False Idols category archive
Vaccine Nation 0
Sam and the crew discuss Pete Hegseth’s decision to not require military personnel to take the flu vaccine.
The stupid. It burns.
Establishmentarians (Updated) 0
Alabama recently passed a law requiring the display of (one particular version of) the Ten Commandments in public schools.
At AL.com, PJ Schwartz, Rabbi of the century and a half old Temple B’nai Sholom in Huntsville, Alabama, cuts through the plethora of prevarications propagated to promote this practice. Here’s a tiny bit from his article (emphasis added):
Calling this law “historical” is not just inaccurate. It is a strategy—a way to give legal and cultural cover to something that would be far more obvious if it were named honestly: privilege of one particular Christian worldview in a public institution meant to serve everyone.
Addendum:
Here’s a discussion of the different versions of the Ten Commandments.
Establishmentarians 0
LZ Granderson has a couple of questions for persons who would use public schools–and therefore public moneys–to proselytize:
And why place public school teachers, many of whom are not Christians themselves, in a position in which they may have to explain that religion’s doctrine?
Follow the link for his answers.
Real Big Men 0
At the Psychology Today website, Steven A Hassan reflects on the (mostly online movement called the) “manosphere” and warns that it is, if not a cult, at least cult-like. Given that the Trump maladministration seems infested with text-book toxic masculines, methinks it a timely and worthwhile read.
He makes four main points:
- The manosphere uses the same tactics as cults by regulating behavior, information, thought, and emotion.
- Loaded language like “red pill,” “cope,” and “AWALT” simplifies complex ideas and sabotages critical thinking.
- Framing women as the enemy isolates men from anyone who might challenge the ideology.
- Healthy masculinity resources exist and promote confidence through unlearning unfair societal pressures.
Establishmentarians 0
Michael in Norfolk decodes de code:
Follow the link for his reasoning.
How Stuff Works: The Crypto Con 0
Non Sequitur pictures the process.
Afterthought:
If Carlo Ponzi were alive today, he’d be selling crypto and NFTs.
Establishmentarians 0
Rebecca Watson discusses the techniques Texas is using to turn public schools into perpetrators of proselytism.
Facebook Frolics 0
The “Attention Economy,” Dis Coarse Discourse Dept. 0
The “attention economy” refers to how hockey puck spread on “social” media can lead to–er–less than optimal decisions.
That phrase was mentioned almost in passing early in Harry Shearer’s interview with Edward Niedermeyer about Niedeermeyer’s book about Tesla, Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors. I commend the interview to your attention, if only through the example of the “attention economy” at work.
And, remember, “social” media isn’t.
Influencer Idiocy in Dis Coarse Discourse 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Alexander Danvers explains why you can’t trust many “internet influencers.” The short version is that they try to use what they claim is logical reasoning, while ignoring actual evidence. Here’s a bit (emphasis added):
A caveat: It’s not the best piece of writing I’ve seen; there are a few times when his wording could have been a bit clearer. For instance, he uses the term “logic,” when what he means in context is “logic based on false premises” or “reasoning unsupported by evidence.” (A fitting synonym might be “sales pitch.”) Nevertheless, in this age in which uncredentialed and unqualified yahoos seem capable of attracting many ears and turning many heads, methinks it a worthwhile read.
Republican Family Values 0
At the Bangor Daily News, Stephen McKay suggests that Donald Trump provides a somewhat less than stellar modeling of behavior to be emulated by our nation’s youth.
Methinks he makes several points worthy of consideration.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
Attracting acolytes? Apparently.
Or you can read the transcript.
Afterthought:
No matter how gussied up they may be in Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes, how decked out that may be with bells and whistles and seductive voices, computers are tools that do what their programmers tell them to do.
We forget that at our peril
The Disinformation Superhighway 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Gina Simmons Schneider reminds us that
Follow the link for some tools and techniques to protect yourself from poison on the disinformation superhighway.
Establishmentarians 0
At Al.com, John Archibald notes that an Alabama legislator has offered a bill requiring public schools to start their day with a Christian prayer or risk losing a portion of their funding.
Archibald goes on to offer a prayer for said legislators, one which methinks is spot on.
I commend it to your attention.