tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230519962024-03-07T01:25:51.855-08:00How We ArgueExamining writing, arguments, communication, education, teaching, and ways of engaging with others.Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.comBlogger388125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-15661710310699266132023-02-01T00:16:00.018-08:002023-07-03T11:28:04.565-07:00Two Sides of 47<p>I turned 47 on February first this year.</p><p>This birthday, for no particular reason, had me feeling reflective - thinking about where these 47 years have taken me and how they have shaped the way I see the world. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.etsystatic.com/10861447/r/il/9a5e5f/3607650594/il_1140xN.3607650594_8elp.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://i.etsystatic.com/10861447/r/il/9a5e5f/3607650594/il_1140xN.3607650594_8elp.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>This was often happening during dog walks or drives while I listened to music, and I ended up making a playlist built around those reflections. As the <i>musing-turned-project</i> evolved, I decided to work on joining together two 47-minute playlists, which is just about the length of the mixtapes I used to make as a teenager. <p></p><p></p><p>Those mixtapes were often, but not always, created for women I was interested in. On occasion though, I'd make several copies of a tape using the high-speed dubbing feature on my stereo. Those tapes were for my closest friends - a way to let them know about the artists or songs I'd been listening to. I liked that form of sharing. It required work and thought and time. It was a kind of curation that predated "content curation." </p><p>By the time I was in my 20s, those mixtapes became mix CDs. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.kexp.org/media/filer_public/c3/1d/c31d20a8-f8f2-468d-a704-6a012b8ea284/goddess_mix.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="274" height="199" src="https://www.kexp.org/media/filer_public/c3/1d/c31d20a8-f8f2-468d-a704-6a012b8ea284/goddess_mix.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>But mix CDs were not the same. Without the dual tape deck, that cha-chunk of the stop and start, the plan for the end of side one, the need to follow that with a side-two opener, the sense of potential.<p>Then mixes moved to streaming playlists. Sharing became instant. Sharing media became ubiquitous. </p><p>I'm not here bemoaning the loss of mix tapes. It's fine that they went away. Other cool things have taken their place. In my late forties, however, there is a nostalgic quality to the ways I consumed music as a teen. </p><p>And so, I used the 90(ish)-minute mixtape as my template, and in the time since I built the playlist, I've been thinking about liner notes. </p><p>So, here goes...</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Two Sides of 47</h2><h3 style="text-align: left;">Side One</h3><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://youtu.be/fBrX8ym3dBM" target="_blank">Maná - Clavado En Un Bar</a></li><ul><li>This banger has followed me around for years. I first encountered it because I knew a woman who discovered the band while studying abroad. It's telling that I once lived in a corner of the Midwest where one required a passport to "discover" the most successful Latin American rock group in the world. But years later, when I was serving tables at City Crab and Seafood Company in New York City, my coworker Omar caught me lipsyncing the chorus while we were prepping the dining room for brunch. Omar was a busboy and expeditor who carried himself like a tough guy but was actually a bit of a goofball. He was surprised I knew Maná and told me as much. The next day he pulled me aside and gave me a freshly burned copy of the Maná Live album. He insisted that it was the only way to truly appreciate the band. It was a connection I didn't know how to make until it happened, and I was thankful. The moment simultaneously made me grateful for the people I knew growing up and yet somehow also made me aware of how my life was steering me away from those roots. Years later still, I became a commuter when I took a job as a professor at Sac State, and I discovered <a href="http://97.9FM" target="_blank">97.9FM</a>. It's the Latino pop station in Sacramento, and at the right time of day, it's exactly what I need to listen to. I only discovered it because I heard Clavado En Un Bar playing while I was scrolling through the stations on my non-Bluetooth-enabled vehicle.</li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/lZD7Oc7pW_Y" target="_blank">Parliament - Wizard Of Finance</a></li><ul><li>This band and the philosophy they describe through their work have shaped my worldview in too many ways to enumerate here. So I picked one song that provides a peek at what I see in them. This song doesn't make fun of finance as an industry, it dismisses finance in favor of what is actually important. And it does it without posturing or any self-importance. It's just fun and even a little childlike in its description of romance as "the thing" worth investing in. </li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/FSD6-Kwe-Ks" target="_blank">Chaka Khan - I Was Made to Love Him</a></li><ul><li>Speaking of investing in love, Chaka Khan just kills it with this one, and its depiction of a lifelong love that was meant-to-be makes me think of my wife Dora. It's fun and sexy and makes me want to dance.</li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/T3B0iJQcXmk" target="_blank">Nina Simone - Suzanne</a></li><ul><li>I was at a Leonard Cohen concert in Budapest when I realized that my spirituality is best encapsulated in the way some artists capture the sublime in the everyday. I decided that if I were ever to organize a religion (something I would never actually do), my hymnals would be selections from Cohen, Waits, and Prine. I would teach others to see the divine in the downtrodden, the broken, and the lost. </li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/m5kHx1itU8c" target="_blank">Tom Waits - Chocolate Jesus</a></li><ul><li>Unfortunately, I can't see myself associating with organized religion ever again. I was raised Catholic, and I liked going to Church. But I always thought it was a place where they told stories intended to be interpreted as metaphors. When I was old enough to recognize that many in the Church expected me to accept the Bible as the literal word of God, I was shocked. It's a book full of words, and even individual words are subject to multiple interpretations. Any attempt to describe the power of creation with mere words falls so far outside of my conception of what reality must actually be that I am left dumbfounded. </li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/G487EDeXadA" target="_blank">John Prine - Fish & Whistle</a> </li><ul><li>But I didn't ever lose my sense of spirituality. It's a very private part of who I am, but it does guide me. Our experience in the world is beautiful, absurd, and unlikely. Gratitude, humility, and wonder are the virtues I strive to embody. </li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/AHvXhWJ0oHU" rel="nofollow">Merry Clayton - Gimme Shelter</a></li><ul><li>I have a funny relationship with classic rock. The Stones, The Beatles, Led Zepplin, Black Sabbath, Yes, and yeah, I'll throw my favorite band in there, the Talking Heads - they have all shaped my music tastes. They are all essential parts of how I listen to music today. But I always felt like they were pushing me to listen to something else. The Beatles wanted me to listen to Chuck Berry. Led Zepplin wanted me to listen to Muddy Waters. The Talking Heads wanted me to listen to Fela Kuti. I still tune into classic rock stations without a sense of shame or irony, but while I'm there, I feel like I am waiting to go somewhere else. That's why I love this cover by Merry Clayton. It feels like I'm in that comfortable space but also in that destination. </li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/mEUl4DThSwE" target="_blank">Phoebe Bridgers - That Funny Feeling</a></li><ul><li>While I still enjoy a lot of classic rock, I do need to make one thing clear. I have a deep and unrelenting dislike of Billy Joel. I have said, on occasion, that I hate Billy Joel, but I think that's not quite right. Hate suggests passion, and my dislike of Billy Joel has never been that meaningful. Kinda like his music. One of the problems I have with Billy Joel is that most of his songs are easy to listen to. If you're not paying attention, you might even enjoy them. But that's the problem, isn't it? He makes schmaltzy easy-to-digest music disguised as thoughtful signer-songwriter work. </li><li>That said, I have zero patience for "We Didn't Start the Fire." I typically find the "list genre" of songs a bit lazy, but that's not the problem I have with the steaming pile of garbage that is "We Didn't Start the Fire." What drives me up the wall is the song's complete rejection of a generation's responsibility for the state for the world just as they were handing it off to my generation. What a fucking copout. If you're going to write a list song, at least acknowledge your role in the complexity of the picture you're painting. That's how you do a list song. </li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/XH6IT_tsSUI" target="_blank">Christopher Tim - Waloyo Yamoni</a></li><ul><li>This song is absolutely beautiful and you should probably listen to it stoned. But that's not why it's on my mix. It's on my mix because it's about water and the way it shapes our lives. I grew up next to Lake Michigan. I've lived next to New York Harbor and the San Joaquin River Delta and the Danube River. And now I live in California's Central Valley where rain and snowpack and reservoir levels are something I think about throughout the year. So much of this first side of my mix has been about what goes on in my mind, but it's important to remember that my mind is part of my body. And my body must live in the world where the resources I need are found. </li></ul></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;">Side Two</h3></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://youtu.be/VU-MhdiUWtA" target="_blank">Brazilian Girls - Pussy</a></li><ul><li>And if you're gonna finish side one with a massive orchestral piece focused on the needs of the body, then you might as well open side two acknowledging that the body is what hungers. Cause it is.</li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/K3SUPPeuRdU" target="_blank">Gogol Bordello - Wonderlust King</a></li><ul><li>I remember being surprised by how big the world is. It shocked me. I wasn't ready for that, but once I realized it, I couldn't stop looking. It's wonderful how much we don't know, and the process of learning more is intoxicating. </li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/L0oeqAQ1qE8" target="_blank">Bikini Kill - Rebel Girl</a></li><ul><li>I married Dora because I love her and I want to build our lives together into something wonderful. As a bonus, she does make me a better person. Like, I cannot explain how boring I would be without her. But beyond that, one of the other places she has had a ridiculously powerful impact on my life is my adult friendships. While I have friends that I made as a child, and they are great and important relationships in my life, I also have friendships established in my time as an adult. These are friendships with smart and interesting people who I respect and admire. But just to be clear, I would never have met these people if it weren't for Dora. She has social skills that somehow allow her to recognize what makes a person awesome. I assume I must have had those skills at one point in my life because my old friends are awesome. Dora, however, somehow kept those skills. She finds good people and helps them recognize that we should all hang out sometime. All the cool people wanna be her best friend.</li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://youtu.be/VFZNvj-HfBU" target="_blank">Daði Freyr (Daði & Gagnamagnið) – Think About Things </a></li><ul><li>When I was in my late teens and early twenties, I started to sort out my own taste in music, television, and movies. During those years, I nurtured a kind of snobbishness. I made fun of boy bands, sitcoms, and cheesy romantic comedies because enjoying those things, I assumed, would dull my edginess. Yeah, you read that right. At one point I saw myself as edgy. I admired punk rock choices. I also was interested in - if given the opportunity - sticking it to the man. Later in my twenties, however, I realized I am not edgy. I'm more of a silly person. I recognize how unjust the system is, but I'm not frustrated by my inability to burn it down; I'm frustrated that anyone takes the system seriously. At its worst, the system we call society is mandating poverty for billions, poisoning people, and using violence as a primary tool for social control. At its best, society allows a select few to achieve beautiful and astounding feats. It's so completely off the rails that any proposed solutions to trolly problems are moot. So, I've dropped my snobbishness. I've begun to understand the value of a good pop song in this absurd world and even came to understand the importance of laughing at what that all means. </li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/cXWjWzeNtO8" target="_blank">Berri Txarrak - Katedral Bat</a></li><ul><li>I speak only one language, which is a little embarrassing. I've tried to learn other languages, but I freeze up when I don't know how to express myself the way I'd like to. It's a pretty significant shortcoming. Dora and my boys speak Hungarian, a language spoken by just over 10 million people. They are also all proficient in Spanish, which is very useful when traveling in Europe and South America, or just being alive in California. </li><li>This song is in Euskara, the language of the Basque people. It is spoken by fewer than a million people. I learned a few phrases in Euskara while we all lived in Pamplona for six months in 2021. The cultural and linguistic pride I saw in Pamplona made an impression on me. It reminds me of a story from the first few years I lived in Budapest. I was teaching advanced conversational and professional English to a group of scientists who worked for the <a href="https://portal.nebih.gov.hu/" target="_blank">National Office of Plant Protection and Soil Conservation</a>. I always opened a series of lessons like that with the most obvious question: Why do you want to learn more English? And in this case I wasn't just looking for ideas to guide my lesson planning; I was genuinely curious because many in that office had published scientific papers in major English-language journals. I was wondering what I had to offer. They told me this story:</li><ul><li>A large group of them were attending a major EU conference in Brussels. The EU had gathered scientists from across Europe to discuss the rapid spread of invasive ragweed. The official language of the conference was English, and everyone felt confident that they would be able to contribute since the vast majority of conference participants would be working in a second language. Well, when a group of French scientists stood to speak, they decided they would speak French. So, when the Germans addressed the conference they decided, "If the French are going to use French, then we'll speak German." This prompted the group from Italy to use Italian, and then the Spanish started speaking in Castellano. Then it was time for a group of Czech scientists to share their findings, and they started speaking in Czech. The facilitators of the conference quickly put a stop to that. They explained that none of the minor EU languages could be used because the conference lacked translational services for such languages. </li></ul><li>So, yeah, the Hungarians realized they would have to work harder to get their voices heard within their own scientific community. That story taught me so much about language and culture and privilege that it shaped my career choices. </li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/pHW_bptHz2A" target="_blank">Fishbone - Unyielding Conditioning</a></li><ul><li>I got into Fishbone when I heard <a href="https://youtu.be/b9jhWbKkEBY" target="_blank">Everyday Sunshine</a> on MTV's 120 Minutes. I rode my bike to the record store and got several albums by the group. This was years before I learned about Parliament/Funkadelic, but looking back now, I can see how being drawn to Fishbone was predictive of my eventual discovery of P-funk. The joyous, wild, and irreverent celebrations of life hit me right where I dance. This particular Fishbone song, however, holds a special place. The simultaneous acknowledgment of the dystopian features of modern life juxtaposed with the hopeful optimism of Afro-futurism is just so perfect. And it really speaks to how I've learned to see the world: It's an intentionally broken place with the potential to be the place where no one is broken "and togetherness will guide us safely through all storms."