11 a.m., June 14, 2026
Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we discuss Trends in Modern Culture.
we’ll watch and discuss two videos on our concerns about trends in modern culture.
In the first 15:30 minute video, How governments turn against us without breaking the law,
Cyanne Loyle describes how governments stop using the law to protect their citizens, and start using it
to punish them instead? This practice, known as Lawfare, can be hard to spot.
Understanding that laws are not inherently neutral, but rather made to benefit their makers,
is the first step to recognizing and fighting against lawfare in your own country.
Cyanne E. Loyle is the Board of Visitors Professor of Political Science and International Affairs
at the Pennsylvania State University and a Research Professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo.
Her book, Escaping Justice: Impunity of State Crimes in the Age of Accountability,
is about how powerful nations violate human rights yet often escape punishment for those crimes.
She has been invited to present her work to the U.S. State Department, U.S. Department of Defense, the United Nations,
and the World Bank. She co-hosts the Democracy Works podcast.
Preview her at https://youtu.be/uTHzHSEZNWU?si=Wi6PHxE7txRWfTZS
In the second video, Tarmo Jüristo likens what social media is doing to society today with the collapse of
institutions 500 years ago caused by the printing press. Drawing on ideas from philosophy and
social analysis, he invites viewers to consider how ruins are not just remnants of decay but
mirrors of collective memory, identity, and the stories we tell about what endures and what is lost.
Tarmo Jüristo is an Estonian civil society activist and the founder of SALK,
a significant liberal political organization in Estonia.
He is known for his insights on liberalism and societal issues, often discussing the influence of historical events
on contemporary politics.
How history teaches us to deal with societal collapse | Tarmo Jüristo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNPjghax6uA 18:30 minutes
Attend in Person:
Join fellow Humanists in the Manzanita Room of the Los Altos Community Center, 97 Hillview Ave, Los Altos, CA 94022. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.
Attend Online
Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634
Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Find an international phone number to call:
here.
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Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2026-06-14/
RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/314082415/
Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508
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