Culture Warriors category archive
Cancel Culture, Republican Style 0
Laura Packard points out the Republicans have created their own little isolation chamber. An excerpt:
Follow the link for the rest.
All that Was Old Is New Again, Salem Redux 0
I think David misses the point. (Warning: Short commercial at the end.)
I disagree with David that the tax exemption of churches is the issue here. The issue is the simmering brew of manipulative, gullible, and stupid masquerading as faith, of self-styled shepherds whose only purpose is to sheer their flocks.
For a reasonably unbiased discussion of why churches are tax exempt in the U. S., see this article from the archives of the Los Angeles Times.
The Stand Not Taken 0
Daniel Ruth muses on the Florida Governor’s refusal to take a stand against Florida’s home-grown Nazis.
The Impules To Indoctrinate 0
Farron discusses the Republican war against truth in education.
Along the same lines, retired English teacher Todd R. Nelson shares some of his experiences with “banned” books. A snippet:
Facebook Frolics 0
Insurrection frolics come back to haunt a Facebook frolicker.
“But There’s No Other Possible Explanation” 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Arthur Dobrin points out that conspiracies are, in a legal context, real things; persons can be charged with and convicted of conspiracies in a court of law. He suggests that these real-life conspiracies differ wildly from the many false conspiracy theories that litter our discourse and pollute our polity.
He goes on to offer some pointers for distinguishing between the two. Here’s one; follow the link for the others.
Why Is the Elephant Afraid of the Maus? 0
At Boston.com. Northeastern professor Hillary Chute tries to answer that question. A nugget:
“I was surprised because it’s so ridiculous and the reasons given were so specious,” she says, “but in some ways I wasn’t surprised, because ‘Maus’ has always been a lightning rod.
(snip)
“So I can see why that would be an argument that is terrifying to people who want to deny that history happened, the way it happened, and so, in some ways I wasn’t surprised,” she says.
Plus Ca Change 0
At The Roanoke Times, Jeff E. Shapiro argues that, in Virginia, it’s 1885 all over again.
The Politics of Moral (Pseudo) Panics 0
Thom wonders, “Who are they going after next?”
Dis Coarse Discourse 0
The Des Moines Register’s Rekha Basu notes a trend.
She speaks specifically about Iowa, but it ain’t just in Iowa folks. Here’s the beginning of her column; follow the link for her evidence that bigoted, racist, hate-full behavior is trending.
Two days earlier, an online meeting of Black Democrats in the Legislature was Zoom-bombed with yelling, racial slurs, threats of violence, swastikas, monkey imagery and profanities, making some members fear for their lives.
It sounds like a coincidence, but reading more about recent vicious threats is enough to make you wonder about a trend.
Ipso Facto 0
The Arizona Republic’s E. J. Montini comments on a law progresssing through the Arizona legislature to ban teaching critical race theory in schools, where it is not taught. A snippet:
Thought Police, Redux 0
Heaven forbid that students should be exposed to ideas and facts while at school.
We are a society of stupid.
All That Was Old Is New Again, Reprise 0
The Arizona Republic’s Laurie Roberts celebrates an honest Republican. A nugget:
“We should have voting, in my opinion, in person, one day on paper, with no electronic means and hand counting that day,” he said, during a Wednesday hearing on an election bill. “We need to get back to 1958-style voting.”
Ah yes, 1958, the golden era for those of a certain hue. The good old days when we could use literacy tests and poll taxes to keep certain people (you know who you are) from having a vote.
More celebration at the link.