<span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto" face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #0f0f0f; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><br /></li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/acT_PSAZ7BQ" target="_blank">The Coup - The Guillotine</a></li><ul><li>Shortly after meeting Dora back in 1999, I recognized a core value that informs my worldview. At a hostel's take-one-leave-one library in Thessaloniki, I swapped out the copy of Siddhartha I had brought on that backpacking trip for a book on the history of the post-Stalin Soviet Union. The Hungarian revolution of 1956 was one of the first major events recounted in the book, and here I had just met the most lovely Hungarian woman. So I was especially engaged in that retelling of history. The Hungarians faced an impossible struggle as a powerful authoritarian empire exerted its will on this small nation twice weakened by world wars. Learning about it at that point in my life calibrated my moral compass. </li><li>I abhor the use of power to marginalize those with less power, and I believe those with less power are justified in fighting back against those who would work to marginalize them. Even when the fight is impossible, the fight is righteous. So much clicked into place for me when that became clear.</li><li>But in the time since, I've observed a technique many powerful people use to take advantage of people who claim to believe society should empower the powerless. Those in power work hard to present themselves or their in-group as marginalized by the authorities. They highlight characteristics and experiences that make life challenging and use those challenges to argue that society has oppressed them more than others. "Why is everyone demonizing billionaires?" "White men have to do so much more to advance now?" "Labor's oppressive demands make it impossible for the company to turn a profit." "That lesson blames my child for a historical injustice." "That person's love life is oppressing my religious freedom." </li><li>Everyone's the most aggrieved, the most put upon, the most marginalized. Which is all bullshit, of course, but it works. It allows people to believe they're justified in their attempts to fight against another's full participation in society. </li><li>And that makes me nervous about calls for action, calls to arms, or calls for resistance. Too many of those calls are astroturf efforts funded by the powerful who would like nothing better than to see the masses turn on one and other. </li><li>But I do love it when I hear such a call coming from an earnest and informed voice.</li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://youtu.be/fF9AOh4HKXQ" target="_blank">Bill Hicks - Politics in America</a></li><ul><li>My friends who were a bit more skilled at making mixtapes often inserted quotes or excerpts from movies between the songs, kinda like the sketches between the songs on hip-hop albums in the 80s and 90s. It's something that streaming can't make room for. </li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/yZ8mASswPPY" target="_blank">Liz Phair - Soap Star Joe</a></li><ul><li>I heard Liz Phair's Supernova on the radio my senior year in high school, and I said to myself, I says, "I gotta hear more stuff like that." So, I went to the same record store where I had bought my Fishbone albums a year earlier and I asked for the new Liz Phair album. The record store guy handed me a copy of Exile in Guyville, told me I would like the album, and rang me up. Funny thing about that exchange, the song Supernova is not on Exile in Guyville. I remember being disappointed when I scanned through the tracks and couldn't find the song I wanted, but then I started listening to Exile as a whole. It was the first time I listened to what I would call a challenging album. I felt like I was listening to a woman explain being a woman, but critically, I didn't feel like she was explaining it to me. She didn't give a shit if I listened or not. She was explaining her experience because she wanted to. The album was clearly something Phair made for herself. </li><li>I don't think I understood (or understand) Liz Phair's experience as a woman, but I did learn how the world is not only different for people who aren't like me, but it is also complete and coherent and wild and tempting and filled with risks and fear and fun and anger and laughter. It's kinda like my world, but not at all like it in any way.</li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/Qe9ScrfY6fk" target="_blank">Lou Reed - Charley's Girl</a></li><ul><li>My dad introduced me to Lou Reed. He had Transformer on a cream-colored cassette tape, and he played it on our cross-country camping trips when I was a kid. I loved the whole album right away, but the best part of it was how the lyrics grew more interesting and more complicated as I got older. Sex, and drugs, and gender, and race, and clubs, and art, and desperation, and nihilism, and just adult life - all of it was there, but hidden behind slang and innuendo. I appreciate that my dad trusted me to hear it all as a kid and understand it all as I grew up. </li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/x5ED4_LOeEY" target="_blank">Lauryn Hill - Everything Is Everything</a></li><ul><li>I first heard the phrase "everything is everything" on Donny Hathaway's live album. It is a much more beautiful and hopeful way of expressing the clichéd "It is what it is." Lauryn Hill makes the phrase sing here in a way that lifts me up.</li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/JP_jaogKAdM" target="_blank">Modest Mouse - Missed the Boat</a></li><ul><li>I started making this list shortly after the passing of Jeremiah Green, the drummer for Modest Mouse. This song, but really the band's entire body of work, captures a worldview that feels like home to me. My hopeful agnosticism comes through in the line, "We were certainly uncertain, at least, I'm pretty sure I am." The world is an incredible place because I can never know even a significant fraction of it, just as the world can never know a fraction of the whole of me.</li></ul><li><a href="https://youtu.be/XlwV0IByrng" target="_blank">Amanda Palmer - Ukulele Anthem</a></li><ul><li>What do you do with an unknowable world that can never truly know you? I think Amanda Palmer gets pretty close to the answer here. </li></ul></ul></div><p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/0s3nrU84lGACr1z3CfciMh?utm_source=generator&theme=0" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe></p><p>I also put the list together on YouTube.</p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLg6ZJl0XX1C3bGYpjLtsNmKheetrnenDY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </p><p><br /></p>Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-89166581774430961362022-12-16T16:36:00.002-08:002022-12-16T16:36:17.029-08:00Chat Bots & Rhet Comp<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dCC8qnMlt0E" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-19916538207717487582022-05-03T11:24:00.000-07:002022-05-03T11:24:23.986-07:00Articulating a view of the modern right<p style="text-align: left;">I just needed a place to collect my observations about the modern right. This started with two key points: </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The modern right is not a conservative movement.</li><li>The modern right is anti-democratic.</li></ul><div>While I think these points are obvious, I recognize that many on the modern right would disagree, and I would like to be able to explain why I hold these two beliefs. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, here goes.</div><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">The modern right is not a conservative movement. </h2><p>Conservativism seeks to avoid or slow social changes through the preservation and maintenance of established institutions. And yet, the modern right has been working to undermine the legitimacy of, among others, public schools, universities, national intelligence agencies, active military leadership, non-partisan think-tanks, the National Institutes of Health, the Center for Disease Control, the US Commission on Presidential Debates, career public servants, the national media, and lifelong conservative politicians. </p><p>Conservativism favors free enterprise and the rights of private individuals over the government. And yet, the modern right favors political leaders willing to pick winners and losers in the private sector, seeks to punish business leaders who challenge the right’s political power, and supports policies that encourage criminal charges and/or civil litigation over personal/private choices. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">A note acknowledging that the modern left is also not conservative because, for some reason in today's discourse, we have to anticipate false equivalencies at every turn</h4><p>It is true that the modern left supports some of the positions described above, but much of that is because the left is not conservative. The left supports social change, seeks to reform established institutions, and favors the collective good over the rights of powerful individuals. While there is plenty of hypocrisy on the left, to be sure, not only is that a different subject, but it’s also absurd and unproductive to derail a critique with what-about-isms. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/210106163125-19-electoral-college-vote-protests-0106-full-169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/210106163125-19-electoral-college-vote-protests-0106-full-169.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">The modern right is anti-democratic</h2><p>The modern right portrays certain people as less-than-legitimate Americans, especially if those people support liberal ideals, progressive policy, or social justice reforms. There is this idea on the right that their opponents do not represent America’s interests, but instead the interests of immigrants, the global elite, criminals, China, and/or some other outside force (a force often described implicitly or explicitly as “evil”). In the modern right’s worldview, those who oppose the right are working to ruin America.</p><p>The modern right dismisses support for their opponents as anti-American. Those who express such views are either a) ignorant people, b) people who want to steal from America, or c) people who are already actively stealing from America. </p><p>Viewing the country through that lens is how the modern right can hold the belief that some Americans should not have a voice in America.</p><p>This is what justifies continued support for the claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. The modern right does not believe Trump received more votes, but rather that many of the votes for Biden were cast by people who should not have a voice in America. </p><p>It’s how the modern right can support what are clearly restrictive voting laws. They do not see voting as a right to be protected, but as a privilege to be earned. </p><p>They don’t hear, “People should follow the rules my political party supports if they want to vote.” </p><p>Instead, they hear, “People who won’t follow the rules my political party supports are cheats and liars.” </p><p>This anti-democratic turn is why the modern right portrays the protests and activism of opponents as criminal - while applauding protests and activism from their supporters. </p><p>It is why they have embraced book banning as a legitimate political goal. </p><p>It is why they have instituted tests of party loyalty and begun practicing vengeance-based politics. </p><p>It is at the root of the modern right’s turn toward authoritarianism. </p><div><br /></div>Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-21063860403242400232022-04-27T10:55:00.006-07:002022-04-27T12:05:29.598-07:00The Erasure of an X <p>Whenever one of <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/usual_suspects" target="_blank">The Usual Suspects</a> forgets that my generation exists, <a href="https://youtu.be/hgmBaE1cqD4" target="_blank">All I Wanna Do</a> is tell them, "<a href="https://youtu.be/uIbXvaE39wM" target="_blank">Hold On</a>, we're not <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086066/" target="_blank">The Outsiders</a>!" But I <a href="https://youtu.be/TR3Vdo5etCQ" target="_blank">Don't Speak</a>. I <a href="https://youtu.be/LeiFF0gvqcc" target="_blank">Remember the Time</a> when I was just another one of <a href="https://youtu.be/8t4pmlHRokg" target="_blank">The Kids in The Hall</a>, and it reminds me <a href="https://youtu.be/0hiUuL5uTKc" target="_blank">This Is How We Do It</a>:</p><p>It is <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088323/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1" target="_blank">The Never Ending Story</a> we <a href="https://youtu.be/yuTMWgOduFM" target="_blank">Common People</a> of Generation <a href="https://youtu.be/fUiZHt6sqg4" target="_blank">X</a> must endure. <a href="https://youtu.be/VdQY7BusJNU" target="_blank">Time After Time</a>, it can make me feel like saying "I am over-educated, under-skilled. Maybe it's the other way around, I forget. But <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106856/quotes/qt4250557" target="_blank">I'm obsolete</a>."</p><p>That's how their <a href="https://youtu.be/djV11Xbc914" target="_blank">Take On Me</a> can feel. But <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077003/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2" target="_blank">Different Strokes</a> for different folks, right?