Author's archive
The (Self-)Anointed One 0
It’s not uncommon to hear the Trumpettes refered to as a cult. Indeed, the devotion of some his followers despite the facts and reality has often been referred to as cult-like.
At Psychology Today Blogs, John Edward Terrell makes an interesting argument that Donald Trump may indeed be behaving as a cult leader, specifically, a “cargo cult” leader.
Methinks his piece is worth a peek.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
If the two-year old had been packing, perhaps he could have defended himself from the three-year old.
The Dearth of Expertise 0
Writing AL.com, Frances Coleman is taken aback by the proliferation of self-appointed experts, which she thinks can be attributed in large part to “social” media. Follow the link for some examples of said expertise (under the circumstances, though, I shall proffer “expertism” as a more appropriate term).
Aside:
Many of these self-appointed “experts,” of course, meet the classic definition of the term, in which
- “x” is the mathematical symbol for an unknown quantity,
- “spurt” is a drip under pressure, so, therefore,
- “expert” is an unknown drip under pressure.
(Grammatical error corrected.)
“The Zombies Are Coming” 0
Sam and his crew marvel at the latest Republican nutbag QAnon-believing candidate.
As one who trained as an historian, I must say–well, I don’t know what to say.
It’s Bubblicious 0
Werner Herzog’s Bear explores what he calls the “reality gap.” An excerpt (emphasis added):
(snip)
It’s not merely the fact that so many live in an alternate reality, it is that they CHOOSE to live in that reality. That is an absolutely crucial point that a lot of people don’t seem to get.
Decoding De Code, Reprise 0
At the Idaho State Journal, Jesse Robison wonders about that dreaded word.
School Daze 0
Sportswriter extraordinaire Bob Molinaro reflects on the reopening in these viral times (emphasis in the original):
Barely afloat: Schools that initially invited students back to campus are quickly discovering what they should have known. When dealing with easily transmissible viruses, dorms are cruise ships without the water.
Aside:
I was in college a long time ago and certainly did my share of partying. Nevertheless, other than concerts, sports events, large lectures, and some demonstrations against America’s Great and Glorious War for a Lie in Vietnam, I don’t remember participating in the sorts of mob scenes being reported from some colleges.