January, 2023 archive
The Creeping Crawling Chaos* 0
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*Readers of H. P. Lovecraft will know, of course, that I refer to Nyarlathotep, the new chair of the Republican National Committee.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Politeness goes to the dogs.
Aside:
How stupid do you have to be not to unload a firearm before transporting it?
The Crypto Con 0
A picture is worth . . . .
Still Rising Again after All These Years 0
The writer of a letter to the editor of the Las Vegas Sun asks (and answers), “What’s in a name?”
(Methinks his answer is spot on, and my ancestors wore the grey.)
Religious Apparel 0
At AL.com, John Archibald argues that the “Bible Belt” is a very real thing.
I had this Bible Belt thing all wrong.
I used to think it was just a swath of Southern land where churches outnumbered liquor stores, where people read that Book and sought, in public or on their better days, at least, to live like the protagonist of its last chapters.
But no. Turns out the Bible Belt is a real thing.
It’s a strap pious folks wear around their waists. Until they whip it off to flog others in the name of their God.
He explains his reasoning at the link.
Control Freaks 0
Thom, reacting to a Mastodon post, suggests that the right’s campaign against abortion is not about life, but that it is, rather, about control (and, by extension, I would add, about patriarchy and dominance and fragile male egos, but that’s just me).
Methinks there is something worth considering in this concept.
The Climates They Are a-Changing 0
A life-long aficionado of skiing, primarily in the mountains of Colorado, Andreas Kluth looks at the prospect of snowless slopes and fears that his grandchildren may not get to share his joy at strapping boards on their feet and falling off a mountain.
On the bright side, they may get to enjoy the beachfront and swim in the coming inland sea.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Bring your politeness to the party.
Guns and stupid, guns and stupid.
They go together like love and Cupid.
Let me tell you brother,
You can’t have one without the other.
Neoliberal Nihilism 0
Emma and Neil Vallelly discuss his book, Futilitarianism. From the Youtuve page:
. . . Neil Vallelly explores how neoliberalism has transformed the relationship between maximizing utility and the common good. He uses contemporary examples to demonstrate how the practice of utility maximization in neoliberalism traps people in useless and repetitive behaviors that foreclose the possibility of collective happiness. The book maps the historical relationship between utilitarianism and capitalism, develops an original framework for understanding neoliberalism and recounts the lived experience of uselessness in the early 21st century. It argues that countering the futility of neoliberal existence is essential for building an egalitarian, sustainable and hopeful future.
The Brady Punch 0
Stephanie Hayes looks at the who-shot-john over football player Tom Brady’s age and has a momentary seizure of sauce for goose, sauce for the gander.
Dis Coarse Discourse 0
Writing at Psychology Today Blogs, Charles Harper Webb, dismayed by dis coarse discourse, points out that an “argument doesn’t have to be a fight.” An excerpt (emphasis added):
Methinks this to be a timely read.
All the News that Fits 0
Steve M. parses the perfidy in a “news” report in Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post.
Phoning It In 0
Afterthought:
It occurs to me, as I watch persons go about with their faces buried in their “devices,” that said devices’ algorithms, designed to “attract eyeballs” and “promote engagement,” lead said persons to forget that they are amidst real persons in a real world.