</p><p>We look at this <a href="https://youtu.be/Q6TLWqn82J4" target="_blank">Scenario</a> and think those born after <a href="https://youtu.be/4aeETEoNfOg" target="_blank">1979</a> are taking this <a href="https://youtu.be/JhqyZeUlE8U" target="_blank">Sure Shot</a> at us. And that <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/reality_bites" target="_blank">Reality Bites</a>, but we have to take the <a href="https://youtu.be/42BBdzzgPNM" target="_blank">Longview</a>. <a href="https://youtu.be/NPcyTyilmYY" target="_blank">You Oughta Know</a>, we can’t be <a href="https://youtu.be/LHQqqM5sr7g" target="_blank">Undone </a>by this – or mistake it for some kind of <a href="https://youtu.be/hgnhVcyLy1I" target="_blank">Poison</a>. <a href="https://youtu.be/EPfmNxKLDG4" target="_blank">Where It’s At</a> feels <a href="https://youtu.be/PTFwQP86BRs" target="_blank">Closer</a> than where it actually is.</p><p>It’s the kind of <a href="https://youtu.be/x34icYC8zA0" target="_blank">Erasure</a> we should embrace because, sure, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuoXEkDlWr8" target="_blank">that's the way it goes, but don't forget, it goes the other way too</a>." </p><p>Remember, we were the generation encouraged to “<a href="https://www.moviequotes.com/s-movie/pump-up-the-volume/" target="_blank">Eat your cereal with a fork and do your homework in the dark</a>.” For us, <a href="https://www.quotes.net/mquote/86788" target="_blank">not having an act is our act</a>. While it may seem "<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117737/characters/nm0000239" target="_blank">easier to stay alone</a>," it would be better to <a href="https://youtu.be/xy4FXhkm6Nw" target="_blank">Bust a Move</a>, look 'em in the eye, and remind them, "You're not <a href="https://youtu.be/8PlaNe3mXl8" target="_blank">Rid of Me</a>." </p><p>We <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwI02OHtZTg" target="_blank">have more influence on young people</a> than other generations because what we <a href="https://youtu.be/gJLIiF15wjQ" target="_blank">really really want</a> is not so different. The <a href="https://youtu.be/UqMcevcUmqg" target="_blank">Kids of America</a> don't recognize that - maybe due to some kind of <a href="https://youtu.be/ZWmrfgj0MZI" target="_blank">Unfinished Sympathy</a>, but <a href="https://youtu.be/tVCUAXOBF7w" target="_blank">Hey</a>, those are <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078610/" target="_blank">The Facts of Life</a>.</p><p>That’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/" target="_blank">The Thing</a>, isn’t it? "<a href="https://youtu.be/tkOr12AQpnU" target="_blank">That's the way that it goes and it's what nobody knows</a>." It's <a href="https://youtu.be/sfCLt0kTd5E" target="_blank">Unbelievable</a>; even if they accept our generation, "<a href="https://www.quotes.net/mquote/103357" target="_blank">They'll call you names, but not as much to your face</a>." </p><p>So, yeah, if we want to <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/" target="_blank">Do the Right Thing</a>, we have to <a href="https://youtu.be/P2rx9-3xYYY" target="_blank">Push It!</a> When they suggest "You don't seem like you're from around here," ask them "<a href="https://www.moviequotes.com/s-movie/boys-dont-cry/" target="_blank">Where do I seem like I'm from?</a>"</p><p>Because after all, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086827/" target="_blank">Who's the Boss?</a> If we're going to be <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086817/" target="_blank">The Transformers</a> we set out to be, we have to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speak_%26_Spell_(toy)" target="_blank">Speak & Spell</a> it out for them.</p><p>"<a href="https://youtu.be/UG3VcCAlUgE" target="_blank">Maybe I'm just too demanding</a>," but to these younger generations, I say, "<a href="https://youtu.be/8WEtxJ4-sh4" target="_blank">I know that you're gonna have it your way or nothing at all, but I think you're moving too fast</a>," "<a href="https://youtu.be/_JZom_gVfuw" target="_blank">and if you don't know, now you know</a>." </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8H7mjYoRdZ2OunddiZx00Cx07imD7UXaayk54B03MKh_vns1AJOmDsbpUN4TxR4k0ZUEe_JquOF1YKNod5OoyAzG5qP74iMS7qZr2CuRW3Rwpl-ClaIGo4WwRVRzNjKC6lNd9YBZiLPfdMGcHQ12b_vB1dbjGZdxP8TvQYttq1KSpkWIStQ/s3072/gen%20x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="2304" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8H7mjYoRdZ2OunddiZx00Cx07imD7UXaayk54B03MKh_vns1AJOmDsbpUN4TxR4k0ZUEe_JquOF1YKNod5OoyAzG5qP74iMS7qZr2CuRW3Rwpl-ClaIGo4WwRVRzNjKC6lNd9YBZiLPfdMGcHQ12b_vB1dbjGZdxP8TvQYttq1KSpkWIStQ/s320/gen%20x.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/75429951@N00/3512848592" target="_blank">Russell Davies</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-45463522906485229072022-02-16T12:47:00.004-08:002022-03-14T14:15:24.491-07:00Being Wrong, Irony, and Corruption <p>So, I was catching up on an <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/02/03/1077959482/teachers-could-face-penalties-for-lessons-on-race-gender-politics" target="_blank">older episode of Fresh Air</a>, because that's what all the radical leftists seeking to topple the system are doing these days, amiright?</p><p>Terry Gross was interviewing a scholar and advocate for <a href="https://pen.org/">free speech in writing</a> named <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffreyASachs" target="_blank">Jeffrey Sachs</a>. </p><p>He's been looking into conservative efforts to create legislation regulating what can and cannot be discussed in schools. </p><p>As an educator, I was very interested. </p><p>A little more than twenty minutes into the episode, they get to North Dakota's <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/538951654/ND-critical-race-theory-bill#from_embed" target="_blank">Critical Race Theory (CRT) law</a> that was signed by the Governor last November. The law forbids the delivery of instruction that includes the "<i>theory that racism is not merely the product of learned individual bias or prejudice, but that racism is systemically embedded in American society and the American legal system to facilitate racial inequality.</i>" </p><p>While this is a horrible law, it is also a learning opportunity. </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">First lesson: I am Wrong Sometimes</h2><div>On principle, I have to admit when I am wrong.</div><div>And here the conservative legislators in North Dakota showed me how wrong I was.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have <a href="https://hoganhayes.blogspot.com/2021/10/stop-trying-to-make-crt-happen.html" target="_blank">often leveled the criticism</a> that conservatives railing against CRT do not actually know what CRT is. </div><p>But the definition of CRT in the North Dakota law is a solid definition of the theory: "Racism is not merely the product of learned individual bias or prejudice, but [...] racism is systemically embedded in American society and the American legal system to facilitate racial inequality." </p><p>That is what critical race theory describes. Good work, lawmakers! You concisely stated what liberal advocates for the theory have been overexplaining for at least a year now. </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Second lesson: Irony</h2><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://fiverr-res.cloudinary.com/images/t_main1,q_auto,f_auto,q_auto,f_auto/gigs/2423756/original/babel-fish/translate-your-email-love-letter-between-english-tagalog-bisaya.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="680" height="225" src="https://fiverr-res.cloudinary.com/images/t_main1,q_auto,f_auto,q_auto,f_auto/gigs/2423756/original/babel-fish/translate-your-email-love-letter-between-english-tagalog-bisaya.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>North Dakota passed a law making it illegal to teach about how "racism is systemically embedded in [...] the American legal system." <p></p><p>I can't imagine people not seeing the irony there.</p><p>They passed a race-related law making it illegal to teach about race-related flaws in the legal system.<br /></p><p>I'm reminded of the Bable Fish argument by <a href="https://douglasadams.com/dna/bio.html" target="_blank">Douglas Adams</a>:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>The argument goes something like this: "I refuse to prove that I exist,'" says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."</p><p>"But," says Man, "The Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don't. QED."</p><p>"Oh dear," says God, "I hadn't thought of that," and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic.</p><p>"Oh, that was easy," says Man, and for an encore goes on to prove that black is white and gets himself killed on the next zebra crossing.</p></blockquote><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Third lesson: Individualist Philosophy has Been Corrupted </h2><p>The idea that racism can only exist in the mind of an individual is not an opinion. It is a rejection of reality. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>American slavery was a racist institution </li><li>Separate but equal was a racist legal doctrine</li><li>The segregation of schools was a racist education policy </li><li>Redlining was a racist federal policy enforced by the FHA</li><li>We could keep going...</li></ul><div>Were racist individuals involved in these institutions? Sure.</div><div>But if people understand what those institutions are, it becomes impossible for them to argue in good faith that racism is not embedded in social and legal systems. </div><div><br /></div><div>Something at the core of the American identity has been corrupted and used to undermine people's ability to accept certain realities. That something is the Individualist philosophy.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is nothing wrong with the idea that the human individual is of primary importance. That is a cornerstone of the movement away from many of history's most oppressive hierarchies. I'm a fan.</div><div><br /></div><div>But in a wrongheaded bastardization of this philosophy, extremists have begun to argue that the individual is the <i>only </i>thing of importance. This view rejects the influence of institutions and social constructs. In this view, the individual is the only one who can be racist, just, free, oppressed, guilty, or innocent. This view strips us of the ability to critique or improve institutions. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is a dangerous corruption of Individualist philosophy, and this North Dakota law is clear evidence of that corruption. </div><p></p>Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-945869061185980432022-02-04T12:02:00.003-08:002022-02-04T12:02:45.766-08:00Legitimate Political Discourse<div class="separator"><div>Today the Republican National Convention's Resolutions Committee <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/us/politics/republicans-jan-6-cheney-censure.html" target="_blank">censured two party members</a> for their participation in the House investigation of January 6th. </div><div><br /></div><div>Included in the resolution was the following: </div><div><blockquote>WHEREAS, Representatives Cheney and Kinzinger are participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse...</blockquote></div><div>"Legitimate political discourse."</div><div><br /></div><div>That's what they called the riot.</div><div><br /></div><div>The RNC just voted on and approved a resolution stating that the people participating in the January 6th riot were engaged in "legitimate political discourse."</div><div><br /></div><div>They are saying that violence and threats of violence are legitimate political discourse.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not being alarmist here. I'm not exaggerating. A copy of <a href="https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/rnc-censure-resolution/58226d40412e4f18/full.pdf" target="_blank">the resolution</a> can be found below with the "whereas" in question highlighted. </div><div><br /></div><div>The RNC views the demonstrably violent actions of the rioters on January 6th as legitimate political discourse. </div><div><br /></div><div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">One of the two major political parties in America views violence as a political tool. <img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="696" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUObtmlfc4bCfZgwgkGP6HWlkkUtPk2WcEUEGHkFWnEoU_gQSXKbpGog7tDKmePntm6QCPd8gGFiZk5OeAIz0_QV7DjyvgpgG95YE9pTURUsrTcvg5awBIeUjUEqKeMcmH-w1elvkAldjTyDs2pEeH-ALDMFluRhs-Zr5QXV_g1pAJFNopNA=w494-h640" width="494" /></div></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUObtmlfc4bCfZgwgkGP6HWlkkUtPk2WcEUEGHkFWnEoU_gQSXKbpGog7tDKmePntm6QCPd8gGFiZk5OeAIz0_QV7DjyvgpgG95YE9pTURUsrTcvg5awBIeUjUEqKeMcmH-w1elvkAldjTyDs2pEeH-ALDMFluRhs-Zr5QXV_g1pAJFNopNA=s902" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMzsuh25uF55O_ze0MwUbP6qaXdBA-CcsPSG57i0L5b3qQmH97_g786w3BwY4ng6m3hxaTjnwlG3ONUT8QGGxMV82JUAnarvqZFf--MPXqgcAucxLl2LdyE-PoYHc5iTVlmPZONuwsRMUylow7gA14GLYxBAgICqvN50q63kxAL610_ENIqQ=s699" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="699" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMzsuh25uF55O_ze0MwUbP6qaXdBA-CcsPSG57i0L5b3qQmH97_g786w3BwY4ng6m3hxaTjnwlG3ONUT8QGGxMV82JUAnarvqZFf--MPXqgcAucxLl2LdyE-PoYHc5iTVlmPZONuwsRMUylow7gA14GLYxBAgICqvN50q63kxAL610_ENIqQ=w461-h218" width="461" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUObtmlfc4bCfZgwgkGP6HWlkkUtPk2WcEUEGHkFWnEoU_gQSXKbpGog7tDKmePntm6QCPd8gGFiZk5OeAIz0_QV7DjyvgpgG95YE9pTURUsrTcvg5awBIeUjUEqKeMcmH-w1elvkAldjTyDs2pEeH-ALDMFluRhs-Zr5QXV_g1pAJFNopNA=s902" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-78438377770697046542022-01-11T14:53:00.007-08:002022-01-11T16:26:49.037-08:00The Leftover Evidence <div>So, this is what it is like living in the Misinformation Age.</div><div><p>I've long struggled to understand what moves people to reject evidence in favor of conspiracy. And science fiction has, once again, helped me understand the roots behind this social issue. That's kinda a thing for me. It's why I read and watch science fiction.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://media.newyorker.com/photos/5925bde5f948057a226cf650/1:1/w_935,h_935,c_limit/170605_r30088.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://media.newyorker.com/photos/5925bde5f948057a226cf650/1:1/w_935,h_935,c_limit/170605_r30088.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This time it was the television adaptation of <a href="https://www.hbo.com/the-leftovers" target="_blank">The Leftovers</a> that provided insight. It's a beautiful but heartrending show about a future in which 2% of the population disappears in an unexplained event. In the aftermath, people are left to get on with their lives. But understandably, many many people cannot do that. They cannot live in a world where something so powerful and horrible happened yet cannot be explained. <p></p><p>Cults, conspiracies, and pseudoscience play an important role in the stories that unfold on the show. </p><p>The embrace of misinformation does not make characters bad people. Those characters are simply not able to accept that their world works in ways so far beyond their capacity to understand. So instead, they invent theories or believe the theories of others - theories that make the complex simple, that explain the unexplainable. </p><p>So yeah, the show's relevance has more than endured.