought Jackson’s militarism threatened American democracy, which led to Jackson believing the election was stolen by a “corrupt bargain” between Adams and Clay. And closer to our own time, many of us can vividly remember how in 2000, Al Gore ended up losing the recounts in Florida that, after a month-long series of legal battles, led to the highly controversial 5–4 Supreme Court decision that accepted the Republican argument and ended the recount, making Bush the winner by 537 votes. And then of course there is the infamous so-called stolen election conspiracy theory claiming that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump, who never accepted his defeat, which led to the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. 

On a lighter side of things, we should remind ourselves that this democratic republic is merely 248 years old. And we remember how in the early days of our republic, Alexis de Tocqueville, during his ten months stay here between 1831 and 1832, sensed the stirrings of fearlessness and restlessness in this country, and praised Americans for their entrepreneurial ambition, brilliant self-reliance, insistence on personal independence, dynamic civil society institutions, and energetic voluntary associations—all of which were principally created to maintain the delicate balance of two sacred aspirations, liberty and equality, both of which were being simultaneously installed on a higher pedestal than in any previous civilization. We can imagine that Tocqueville, having witnessed the vicious bloodbath of the French revolution, observed the new democratic system being created in America with deep envy. For he must have taken with great enthusiasm what then appeared to be a largely egalitarian society in which virtues of industry and social cooperation were conceived as equal contributions to this functional democracy (a social condition that his contemporary France could only surrender to its disfranchised citizens). But Tocqueville at the same time was very skeptical of America’s success, which had to rest upon perpetually exploring the titanically opposing kinds of energy generated by the conditions of both liberty and equality. Only through the activism of self-interest rightly understood, could they be brought into one potential synthesis of the ever-experimentation of this democratic republic—a work in-progress indeed. Just as Tocqueville thought of five key concepts of democracy in America—including again egalitarianism, populism, laissez-faire, liberty, and individualism—we can perhaps formulate our own five personality traits: consciousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, and extraversion. Here, we must re-ask ourselves whether, if we were to advocate for equality to be above liberty, could we achieve both? Or we might ask whether by putting liberty above equality would we get a higher degree of both? For we all know this vicious contention can become more intensified if it remains solely insular within our two parties, the right in the name of liberty versus the left representing equality. We also know that however much the nearly civil-war-like sense of rupture may escalate during the election, once the results are in, no matter who ends up winning the forty-seventh presidency, the storm will subside, and calm will be restored as it always has been in the past. 

Most importantly, what is urgently required is a nonpartisan objective from both parties, so we will be able to undertake Cold War II with great seriousness. Ever since Putin’s war of annexation against Ukraine, network of dictatorships of various ideological stripes, be it nationalist Russia, communist China, socialist Bolivia, Venezuela, or theocratic Iran, among other authoritarian countries across our world, have been increasingly exploiting their common group interest by selling each other weapons, surveillance equipment, intelligence information, and even at times supplying mercenaries, for example, in the recent 10,000 North Korean troops being sent to Russia to likely fight against Ukraine, as a collective resistance against Western liberal democracies. As we’ve learned that there are plenty of other nations who wish to be part of the West, we Americans soon must come to accept one concrete fact: the war is abroad, not at home after all. Proxy war is a game of chess that requires the utmost patience and intelligence from both parties.

As I write these words, the Rail has been publishing our beloved free journal for twenty-four straight years. In addition, ever since the outbreak of the pandemic we have expanded our readership on the ever-popular daily NSE (New Social Environment lunchtime conversations), along with our ongoing series of exhibitions under the Rail Curatorial Projects’ Singing in Unison. Altogether the Rail has published over 30,000 original articles, more than one thousand New Social Environment conversations, and innumerable images and descriptions, amassing an immersive archive of art and culture ever since October 2000. I am happy to announce that starting on October 24, to celebrate our 24th anniversary, we began rolling out our brand new and dynamic website. This new website will allow us to—among other things—do the following:

• To connect our readers to our vast twenty-four–year archive of articles and videos, creating even greater cross-pollinations between artists, writers, poets, musicians, dancers, filmmakers, and other creatives.

• To make what we produce as easily accessible as possible, so our readers can create their own desired paths through these cross-pollinations.

• To represent the Rail as a social organism that connects people around the world through a printed monthly publication, virtual daily conversations, and periodic exhibitions, in addition to special editions and books.

• Give form to the Rail’s “rigorous routine and absolute spontaneity” with a tightly systematized design that is broken up by moments of difference and dissonance.

• Always put the artist/writer and their freedom first.

With the terrific confidence of your support and your readership, the Rail has broadened its readership from one million in 2020 to three million in this year alone. And with your support it will soon grow even more. For we know that nature and nurture can be simultaneously infused as one generous living organism.

Yours, in solidarity with love, courage, and cosmic optimism, as ever,

Phong H. Bui

P.S. This issue is dedicated in loving memory of our friends Alicia Henry (1966–2024), Richard Mayhew (1924–2024), Robert C. Morgan (1947–2024), and Lillian Schwartz (1927–2024), all of whom have significantly contributed to our visual culture in their respective works of art, teaching, and writing. We send our deep condolences to members of their immediate families, close friends, and admirers here and abroad. We’d like to send our belated happy 95th birthday to legendary artist, former board member Dorothea Rockburne, and 25th birthday to beloved Production Editor Tyhe Cooper. Also, we’re grateful to the excellent labor of love both Production Assistant Jonathan Truong and Programs Associate/Editorial Assistant Madison Ford have invested in their time with us at the Rail, and we wish them great luck in their next journeys. At the same time, we’re pleased to welcome new Production Assistant Keira Seyd and congratulate Min Park, who has assumed the role of Programs Associate. Lastly, we’re honored to include Christopher Rothko, the Estate of David Smith, Angela Westwater, and Bing & Migs Wright to the Rail’s newly created Patrons’ Council, and Ali Banisadr and Clifford Ross to our Artist Advisory Board.