Culture Warriors category archive
How Stuff Works: The “Heritage” Con 0
Steven Conn explains how it works. A snippet:
Heritage, by contrast, is a mythologized version of the past, stripped of all the unpleasant parts. Heritage remains largely impervious to historical evidence and relies instead on a past-as-we-wish-it-were version of events. It trades in emotions and personal connections, putting itself beyond debate or reproach. History is often not lovable, but everyone loves his or her heritage.
Do please follow the link and read the complete essay.
Hoist on His Own Petard Hubris
2
Michael Smerconish, who from time to time displays a level of common sense that belies his label as a “conservative commentator,” explains how Bill Cosby shot himself in the foot through his own hectoring moralizing. Here’s a snippet.
“This case, however, is not about defendant’s status as a public person by virtue of the exercise of his trade as a televised or comedic personality,” wrote the judge in his 25-page opinion. “Rather, defendant has donned the mantle of public moralist and mounted the proverbial electronic or print soap box to volunteer his views on, among other things, child-rearing, family life, education, and crime.”
Citing precedent, Robreno concluded that Cosby had “thrust himself into the vortex of these public issues” and had “voluntarily narrowed the zone of privacy that he is entitled to claim.”
Making Book, First Edition 0
Subtitle: How To Game the System in an Attempt To Get Ghostwritten Hackery on the Best-Seller List
If you prefer, here is the Reader’s Digest Condensed Book version.
Tears of Fears 0
Catholic homophobic group unwittingly skewers itself.
Thinking about it, I realize that it’s not unusual for persecutors to see themselves as persecuted. After all, that’s how they justify persecuting.
All That Was Old Is New Again 0
The things that wingnuts and Christianists are saying about the gay marriage ruling remind me of what segregationists said after Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka et al back in the olden days, when I was young ‘un growing up under Jim Crow.
The tune is the same. Only the lyrics have changed, and they but slightly; the hate remains intact.
Well, That Takes the Cake 0
The ruling by the Oregon Labor Commission upheld a previous finding that Sweet Cakes by Melissa had discriminated against the couple based on their sexual orientation, Oregon Live reports.
“Under Oregon law, businesses cannot discriminate or refuse service based on sexual orientation, just as they cannot turn customers away because of race, sex, disability, age or religion,” the Bureau of Labor and Industries said in a press release.
The bakery owners, Melissa and Aaron Klein, were ordered to pay Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer $75,000 and $60,000 each, respectively.
They probably look at this as being punished for their convictions. I guess that, in some warped world, bigoted hate sincerely-held can be considered a “conviction.”
The “Traditional Marriage” Con 0
Tony Norman investigates the scam.
Never mind that most religions once defined marriage in ways that would scandalize even the most tradition-bound American in 2015. You’d be hard-pressed to find a religious tradition that didn’t sanction polygamy, child brides and treating women as property whose market value was determined by a set dowry price, their potential fertility and the perception of how a marriage would help the groom’s social standing.
It’s true that the rituals accompanying marriage ceremonies were designed to encourage the perpetuation of the species, but historically they were also about reinforcing whatever the presiding economic order happened to be.
More traditions at the link.
The Day of Gay 0
As I think I’ve mentioned before, nothing that ever happened in a homosexual bedroom affected a marriage of mine. I cannot say the same about heterosexual bedrooms.
Rights for Me, Not for Thee 0
In other news, someone else who was raised Southern Baptist, as I was, meditates on the hateful gospel of Franklin Graham. (By the way, we also had a beer truck driver in our church. Our pastors periodically had to assure him that he was welcome.)
Church and (Delaware) State 0
Speaking of freedom of religion . . . .
Had this been a religious institution or religious college, this would not be an issue. The focus of this lawsuit is on a taxpayer supported state university.
(snip)
Mendieta, raised Roman Catholic, was uncomfortable going to the coach’s protestant church. But she explains that she said little in protest, not wanting to risk her scholarship.
The story goes on to say that, when she eventually told the coach that she would prefer to attend a Catholic church, the coach became critical of her play and she eventually lost her scholarship. (There may have been other issues as well; the story mentions hints of a missed curfew, but coaches turn their heads away from missed curfews all the time, especially when it’s “boys being bros boys.”)
The coach is reportedly no longer at Del. State.