</p><a href="http://tomperrotta.net/" target="_blank">Tom Perrotta</a>, <a href="https://variety.com/exec/damon-lindelof/" target="_blank">Damon Lindelof</a>, and the show's team of writers demonstrate an understanding of human behavior that many dismiss as irrational. And maybe it is. I don't know, but the important thing is that this behavior is surprisingly common: <div>When faced with a world that is too complex to understand, many people will invent a world they can understand. They will reject any evidence that contradicts the world they've accepted, and what's more, they will see people who try to present such evidence as pawns of a conspiracy to cover up "their truth." <br /><br /></div><div>Last week, we marked the anniversary of a group's violent attempt to stop the certification of a presidential election because they believed, despite all the evidence to the contrary, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/12/23/1065277246/trump-big-lie-jan-6-election" target="_blank">powerful people corrupted the race for president</a> in multiple states. And in the year since many have spun <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/conspiracy-theories-paint-fraudulent-reality-of-jan-6-riot" target="_blank">new theories</a> that the violence itself was a government-led attack... or not an attack. That all depends on who you ask and what time of day it is.<div><br /></div><div>But that's not all. Angry <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/10/26/1049078199/a-look-at-the-groups-supporting-school-board-protesters-nationwide?sc=18&f=1001" target="_blank">activists are telling school boards</a> that history lessons on race and policy are indoctrination efforts by leftist radicals who have taken over the education system.</div><div><br /></div><div>Large segments of the public <a href="https://opr.ca.gov/facts/the-deniers.html" target="_blank">dismiss scientific accounts of the human contributions to climate change</a>.<br /><br /><div>Others remain convinced that <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1368430220982068" target="_blank">the entire global medical community is lying</a> about the severity and spread of COVID-19.<br /><br /></div><div>A growing population has accepted the <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounders/the-great-replacement-an-explainer" target="_blank">Great Replacement Theory</a>'s assertion that diversity in affluent nations is a plot by a secretive group to replace white people. <br /></div><div><p></p></div></div><p>These are just a handful of places in our public discourse where people dismiss clear evidence that the challenges we face as a society are complex and dynamic. People dismiss that evidence in favor of conspiracy theories rife with misinformation.</p><p>The right-wing retelling of events from January 6th, 2021 pushed me to better understand this phenomenon. When presented with the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000007606996/capitol-riot-trump-supporters.html" target="_blank">clear reality</a> that Trump supporters had gathered in D.C. and carried out a violent and catastrophic attack, other Trump supporters have worked very hard to find an alternative to that reality. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>It wasn't violent</li><li>It wasn't Trump supporters</li><li>FBI agents were planted in the crowd and incited the violence</li><li>No one broke into the Capitol</li><li>The prosecution of the participants is a witch hunt</li></ul><div>These are just some of the ways Trump supporters have tried to explain away a reality that is at odds with how they understand the world. In their view, no one who agrees with them could do the things we all saw. So, they tell themselves stories - stories of a world where the FBI worked together with leftist radicals in disguise, or maybe stories of how the video footage was faked, or stories in which they themselves have never seen the footage - footage they've actually watched, but no they haven't because it doesn't exist. <br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://c.tenor.com/Iy166fSCjZcAAAAC/princess-bride-dizzying-intellect.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="498" height="107" src="https://c.tenor.com/Iy166fSCjZcAAAAC/princess-bride-dizzying-intellect.gif" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div><div>The people who support Trump believe that everyone who shares their opinion on that issue is on the correct side of every issue. They see themselves as "the good guys," and people who disagree are the bad guys - bad guys with powerful secret players backing their position. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's a simple story of good versus bad that washes away anything difficult to understand, but believing the story means dismissing anything that disrupts the narrative. </div><div><br /></div><div>If, as another example, you tell yourself the story that man-made climate change is a hoax, what do you do when the scientific community presents evidence that man-made climate change is a crisis we need to act on immediately? </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, just invent a chapter in which scientists are "in it for the money" and part of a global conspiracy to rob nations of their energy independence. Never mind that scientists don't earn the kind of money that would justify this. Ignore the fact that there are a lot of incentives for a scientist to come forward with evidence of such a conspiracy. Forget that the concept of "energy independence" is a euphemism for "which corporations get to sell oil to Americans." Ignore the complexity and stick to the story.</div><div><br /></div><div>The story makes people feel certain. It sidesteps complexity and leaves gray areas behind, allowing for a more black and white explanation.</div><div><br /></div><div>People want to know they are right, that the decisions they make are the good ones. This is why presenting evidence that demands the acceptance of uncertainty often lands on deaf ears. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I won't pretend to have an easy solution, but I do find comfort in developing an understanding of what is clearly a complex problem. </div><p></p></div></div>Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-14703045275743438032022-01-07T14:56:00.002-08:002022-01-07T14:56:54.481-08:00Shaking Faith<p> I was 10-years-old in 1986.</p><p>Since then, corporate profits in the US have grown 1,428.41%</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8LjNR5GY7Qpx_IskHtKFCVRE0HQZSyttkgmzTnBrRO3U8FprH-BU8jIDaUtTCWc6e4ik1XrbcSjo11P6J3NkmG5_n_ueIqCqwtFm5d85WFHV49sQKhD_dj3GlbOlM6ZUZ5FtPCO1oIprma2fR30nP3uny2qgFkESpBpls4NBSZ27CLbnsIA=s1160" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="1160" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8LjNR5GY7Qpx_IskHtKFCVRE0HQZSyttkgmzTnBrRO3U8FprH-BU8jIDaUtTCWc6e4ik1XrbcSjo11P6J3NkmG5_n_ueIqCqwtFm5d85WFHV49sQKhD_dj3GlbOlM6ZUZ5FtPCO1oIprma2fR30nP3uny2qgFkESpBpls4NBSZ27CLbnsIA=w640-h309" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The S&P 500 stock market index has grown 1,918.10%<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhv1NyKcU_p-taaYLAU03k9T_3RF5VR8EqZgehcCnrxAVQ5wWZW0dWR9kdG7pQjl0dh8kZopZ1ZnNiiH60qC7PZnNIa-7n8Q8eV5HHGG42CRb-VyBGW35N9YWEKlnmZlGUeieLFcSK6lZXPOcPUIEa_kE1EMqsdlSzuOuj980R5wUuysz__Qg=s664" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="664" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhv1NyKcU_p-taaYLAU03k9T_3RF5VR8EqZgehcCnrxAVQ5wWZW0dWR9kdG7pQjl0dh8kZopZ1ZnNiiH60qC7PZnNIa-7n8Q8eV5HHGG42CRb-VyBGW35N9YWEKlnmZlGUeieLFcSK6lZXPOcPUIEa_kE1EMqsdlSzuOuj980R5wUuysz__Qg=w640-h490" width="640" /></a></div>The median household income has grown 19.60%.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSnHDmTPVljdDW1bxO6F8uCzwEeml27ezgQQ3TgSAMAqcdrWqMFw55kyjV_6YGh74Ye255wqYW_cYBEU8D9tLr7yhR0ywOCdD14BjeVUxEuDywthP7NulocpwWqHRlF_3ClITIGaDamaeE-H-TJwZf5UIkstsi2hodP3AaWMXI9ule0dr3Nw=s1161" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1161" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSnHDmTPVljdDW1bxO6F8uCzwEeml27ezgQQ3TgSAMAqcdrWqMFw55kyjV_6YGh74Ye255wqYW_cYBEU8D9tLr7yhR0ywOCdD14BjeVUxEuDywthP7NulocpwWqHRlF_3ClITIGaDamaeE-H-TJwZf5UIkstsi2hodP3AaWMXI9ule0dr3Nw=w640-h310" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-86916107251127754452022-01-03T09:00:00.000-08:002022-01-03T09:00:11.812-08:00Revisiting a Violent Transition of Power<p>--Older Post Revised on 1/2/2022--</p><p>As we prepare for the one-year anniversary of the first time America failed to have a peaceful transition of power, supporters of the former president need to remember the following:</p><p>It’s not enough to hear you disavow those who violently stormed the Capitol. </p><p>We need you to acknowledge that the former president's embrace of far-right antidemocratic extremists did immeasurable harm to the nation. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/4056/4714916311_17e77ac997_b.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/4056/4714916311_17e77ac997_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Here’s why we need such an explicit rejection: When we told you this was coming, you dismissed us as dupes or pawns. <br /><p></p><p>For years, at family reunions, during backyard bull sessions, in comment threads, you've been telling us our worst fears were a figment of the mainstream media's imagination – a propaganda campaign led by the political class – a plot conceived to get your guy out of office by any means necessary. </p><p>You've yelled at us, called us hateful, and said we were foolish to suggest that the Former President was abusing his power or undermining democratic norms. </p><p>When we <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/read-the-transcript-summary-president-trump-call-with-ukrainian-president-volodomyr-zelensky/" target="_blank">presented proof</a>, you told us the proof was a lie. You told us we were suckers to fall for the lie.</p><p>And now it's settled. He is the monster we were warning you about. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>He <a href="https://www.thetrumparchive.com/?results=1&searchbox=%22%3A+%E2%80%9CThe+BIG+Protest+Rally+in+Washington%2C+D.C.%2C+will+take+place+at+11.00+A.M.+on+January+6th.+Locational+details+to+follow.+StopTheSteal%21%E2%80%9D%22" target="_blank">gathered a crowd of extremists</a> on the day Congress was set to certify the election results.</li><li>He assembled the crowd near the Capitol.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://miro.medium.com/max/1000/1*tvq1p6W58Zjb_ouSFr5OvA.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="682" height="200" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1000/1*tvq1p6W58Zjb_ouSFr5OvA.png" width="171" /></a></div></li><li>He <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/02/10/966396848/read-trumps-jan-6-speech-a-key-part-of-impeachment-trial" target="_blank">told them</a> they had been robbed.</li><ul><li>"All of us here today do not want to see our election victory stolen by emboldened radical-left Democrats, which is what they're doing." </li></ul><li>He told them they had to fight.</li><ul><li>"And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore."</li></ul><li>He told his followers their country was being destroyed.</li><ul><li>"We're going to have somebody in there that should not be in there and our country will be destroyed and we're not going to stand for that."</li></ul><li>He said they had to stop that from happening.</li><ul><li>"We must stop the steal."</li></ul><li>He told them they could never win if they showed weakness.</li><ul><li>"Because you'll never take back our country with weakness."</li></ul><li>And then he sent them marching to the Capitol as the legislators and his vice president were in the middle of the certification process.</li></ul><p></p><p>The crowd beat a cop as they sang the National Anthem. They waved flags emblazoned with their leader’s name. They broke windows to gain entry to the Capitol. They chanted calls for a public execution. They stopped a session of Congress. And they did it because the Former President told them to do it. </p><p>He used his power as our nation's leader to make that happen.</p><p>Allow me to repeat this: You don’t get to act surprised. We told you it was going to happen. You just wouldn’t listen.</p><p>And as a follow-up: You don't get to deny what happened. The <a href="https://www.insider.com/capitol-rioters-who-pleaded-guilty-updated-list-2021-5" target="_blank">guilty pleas are flowing </a>now. This was perpetrated by proud Trump supporters who thought violence was an appropriate way to seat a president. </p><p>You've tried to deny what happened. You've tried to downplay the severity. You said we were wrong. You told us we had been lied to by the media and the “faux-experts.” You said you were wiser, smarter, better Americans than us. </p><p>But you weren’t. We were right. We were the ones defending democracy. And now you're angry because we are going to require you to acknowledge that. </p><p>Everything we've been saying about the former president was proven true last year. He cultivated a <a href="https://time.com/4486502/hillary-clinton-basket-of-deplorables-transcript/" target="_blank">basket of deplorables</a>: Followers willing to spread lies, publicly espouse hateful views, call for violence, and yes, willing to assault law enforcement officers to hold onto political power. </p><p>If you try to justify, diminish, or dismiss the disgraceful actions of the former president and his followers, we will reject your anti-democratic ideas. We will shame you and label you unamerican. If you attempt to use force to back your views, we will fight back and we will win. The law and decency are on our side. </p>Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-20686052432293935242021-12-02T12:02:00.001-08:002021-12-02T12:07:50.631-08:00Rittenhouse and Recklessness <p>I am in regular contact with a person who holds very different views from me on the Rittenhouse case. </p><p>I don't wanna get too deep into a debate with them on the topic, but I've been engaging the topic over the last month because it is something I think about a lot. </p><p>I'm raising two boys, and Rittenhouse made the choices he did when he was just a kid (he's still a kid in my eyes). Even when a child is practicing self-defense, however, taking the lives of other people is bound to shake that child to their very core. It is not a situation I would ever want my boys to be in. </p><p>That's my personal stake in the case. There are other reasons I care about the issues raised by the case, but youth violence and recklessness hit close to home.</p><p>Beyond that, I got a very well-balanced analysis of the case just before the jury started deliberating. After hearing it, I was expecting a not-guilty verdict. The analysis came from the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/05/podcasts/the-daily/rittenhouse-trial.html" target="_blank">New York Times podcast The Daily</a>. The TV media reported something vastly different than what I learned from that podcast. <a href="https://twitter.com/juliebosman?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">Julie Bosman</a>, the reporter, made it clear that Rittenhouse stayed overnight in Kenosha regularly - was staying with his best friend that night. She explained that the gun never crossed state lines. She explained why the gun charge got thrown out. Bosman also walked through the events of the entire day leading up to the deaths. The charges brought against Rittenhouse were never going to stick. </p><p>But two people died, another was wounded, and Rittenhouse has to live with the knowledge that he has killed people. </p><p>There is nothing to celebrate or honor. There are no heroes that emerged from these events. And I am troubled to see narratives that suggest otherwise.</p><p>Anyone who portrays Rittenhouse as a hero or as brave is promoting a message to my boys. It is a message I firmly reject and I will teach my boys to reject it as well. The message is that the threat of deadly violence is a legitimate response to property damage or political unrest. </p><p>I know there are people who think it is appropriate to protect property with lethal force. I think those people are wrong. Even if the action is legal, it is morally wrong. I think people who disagree are greedy cowards. </p><p>The only time I believe it is acceptable to kill someone is if you are protecting your life or the life of another. And admittedly, by that logic, Rittenhouse was justified in pulling the trigger. He was protecting his life.</p><p>But he should not have brought an assault rifle to a protest. He should not have waited until the protest ended and mostly provocateurs remained. It's legal what he did, sure, but it was reckless. It was foolish. </p><p>It was the kind of recklessness I see in a lot of teenagers (drunk driving, vandalizing, drag racing, throwing rocks off a highway overpass, trying drugs, etc.). But teenagers normally don't have access to assault rifles. They shouldn't, legal or not. Someone in Rittenhouse's life needed to tell him, "You should not bring a gun to the protest. If things get out of hand, you don't have the training or the maturity to make good decisions. Leave the gun at home." </p><p>But no one told him that. There were actually some adults who encouraged him, and that upsets me. They enabled Rittenhouse's recklessness. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.gametheory.net/images/popular/Chicken/Rebel4.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://www.gametheory.net/images/popular/Chicken/Rebel4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Imagine <i>Rebel Without a Cause </i>if Jim's dad had encouraged Jim to defend his honor and win the chickie run. The audience certainly would have seen Jim's dad as partially responsible for Buzz's death, because Jim's dad is an adult. We don't hold Jim fully responsible because he was a child. But adults encouraging reckless behavior are a very real danger to the kids who look up to them. </p><p>Now, the people who confronted Rittenhouse were reckless as well. I'm not giving them a pass, but they were adults, and two of them are dead now. It feels wrong to do anything beyond acknowledging their recklessness.</p><p>I am trying to thread a needle here. I recognize the events from that night in Kenosha would have very different results if Rittenhouse had been there protecting the safety of the protesters or if his skin was a different color. I recognize that the anger of the protesters was legitimate and they were standing up for the safety of members of their community. Those issues are important. A lot of ink has been spilled addressing them, and we should not be done deliberating those issues. </p><p>As we are able to gain perspective on these events, however, we should be able to have the conversation about youth violence and recklessness on its own. It is not more important than other issues the Rittenhouse case highlights, but it is not unimportant. </p>Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-80039503054208064772021-10-28T12:13:00.004-07:002021-10-28T12:24:58.870-07:00Stop trying to make CRT happen<p>This debate about education that you want me to engage in has become deeply frustrating.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/crt-protest.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=744" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="744" height="133" src="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/crt-protest.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=744" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From the <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/07/05/embracing-critical-theory-teachers-union-says-they-control-what-kids-learn/" target="_blank">New York Post</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table>I understand you want me to see something that you see. You want me to recognize it as something serious - maybe even dangerous. So, I get it is important to you that I listen and take your arguments seriously. <p></p><p>I get that.</p><p>But when I take your arguments seriously enough to respond with my views, time and time again, you have ignored my responses. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjreuejjnn_f2y8oXD0V9odYIXDeQZcgk9fdZGNUb1j35djDBWXU6SY-AvYnxnw8Jm1RbR__CNsvRZRMdtraDQebovMIIMREs6YqPxTnzYpbr48gQsu0us-zG6p3czpmTKt7c1v/s861/IMG_20211028_115040_01.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="653" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjreuejjnn_f2y8oXD0V9odYIXDeQZcgk9fdZGNUb1j35djDBWXU6SY-AvYnxnw8Jm1RbR__CNsvRZRMdtraDQebovMIIMREs6YqPxTnzYpbr48gQsu0us-zG6p3czpmTKt7c1v/w125-h164/IMG_20211028_115040_01.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>You believe that what you have learned from your sources outweighs anything I have to say on the issue. As a result, there is no conversation. You are not willing to consider what I have to say. <p></p><p>So, I don’t understand why you keep trying to engage me. </p><p>You’re now sending poorly sourced photo collages that attempt to link the AG’s daughter’s marriage to ideas you don’t like in education. </p><p>The first time you did that, I sent a point-by-point rebuttal. </p><p>The second collage didn’t offer anything new. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrt-GhSV_5G_OoCRyVLVRh5nTq8zVBWiILkR3-BtCI2tCEpWldlsJyJQZcWLRg04AxR2-27WwZJhdX4Ae6Qg1Urz4mS7stSxX_RuU5OvJgec6W2ep-f7yBAXyfyzpWdCUwVJBj/s960/248496619_496824581998890_7628774801025993234_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="747" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrt-GhSV_5G_OoCRyVLVRh5nTq8zVBWiILkR3-BtCI2tCEpWldlsJyJQZcWLRg04AxR2-27WwZJhdX4Ae6Qg1Urz4mS7stSxX_RuU5OvJgec6W2ep-f7yBAXyfyzpWdCUwVJBj/w135-h173/248496619_496824581998890_7628774801025993234_n.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>You just sent the same theory, but this time you followed it with a leading question: “Conflict… maybe?”<p></p><p>No. There’s no conflict. I already explained why there’s no conflict.</p><p>But here I go again…</p><p>The suggestion of links to CRT is completely manufactured. The AG’s son-in-law founded a firm that contributes to social-emotional learning programs. </p><p>Sure, a bunch of conservatives have objected to social-emotional learning. But just because conservatives don’t like it, doesn’t make it CRT. </p><p>And there it is! I keep coming back to this non-conversation. I shouldn’t, but I do because I find it troubling to see how you have been drawn into this movement to delegitimize education. </p><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://giphy.com/embed/5G98t8QjqBLK8" width="480"></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/mean-girls-regina-george-stop-trying-to-make-fetch-happen-5G98t8QjqBLK8">via GIPHY</a></p><p>I’m sure you don’t see what you’re doing as an effort to delegitimize education, but on more than one occasion you have said (or written) that parents should have the final say in what gets taught in school.</p><p>Let me clear: That is absolutely wrong. </p><p>Parents are not education professionals. The people who decide what gets taught in school should be education professionals. Anyone who says otherwise is working to delegitimize education. </p><p>Want proof?</p><p>Look at <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/27/us/politics/beloved-toni-morrison-virginia.html" target="_blank">the debate in the Virginia governor’s race right now</a>. The GOP candidate <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/578408-youngkin-features-mother-who-pushed-to-have-beloved-banned-from-sons" target="_blank">just put out a campaign ad</a> featuring a mother who was upset that the governor vetoed a bill that would allow parents to opt their kids out of reading books that parents don’t want their children reading. The mother in the ad spearheaded the effort to get that bill passed.</p><p>The book at the center of that mother’s complaint was the Nobel-prize winning novel <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beloved-Toni-Morrison/dp/1400033411" target="_blank">Beloved </a></i>by Toni Morrison, and the child who complained about it was a high school senior in AP English. He claimed the brutal descriptions of slavery gave him nightmares. </p><p>I do not want that kid’s parents to have any say in what gets taught in the public schools. They are dangerously ignorant people who couldn’t figure out how to help their 17-year-old AP English student son navigate a literary telling of slavery. They are the type of people who would get up and read the most shocking parts of Morrison’s book out of context in front of a school board meeting and they would use the shock to insist that the material has no place in the public schools. </p><p>Those parents’ effort to use legislation to keep a book out of their child’s hands is what gives me nightmares. </p><p>And the Virginia state legislature passed the bill! Twice!! It had to be vetoed (twice) to keep the book a required part of the AP English curriculum. They attempted to move mountains just to keep American author Toni Morrison’s award-winning novel out of their child’s hands. </p><p>And those parents are not part of a grassroots movement. They are well-known Republican activists. Their <a href="https://www.law.ufl.edu/admissions-blog/meet-uf-law-student-blake-murphy" target="_blank">son worked (briefly) for the Trump administration</a>. </p><p>And here’s where we get to another part of this mess that troubles me. You have been led to believe that this is a grassroots movement of frustrated parents who are being denied a voice. You think these parents arrived at these positions independently and they are simply concerned about their kids’ schools. And what’s worse than that, in your view, is that the powerful school boards are silencing these parents. They are using the incredible power of their school board appointments to shut these parents out of the decision-making process. </p><p>Put aside the fact that such a view grossly overestimates the role of a school board. Instead, pay attention to the oddly consistent message that these diverse groups of parents are sharing across the country. That should be enough to clue you in that this is not a grassroots movement. <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/10/26/1049078199/a-look-at-the-groups-supporting-school-board-protesters-nationwide?sc=18&f=1001" target="_blank">It is a well-funded political movement</a> with leaders who have deftly coordinated on-the-ground community organizers. Organizations in the movement include <a href="https://citizensrenewingamerica.com/" target="_blank">Citizens Renewing America</a>, the <a href="https://www.manhattan-institute.org/critical-race-theory" target="_blank">Manhattan Institute</a>, <a href="https://defendinged.org/" target="_blank">Parents Defending Education</a>, <a href="https://www.tpusa.com/CRT" target="_blank">Turning Point USA</a>, and <a href="https://www.prageru.com/crt-petition" target="_blank">Prager University</a> (not an actual university, btw). These organizations have assembled toolkits that provide talking points and strategies for making these wedge issues the only thing that a school board can deal with, and they launched these efforts while school districts were trying to figure out how to safely reopen. </p><p>You think parents are frustrated? Imagine school administrators trying to open their institutions at the tail end of a pandemic only to have parents interrupt every public meeting with shouting arguments about a fringe issue. Oh, I’m sorry those parents weren’t all greeted with open arms, but their new pet issue wasn’t the only business on the agenda. </p><p>This is all to say, I think you have an incomplete understanding of the issue and I am frustrated that when I try to show you the bigger picture, you respond with some version of “But the children! Won’t anybody think of the children?”</p><p>It’s fear mongering, and that isn’t what should drive conversations about education. </p>Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-37312779875451546732021-05-04T05:23:00.000-07:002021-05-04T05:23:52.556-07:00Rage-peddling click farmers paraphrasing what they skimmed in retired editions of history books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHU_Y9W1R2Qi7rx9vM6_cqDQS4arQTOkcrTNAkMOeB2bj2M_Fdt-whiau8xud9XBqm4CY_ZyUYZSL0xyo64pHQ8lTY_53cQVT9paBa7lre8zDliexO6n0mUulPp0nttx0o69I6/s1440/179329022_10164938934645704_27416001450534889_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHU_Y9W1R2Qi7rx9vM6_cqDQS4arQTOkcrTNAkMOeB2bj2M_Fdt-whiau8xud9XBqm4CY_ZyUYZSL0xyo64pHQ8lTY_53cQVT9paBa7lre8zDliexO6n0mUulPp0nttx0o69I6/w400-h400/179329022_10164938934645704_27416001450534889_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I shared this photo of a mural I found here in Pamplona a few days ago.</p><p>It expresses, with exceptional concision, a view I have been trying to articulate for years now. </p><p>I don't see it as necessarily anti-capitalist. I see it as a statement of fact. </p><p>Unchecked capitalism paired with imperialist governments led to the installation of unstable governments in the developing world that allow for the exploitation of resources. This has, in turn, led to failed states, wars, warlords, corruption, and eventually to a migrant crisis. </p><p>It was not an accident. It was the intent of powerful people to obtain resources from people with less power. And I benefit from it. The comfort I enjoy as a westerner in a developed economy comes, at least in part, from the exploitation of people I am unlikely to ever meet. </p><p>My comfort and the knowledge of its source make me <i>uncomfortable</i>. I see that as a good thing. I would like more people to experience that discomfort because discomfort moves people to act. </p><p>The problem is that people will resist any effort to disrupt their comfort.</p><p>For example, this morning I woke up to find this response to my photo in the comments: </p><blockquote><p><span style="font-size: large;">That you would post that message....shows your astounding lack of understanding of history in any way, shape or context. Your done </span><span>[Sic]</span><span style="font-size: large;">.</span></p></blockquote><p>It was tempting to ignore this. After all, there is no way I am going to reach this person. No way I am going to change their mind. They have already dismissed me. </p><p>But I decided to write up a response anyway. The comment gave me an opportunity to put into words my thoughts about the current state of political discourse. Here's what I wrote:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>I really appreciate this comment. I appreciate it because it so perfectly encapsulates the rhetorical approach of today’s conservative movement – if you can even categorize what today’s conservatives are doing as a movement.</p><p>It’s a perfect expression of the knee-jerk outrage that has defined the right since 2010. And your empty insistence that expressing a contrary political point of view somehow disqualifies me from the conversation… that was the cherry on top. Just the little reminder that #CancelCulture has its roots in 1980s conservativism (Heavy Metal, Hip Hop, Dungeons & Dragons, Harry Potter, etc. etc.)</p><p>I don’t envy you or other people trying to keep progressives at bay. You all had such a good run, and your comment harkens back to a time when conservatives actually had counterarguments. I remember how good William F. Buckley Jr. was at making progressive values look foolish. You had Friedman and Stigler – Nobel laureates. You had thought leaders who would have provided you with an actual example of history that countered the point made by the leftist mural I shared.</p><p>The thought leaders who could have helped, however, have all left: Brooks, Kristol, Noonan, Krauthammer. You’ve lost all your conservative thinkers. All you have left are rage-peddling click farmers paraphrasing what they skimmed in retired editions of history books while they dive down comment-thread rabbit holes on poorly moderated discussion boards.</p><p>If you wanted people to take you seriously, you would have something more specific than the word “history” to counter this mural’s claim that migrants in Europe are fleeing wars that are the result of thoughtless borders drawn by empires that have since retreated from the developing world. Or that migrants in the US are fleeing failing states that are descendants of puppet governments installed so Western interests could exploit resources without having to worry about regulations or, you know, the people who actually live in those nations.</p><p>You would cite historical events that counter that clear and well-supported telling of modern history if you had a leg to stand on. But instead, you shake your fist and insist that you know something you won’t share because… because what? I’m supposed to know it already? Is that how you would defend your absent argument?</p><p>Well, in the words of my generation: Whatever…</p><p>I guess I’m done.</p></blockquote><p>That's what I wrote, but to be clear: I'm not done. I'm just getting started. </p><p></p>Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-83017269594950836382021-03-31T04:56:00.003-07:002021-03-31T04:58:30.532-07:00Getting back on the bike<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4E1BAQGM7IC_TZE_2A/company-background_10000/0/1519801320357?e=2159024400&v=beta&t=qZX-cOLhwT1tRhL92yCXGdphHT-zyHjdvHzKn-D6bOc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="800" height="224" src="https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4E1BAQGM7IC_TZE_2A/company-background_10000/0/1519801320357?e=2159024400&v=beta&t=qZX-cOLhwT1tRhL92yCXGdphHT-zyHjdvHzKn-D6bOc" width="400" /></a></div><br />Some of you may know I'm on sabbatical leave from <a href="https://www.csus.edu/" target="_blank">Sacramento State</a> this spring. <p></p><p>It's nice. Eligibility for sabbatical is an incredible job benefit.</p><p>There are, of course, expectations associated with the leave.</p><p>To earn this time, I had to propose a project. I proposed a series of papers on my work coordinating the <a href="https://www.csus.edu/undergraduate-studies/writing-program/graduate-gwar.html" target="_blank">writing assessment of juniors</a> at Sac State. </p><p>The project is progressing, but I'm learning (or relearning) a lot of not-so-obvious things about writing along the way. </p><p>I'm getting close to finishing the first paper and that one feeds into the others. Overall I feel good about things. But it was not easy getting here. I'm working on these scholarly papers, and it took until last week for me to rediscover my flow - a.k.a. that focused mental state conducive to productivity described by the Hungarian-American scholar <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_flow_the_secret_to_happiness?language=en" target="_blank">Csíkszentmihályi</a>.</p><p>I think most of us know it's frustrating when you have a lot to say but have a hard time putting it into words. But I like writing. A lot. I've got that 'mediocre white guy confidence' that lets me enjoy reading my own words back to myself (see 15 years of self-indulgent blogging). </p><p>The thing is, writing scholarship requires a lot of different types of mental activity to sync up. And I was out of practice. </p><p>Which is hard to imagine when you think about what I do. I teach writing and 'how-to-teach-writing.' But that work is not the same as writing scholarship. </p><p>Don't get me wrong. I really like my job. Working at a comprehensive regional university is aligned with my life goals and ethics. But that kind of setting asks me to do a lot of teaching and administrative service. I plan classes, assess student work, advise students, chair some meetings, attend other meetings, and coordinate a large-scale assessment program. </p><p>There isn't much time for scholarly writing. And that shit ain't like riding a bike. I couldn't just hop back on and get back at it. I had to rediscover a lot.</p><p>It's a good reminder of what I'm asking my students to do (especially the grad students). It's also an excellent argument for sabbatical leave and protected writing time... and, yes, it probably also a good argument for being disciplined about my scholarly writing goals even when things are busy. </p>Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-87878675961078123152021-02-02T03:51:00.005-08:002022-01-02T17:30:42.653-08:00The Argument Conservatives Must Concede - updated after a year<p>--Revised on 1/2/2022--</p><p>As we prepare for the one-year anniversary of the first time America failed to have a peaceful transition of power, supporters of the former president need to remember the following:</p><p>It’s not enough to hear you disavow those who violently stormed the Capitol. </p><p>We need you, as conservatives, to acknowledge that the former president did immeasurable harm to the nation. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/4056/4714916311_17e77ac997_b.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/4056/4714916311_17e77ac997_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Here’s why we need such an explicit rejection: When we told you this was coming, you dismissed us as dupes or pawns. <br /><p></p><p>For years, at family reunions, during backyard bull sessions, in comment threads, you've been telling us our worst fears were a figment of the mainstream media's imagination – a propaganda campaign led by the political class – a plot conceived to get your guy out of office by any means necessary. </p><p>You've yelled at us, called us hateful, and said we were foolish to suggest that the Former President was abusing his power or undermining democratic norms. </p><p>When we <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/read-the-transcript-summary-president-trump-call-with-ukrainian-president-volodomyr-zelensky/" target="_blank">presented proof</a>, you told us the proof was a lie. You told us we were suckers to fall for the lie.</p><p>And now it's settled. He is the monster we were warning you about. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>He <a href="https://www.thetrumparchive.com/?results=1&searchbox=%22%3A+%E2%80%9CThe+BIG+Protest+Rally+in+Washington%2C+D.C.%2C+will+take+place+at+11.00+A.M.+on+January+6th.+Locational+details+to+follow.+StopTheSteal%21%E2%80%9D%22" target="_blank">gathered a crowd of his followers</a> on the day Congress was set to certify the election results.</li><li>He assembled the crowd near the Capitol.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://miro.medium.com/max/1000/1*tvq1p6W58Zjb_ouSFr5OvA.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="682" height="200" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1000/1*tvq1p6W58Zjb_ouSFr5OvA.png" width="171" /></a></div></li><li>He <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/02/10/966396848/read-trumps-jan-6-speech-a-key-part-of-impeachment-trial" target="_blank">told them</a> they had been robbed.</li><ul><li>"All of us here today do not want to see our election victory stolen by emboldened radical-left Democrats, which is what they're doing." </li></ul><li>He told them they had to fight.</li><ul><li>"And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore."</li></ul><li>He told his followers their country was being destroyed.</li><ul><li>"We're going to have somebody in there that should not be in there and our country will be destroyed and we're not going to stand for that."</li></ul><li>He said they had to stop that from happening.</li><ul><li>"We must stop the steal."</li></ul><li>He told them they could never win if they showed weakness.</li><ul><li>"Because you'll never take back our country with weakness."</li></ul><li>And then he sent them marching to the Capitol as the legislators and his vice president were in the middle of the certification process.</li></ul><p></p><p>The crowd beat a cop as they sang the National Anthem. They waved flags emblazoned with their leader’s name. They broke windows to gain entry to the Capitol. They chanted calls for a public execution. They stopped a session of Congress. And they did it because the Former President told them to do it. </p><p>He used his power as our nation's leader to make that happen.</p><p>Allow me to repeat this: You don’t get to act surprised. We told you it was going to happen. You just wouldn’t listen.</p><p>And as a follow-up: You don't get to deny what happened. The <a href="https://www.insider.com/capitol-rioters-who-pleaded-guilty-updated-list-2021-5" target="_blank">guilty pleas are flowing </a>now. This was perpetrated by proud Trump supporters who thought violence was an appropriate way to seat a president. </p><p>You've tried to deny what happened. You've tried to downplay the severity. You said we were wrong. You told us we had been lied to by the media and the “faux-experts.” You said you were wiser, smarter, better Americans than us. </p><p>But you weren’t. We were right. We were the ones defending democracy. And now you're angry because we are going to require you to acknowledge that. </p><p>Everything we've been saying about the former president was proven true last year. He cultivated a basket of deplorables: Followers willing to spread lies, publicly espouse hateful views, call for violence, and yes, willing to thwart the will of the people to hold onto political power. </p><p>If you try to justify, diminish, or dismiss the disgraceful actions of the former president and his followers, we will reject your anti-democratic ideas. We will shame you and label you unamerican. If you attempt to use force to back your views, we will fight back and we will win. The law and decency are on our side. </p>Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-79311215743476877702021-02-01T01:52:00.001-08:002021-02-01T01:52:26.112-08:00On Reaching Middle Age<p>I started maintaining this blog back in February of 2006, shortly after turning 30. </p><p>After 15 years of sporadically producing informal writing about the ways we argue, I have reached middle age. At least, I think I have. </p><p>As my 45th birthday approached, I asked, "When does a person become middle-aged?" </p><p>Turns out there's an argument to be had there.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3GL5jNiG-PDxXMU6pMJwQyelPIyKkt5ptqc3EedvP4dYuMZ_yjKja3etD8y07aBiXW-KaY37ep2IMv3URvJzu3-RR7__pHRWk4N08M5PkCsEZrcLMz3g_3GqJ8zvZOxwZ-Ht/s1440/110277025_10157817654608742_7373633436743944632_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3GL5jNiG-PDxXMU6pMJwQyelPIyKkt5ptqc3EedvP4dYuMZ_yjKja3etD8y07aBiXW-KaY37ep2IMv3URvJzu3-RR7__pHRWk4N08M5PkCsEZrcLMz3g_3GqJ8zvZOxwZ-Ht/s320/110277025_10157817654608742_7373633436743944632_o.jpg" /></a></div><p>According to the US Census Bureau, I'm already five years in. They claim <a href="https://www.census.gov/topics/population/age-and-sex/about.html" target="_blank">middle age begins as early as 40</a>. The American Psychiatric Association's <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm" target="_blank">DSM</a>, however, pushes the start of middle age up to 55. They're giving me a decade before I have to apply the label. </p><p>When I bump into these kinds of disagreements, I'll often look for a more recent and/or reliable publication to settle things. According to <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30367-6/fulltext" target="_blank">a peer-reviewed article in a 2020 issue of The Lancet</a>, middle age starts at 45. </p><p>The article is less than a year old, and The Lancet is a widely respected medical publication. So I think I'll go with... Of course, it was <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20137807/" target="_blank">a 1998 article in The Lancet</a> that gave us the anti-vax movement, and according to <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landig/article/PIIS2589-7500(20)30227-2/fulltext" target="_blank">an October article in The Lancet</a>, the spreading of that kind of disinformation presents a threat to public safety. </p><p>I suppose someone reading this could use The Lancet's argument to present a strong case against using The Lancet to support my claim. </p><p>And there we have it. Once again, either everything or nothing's settled. It all depends on how we argue.</p><p>I've spent these years rolling a question around in the back of my mind, "How <i>should </i>we argue?"</p><p>Here in the middle of, or at the threshold of, or on the cusp of middle age, I'm ready to make some recommendations on that front:</p><p></p><ul><li>We should argue less and inquire more.</li><li>We should ignore unimportant arguments.</li><li>We should engage the important arguments.</li><li>We should always ask why we're arguing.</li><li>We should take arguments only as seriously as they merit.</li></ul><p></p>Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-81438822817093778242020-12-29T13:50:00.000-08:002020-12-30T12:18:55.495-08:00More on Text Conventions <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><h2 style="text-align: left;">Recognizing My Mistake</h2><p style="text-align: left;">In 2013, <a href="https://hoganhayes.blogspot.com/2013/09/conservative-text-conventions.html" target="_blank">I wrote about</a> chain emails and social media posts from conservatives that used unconventional capitalization, punctuation, and fonts. </p><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKcFlWTZqN_5Nen2p96pJlb13ISh-T7ieSfsfDu0A-hEGvv355Bb1a-miueW7AlWClm2UbYC5I4MBWvqasvG940mubLI8DOdLm8dVqJH_r0c6bYkiTvawhYI4-b5__CUtr3yx/s1600/1607451088504449-1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKcFlWTZqN_5Nen2p96pJlb13ISh-T7ieSfsfDu0A-hEGvv355Bb1a-miueW7AlWClm2UbYC5I4MBWvqasvG940mubLI8DOdLm8dVqJH_r0c6bYkiTvawhYI4-b5__CUtr3yx/w203-h320/1607451088504449-1.png" width="203"></a>Earlier this year, I was trying to write something self-congratulatory about how that seven-year-old observation now seems like an impressive prediction. Aside from a nod to certain Twitter feeds, I was also planning to use a collection of advertising images to show how those conventions have seeped into other venues. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">As I was composing this exercise in self-back-patting, however, I realized that my old post had missed the mark. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">You see, back in 2013, I wasn't very familiar with the way some <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/07/education/mary-quite-contrary.html" target="_blank">feminist scholars intentionally use unconventional spellings</a>, symbols, or grammar to highlight/undermine widely accepted symbols of the patriarchy in language. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">I recognize that all might sound overly academic, but it's really not. The impact of this kind of feminist rhetoric can be seen all over the place - for example, in young people's growing acceptance of terms like <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/10/01/916441659/latinx-is-a-term-many-still-cant-embrace" target="_blank">Latinx</a> or in the use of <a href="https://www.mypronouns.org/they-them" target="_blank">they/them as singular pronouns</a>. </div><h2 style="text-align: left;">How My Teaching Reflects the Recognition </h2><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQi2DFH-SS9bp5AHYZRClQlWgZEF5t0Ci085NqgzJWoVfxlGvDH-aBu3Flse8pGUS_7T8ckKbqwQAd0kEWHOZOGmqwHqi3CyVAlkckdgwVcWdxmSekLLuqfGcnAqdHuhx1J9m/s1600/1607451075148636-7.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQi2DFH-SS9bp5AHYZRClQlWgZEF5t0Ci085NqgzJWoVfxlGvDH-aBu3Flse8pGUS_7T8ckKbqwQAd0kEWHOZOGmqwHqi3CyVAlkckdgwVcWdxmSekLLuqfGcnAqdHuhx1J9m/w234-h400/1607451075148636-7.png" width="234"></a>I now fully embrace writers challenging ideas about "correctness" as they seek a place for authentic language in academic and professional writing. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">I teach <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2011.01207.x" target="_blank">code-meshing</a> as an intentional way for students to push back against the racism embedded in the concept of <a href="https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat/new-sat-tips-planning/about-the-sat-writing-language-test/a/writing-and-language-test-standard-english-conventions" target="_blank">Standard Written English</a>. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">In an exercise intended to demonstrate how the written word belongs to every member of our society, I ask students to compare A) the way social movements have all but ended <a href="https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/30455/is-using-he-for-a-gender-neutral-third-person-correct" target="_blank">the use of "he/him/his" as generic pronouns</a> to B) the way technology has eliminated the convention of <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/24/21234170/microsoft-word-two-spaces-period-error-correction-great-space-debate" target="_blank">two spaces after a period</a>. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">So my old post about how some conservatives will manipulate text to make it feel more authentically their own was not nearly as revelatory as I once thought. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">After all, the unusual formatting choices in those old chain emails successfully signaled a rejection of stuffy academic writing conventions. It's a pretty slick move, one clearly borrowed from feminist rhetoric.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Messy Problems that Remain</h2><div style="text-align: left;">But now I'm faced with a new dilemma because these advertising images still haunt my social media feeds, and they are awful. It's mostly cozy blankets that have been emblazoned with saccharine clichés dedicated to a loved one. And while we could spend time analyzing the meaning(lessness) of the words, that's not what caught my attention. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">I believe these blankets are the textual descendants of the chain emails I used to get from conservative relatives back in the early 2010s. Take a look at an old chain email together with one of these blankets:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iFsmzIGxeNUXpMnGIQLTse8coK5pUopWH4hYmXux7qGD2mIondRad3tgeQ3rTwMA5rY1n_IpOPOuVV9CeDL1gNrx9FtIcVcs2GeXYqcrjRW87ssvYtJfDbBJwkzcemLNZE2R/s843/chain+and+blanket.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="843" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iFsmzIGxeNUXpMnGIQLTse8coK5pUopWH4hYmXux7qGD2mIondRad3tgeQ3rTwMA5rY1n_IpOPOuVV9CeDL1gNrx9FtIcVcs2GeXYqcrjRW87ssvYtJfDbBJwkzcemLNZE2R/w640-h278/chain+and+blanket.jpg" width="640"></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">The switches into and out of all caps. The font changes. The bolding and italicizing of words. </div><div style="text-align: left;">The complete rejection of visual design, readability, and formatting norms. These two texts clearly share a set of conventions. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPAqBohyphenhyphenpBhOlXeRzAT-sfIjfBAg_R9STHXAir6EMZn8W1SXbCVdthvIfs3Md2cphigFXUlFWJbBFsMmfCHC9IRVZi2nQBih41ANLgoCOvRP23gAyw2MmwL9GfoRgg5qn7Q7r/s1600/1607451081886887-4.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
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</a>So, how does a rhetorician address the way conventions are broken on these cozy blankets alongside the brilliant ways Geneva Smitherman broke conventions in her seminal article <i><a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/375044?seq=1" target="_blank">God Don't Never Change</a>?</i> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm not really comfortable with where that question is taking me, but I can't ignore it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">A few years ago, I would have ignored it. I would have dismissed the emails from people who don't write the way I do, but since then textual tools used to push back against the status quo have become more important to me. Who uses those tools and how is not something I can control - or would seek to control. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">But I want to find a way to critique those choices, to assess their effectiveness. If my students and my peers are going to use these kinds of techniques more in the future, I need a way to demonstrate the difference between skillful execution and hamfisted slapdashery. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">With that in mind, comparing Smitherman's work to the blankets might serve as a starting point. I also believe my time studying fiction writing will be informative. Fiction writing was a place where breaking conventions was encouraged but also critiqued, often harshly. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">I may finally have some time to write something more serious about this, and I am happy to have found that it is connected to a larger conversation in feminist rhetoric. I also think it has pedagogical implications. I look forward to seeing where it takes me. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Unfortunately, my decision to stop and screengrab images of these blankets means that I will also be seeing more of them in the future - at least until the algorithms find something better to try and sell me. </div></div>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And yes, the pun in the title is intentional. It isn't very nice, but I hate these blankets with a fury that burns deep inside me.</div>Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-84443544885504781172020-10-07T12:13:00.003-07:002020-10-07T12:14:28.408-07:00The Rhetoric of a Scam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/047e4b_7f22cd8aa7904ca69f2e734dc9deeaca~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_640,h_400,al_c,lg_1,q_80/047e4b_7f22cd8aa7904ca69f2e734dc9deeaca~mv2.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="640" height="358" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/047e4b_7f22cd8aa7904ca69f2e734dc9deeaca~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_640,h_400,al_c,lg_1,q_80/047e4b_7f22cd8aa7904ca69f2e734dc9deeaca~mv2.webp" width="573" /></a></div><p>Online game advertisements on social media often show clips of people failing to complete an easy puzzle. It's a common trick from Three Card Monte scams, and a ploy worth understanding.</p><p>Three Card Monte is that game where someone shows you a card and then asks you to follow that card while they move three cards around the table. </p><p>It looks really easy. But more importantly, almost every time a person first encounters the game, they will see someone beating the dealer - often for an outrageous sum of money. That "winner," however, is working with the dealer. They make the game look easy and/or the dealer look inept.</p><p>The person who believes the game they saw was legitimate is the mark.</p><p>They see how easy the game is and think, "I can do that." </p><p>And it feels good to think "I can do that." So good, in fact, that many people step up to play when the "winner" walks away counting their money.</p><p>And that's the scam.</p><p>Seeing the dealer fail at a task that looks easy makes you want to attempt the game yourself. </p><p>And that's all the scammer wants. They want you to make the attempt.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>At a Three Card Monte table, they want you to think the dealer doesn't have the sleight of hand skills that they actually have. </li><li>On social media, the gaming company wants you to click through to their game that's loaded with advertisements. </li></ul><div>In both cases, once a mark joins, they are invested because the hook appealed to their sense of competence and/or superiority. </div><p></p><p>So, yeah, if you're about to engage in something that makes you feel smart because you just watched someone fail, there's a good chance that you are the mark. </p>Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-41945305350967168862020-06-06T12:01:00.001-07:002020-06-06T12:01:32.492-07:00"LookUpHere! LookUpHere!"I do not block or unfriend people I disagree with on social media, and today I was rewarded for my tolerance.<br />
<br />
An old friend, someone who sees things a little differently than I do, shared another Facebook user's post today:<br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="589" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Flshulerthe1%2Fposts%2F10223013331303223&show_text=true&width=552&height=589&appId" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="552"></iframe><br />
<br />
I love this post for so many reasons.<br />
This is a perfect post.<br />
This is the most perfect perfection social media could hope to produce.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DarlingDefenselessCockroach-size_restricted.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="480" height="245" src="https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DarlingDefenselessCockroach-size_restricted.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
Across the nation there are protests. A number of the protests have included violence - sometimes protesters lashing out at police and businesses, sometimes police lashing out at protesters and the media.<br />
<br />
The protests are a reaction to a number of high profile incidents of racial violence and a collective understanding that these incidents demonstrate the deep inequities woven into our nation's culture.<br />
<br />
All of that is happening in the shadow of a pandemic that has killed over 100k Americans, halted the global economy, and left many without a job for months.<br />
<br />
And this social media warrior took to the internet to tell their friends in no uncertain terms: That's all a distraction from a court ruling about emails from before 2016.<br />
<br />
Without this post, I could never hope to better understand the problems we are having in our national discourse.<br />
<a href="https://i.imgur.com/0AXlBTh.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="500" height="184" src="https://i.imgur.com/0AXlBTh.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
This person wants others to believe everything is a distraction from what happened in 2016 and the media is complicit in the creation of those distractions.<br />
<br />
This is the voice of all the people who cannot see past their one pet interest. So for them, when people are paying attention to anything else, that serves as confirmation that the rest of the world has been duped. They are the only ones with sharp enough focus to see what's actually happening in this country.<br />
<br />
And that is what's wrong with how we argue right now. Most everyone is looking at the world through the lens of their tiny little concern. How do these riots impact the Russia Investigation? How does Black Lives Matter affect the president's approval ratings? How does police brutality change the way I read Twitter?<br />
<br />
These are the absurd questions people pose in our corrupted discourse.<br />
<br />
I enjoyed reading that post today because it reminded me to ignore these questions because they are the distraction.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-66493197595894169562020-04-06T19:13:00.001-07:002020-11-24T10:24:19.351-08:00We Voted For Inaction<a href="https://i2.wp.com/bunnyears.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/meh.png?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://i2.wp.com/bunnyears.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/meh.png?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1" width="320" /></a>Many have claimed the US response to the COVID-19 pandemic <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/03/how-will-coronavirus-end/608719/" target="_blank">has been inept</a> due to a collapse of leadership. Critics write about this collapse as though it were a failure.<br />
<br />
The problem with that view, however, is that it ignores how, for years, Americans have been supporting leaders who've promised to hobble the Federal government.<br />
<br />
A lack of Federal leadership is what many Americans have been demanding, and during this crisis, Trump's decision to <a href="https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/04/06/california-sends-500-ventilators-back-to-national-stockpile-1272393" target="_blank">leave all</a> the <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/04/02/states-without-stay-home-orders-residents-celebrate-freedoms/5105303002/" target="_blank">difficult decisions to the states</a> is a victory for those voters.<br />
<br />
There is a large block of Americans who believe the following:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Most government services are inefficient</li>
<li>Most government spending is wasteful</li>
<li>Most government workers are incompetent</li>
<li>Most elected officials are corrupt</li>
<li>The government stands in the way of freedom</li>
<li>The smaller our government gets the better our nation will become</li>
</ul>
<br />
Voters who hold those beliefs fueled the rise of Sarah Palin, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, the Tea Party, debt ceiling shutdowns, the House Freedom Caucus, and President Trump - among others.<br />
<br />
These voters have a core belief that informs their choices: The only acceptable role for our government is to support the growth of private industry - the real power in America.<br />
<br />
Because these voters do not believe the government is able to effectively respond to anything, they will seek to strip it of the power to respond to everything. Trump has been happy to contribute to that effort, branding any of his policy critics from within the government as "deep state operatives." <br />
<br />
So, to cite one example, no one should be surprised that in 2018 this administration <a href="https://time.com/5806558/administration-officials-fight-criticism/" target="_blank">disbanded a National Security Unit focused on pandemic response</a> despite repeated <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gates_the_next_outbreak_we_re_not_ready?language=en" target="_blank">warnings of the risk a pandemic posed</a>. After all, the administration was acting on its promise to streamline the government. When this move resulted in the departure of Thomas P. Bossert and Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer, leading experts in pandemic response, this was more evidence that the administration was shrinking the government. The departure of pandemic experts was a victory.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To provide another example, people should not be baffled that the Administration has still not enacted the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/03/25/821285204/trump-sends-mixed-messages-about-invoking-defense-production-act" target="_blank">Defense Production Act</a> despite A) the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/06/nation/fed-officials-have-sent-100-1700-ventilators-mass-requested-thats-absurd-lawmakers-say/" target="_blank">clear need</a> for increased production of ventilators and B) the need for a powerful purchaser capable of ending <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-states-bids-medical-equipment-ventilators-supplies/" target="_blank">bidding wars</a> that result in an unnecessary spike in prices for care during a crisis.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This Administration does not believe in wielding the power of our government for anything other than supporting the growth of private industry. This belief gives them the right to deny responsibility for the American people. </div>
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Voters sought out leaders who do not believe the government is responsible for the safety and security of its people. We found those people and put them in charge. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, we need to stop acting surprised at the non-response we're getting from the White House, and we have got to start discussing what the role of government should be as we prepare for new leadership. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The group behind Trump's rise does not value public education, publicly-funded scientific research, environmental protections, consumer protection programs, privacy protections, publicly-funded efforts to empower marginalized groups, safety regulations, advancements in infrastructure, or publicly-funded arts.<br />
<br />
Attempts to appeal to them on any of these issues will go nowhere.<br />
Those policies either directly impede efforts to support the growth of private industry or they compete for the resources required for such support.<br />
<br />
The good news is most Americans don't share the beliefs that inform this Administration. As we struggle through this crisis without a leader, let's use this time to reexamine what we expect from our government when the opportunity to select real leader arises.<br />
<br />
What do you expect from our government?</div>
Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-77820667736044401272020-01-23T10:41:00.002-08:002020-01-23T10:41:50.086-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-62005503567434091762020-01-07T13:05:00.001-08:002020-01-07T13:05:01.932-08:00I No Longer Support the Troops<a href="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5073/14560447046_2704a574ba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="236" height="320" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5073/14560447046_2704a574ba.jpg" width="208" /></a>I am not anti-military.<br />
<br />
The training and discipline service requires have always impressed me.<br />
I recognize the military as an excellent way to gain the skills and experience needed to succeed.<br />
I grew up with people who served in the armed forces and, as individuals, I know them to be good people.<br />
Many of the best students I've taught are veterans.<br />
I have friends who served.<br />
I have family serving.<br />
One of my most powerful childhood memories is watching my father find the name of an uncle I never met on the Vietnam War Memorial.<br />
<br />
I want to support the men and women of our military, but I can no longer do so.<br />
<br />
I feel horrible saying that, but this is bigger than my feelings. My withdrawal of support is about ethics and morality.<br />
An informed citizen can no longer join today's military and honestly believe it is a virtuous institution designed to protect America. This has been true for some time now, but in recent months it has become too clear to ignore.<br />
<br />
There are friends on one side who will tell me I should have stopped supporting the military long ago. They'll tell me what I've written here today has been obvious to them for years.<br />
<br />
There are friends on the other side who will condemn me for withholding my support. They'll tell me that I have no right to deny support to men and women who risk their lives protecting my freedoms.<br />
<br />
From here in the middle, I say it is time we acknowledge a hard truth:<br />
Our military's primary mission is no longer to end conflicts, protect America, or fight for democracy.<br />
We are engaged in a number of conflicts with no clear definition of victory.<br />
Many of those have spurred additional conflicts, each requiring more military action.<br />
The evidence is clear, America's use of our military creates conflict and works to expand the use of deadly force.<br />
<br />
Since the end of the Cold War, our military has become exactly what Eisenhower warned against when he <a href="https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/eisenhower001.asp" target="_blank">said</a>,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.</blockquote>
Neither that speech nor this post is anti-military. Eisenhower stated, and I agree that a "vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Gg-jvHynP9Y/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gg-jvHynP9Y?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
But as American citizens, we have failed to compel the proper meshing of the military-industrial complex with peaceful methods that prioritize liberty. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.koamnewsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/US-drone-strike-kills-Iraqi-general-outside-Baghdad-airport-1024x576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://images.koamnewsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/US-drone-strike-kills-Iraqi-general-outside-Baghdad-airport-1024x576.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <a href="https://www.koamnewsnow.com/us-drone-strike-kills-iraqi-general-outside-baghdad-airport/" target="_blank">KAOM</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mike Pompeo, our nation's Secretary of State (not Defense), <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/01/07/794173642/mike-pompeo-on-drone-strike-that-killed-irans-top-military-leader-we-got-it-righ" target="_blank">is publicly arguing that</a> the best course of action in our effort to reduce tensions with an international adversary was an extra-judicial execution carried out by our military. As a result of this action, we are <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/05/us/military-families-troops-deployed-us-iran-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">deploying more troops</a> to the region where it occurred.<br />
<br />
The Secretary of State <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51007961" target="_blank">was asked today</a> for evidence of the imminent attack that made military action necessary. He did not provide any such evidence. And he won't have to. He can tell us it's a secret, and we will accept that as sufficient.<br />
<br />
But I can't do that anymore. I cannot trust that our military keeps secrets to serve an honorable mission. Not after our President insisted that our military honor a man convicted of "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/27/eddie-gallagher-trump-navy-seal-iraq" target="_blank">posing with the dead body of a teenage Islamic State captive he had just killed with a hunting knife</a>." Not after <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/edward-gallagher-case-navy-secretary-fired-private-proposal-white-house-to-restore-seals-rank-2019-11-24/" target="_blank">the military fired an active leader</a> who - with good cause - refused to honor such a man.<br />
<br />
With that, I am being asked to support an institution that publicly honors people who disregard the value of human life.<br />
<br />
Will people serving in such an institution recognize the imperative to disobey <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-trump-doubles-threat-hit-iranian-cultural-sites/story?id=68123577" target="_blank">illegal and immoral</a> orders? I thought I knew the answer to that question. But now our military publicly carries out executions, honors the dishonorable, and works to create a perpetual state of war.<br />
<br />
I cannot support the people who volunteer to join such an institution.<br />
Again, I am not anti-military, but I am no longer able to support this military.Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-5427621151890455742019-05-15T13:36:00.001-07:002019-05-15T13:36:20.728-07:00Time to price moving vansIf your home state <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/14/six-week-abortion-bans-faith2action" target="_blank">enacts laws that do not respect your personhood</a>, you have to seriously consider leaving the state.<br />
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</div>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbx_Ct9B93aNFbUVPCVUUkNfTcIA7GPyXXdHfYImGiyvaVqV7E5PpcC7WXZyBnF94WaIwwHIggG0bA_vXLjblQHvDPQZhktXyvz9pmruB9h3XRsNaOCOgqO_0yvNgxhFBuBap3/s1600/kc8o5zjcr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="800" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbx_Ct9B93aNFbUVPCVUUkNfTcIA7GPyXXdHfYImGiyvaVqV7E5PpcC7WXZyBnF94WaIwwHIggG0bA_vXLjblQHvDPQZhktXyvz9pmruB9h3XRsNaOCOgqO_0yvNgxhFBuBap3/s320/kc8o5zjcr.jpg" width="320" /></a>That may sound extreme, but let's consider the word "extreme."<br />
<br />
The religious right started working to overturn Roe versus Wade in the 1970s. They engaged in <a href="https://www.salon.com/2014/05/18/the_evangelical_presidency_reagans_dangerous_love_affair_with_the_christian_right/" target="_blank">a hostile takeover of the GOP in the 80s</a>. Since then, they have subverted all of the party's other priorities in favor of this one issue.<br />
<ul>
<li>The GOP is no longer the party of small government </li>
<ul>
<li>They have <a href="https://www.mercatus.org/publication/rise-capita-federal-spending" target="_blank">failed to cut government spending</a> despite several long periods in power</li>
</ul>
<li>The GOP is no longer the party of personal freedom</li>
<ul>
<li>They work to legislate marriage, family planning, and medical procedures</li>
</ul>
<li>The GOP's current leader has backed away from international military alliances</li>
<li>The GOP's leader does not value free trade</li>
<li>The GOP isn't even the party of family values anymore</li>
<ul>
<li>The religious right helped the GOP elect a divorcee who has extramarital affairs with porn stars</li>
</ul>
</ul>
In a single-minded effort that has taken over 40 years, the religious right dismantled the platform of a major political party and replaced it with a pro-life agenda... and nothing else.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is their only issue, and that's why they are making progress. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
They aren't making progress because their position is more popular. Even <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/244709/pro-choice-pro-life-2018-demographic-tables.aspx" target="_blank">the most generous polls</a> have the nation split. <a href="https://www.pewforum.org/fact-sheet/public-opinion-on-abortion/" target="_blank">Most polls</a> show more Americans are pro-choice.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
No, it isn't the merit of their view. The religious right is making progress because they are single-minded. They are willing to bend the entire US government to their will in this effort. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The GOP is being held hostage by people seeking to enact laws based on their religious beliefs, and after a few decades, a kind of <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22447726" target="_blank">Stockholm syndrome</a> has set in. Conservatives believe the religious right has been taking care of them, helping them win elections. Nevermind that the party's values no longer mean anything, the GOP can win state houses and the White House. <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/republican-gerrymandering-wisconsin" target="_blank">Not even democracy can stand in their way</a>!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I would love to provide some kind of reasonable strategy for overcoming their efforts, but if people are willing to betray all their values save one, they are pathological. There is not a reasonable way to stop them. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, leave them. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Walk away.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If the religious right has a hold on your state house, they will take your right to choose and then they'll go after birth control. They think it is a woman's job to have babies for men, and they want to enact laws to enforce that. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If those are not your values, move to a state that respects your values. Take your skills, your income, your family, your friends, your vote, and your values; go find a community that will embrace them all.<br />
<br />
By leaving, you will enrich the community you join and deprive extremists of all you have to offer.<br />
<br />
Let's see how they do without us. </div>
Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-34992272534574505802019-03-27T12:46:00.000-07:002019-03-27T15:55:18.685-07:00OxyContin, the Special Olympics, Charity, and Taxes"But the wealthy are so generous in their support of charities and non-profits."<br />
<br />
It's a point I often hear from people when discussing taxes.<br />
<br />
It's <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/betsy-devos-plans-pull-special-olympics-funding-says-charity-can-pay-2019-3" target="_blank">in the news right now</a>.<br />
<br />
Here's how:<br />
The <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/" target="_blank">White House Budget</a> proposal would cut funding to the Special Olympics. This part of the proposal is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY9adRMhFuE" target="_blank">an easy target for critics of the White House</a>, but I am much more interested in the way the Administration has defended the cut.<br />
<br />
In response to questions about it, <a href="https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2019/03/27/devos-defund-special-olympics/26285/" target="_blank">Besty DeVos said</a>, “I think that Special Olympics is an awesome organization, one that is well supported by the philanthropic sector as well.”<br />
<br />
And there it is. The assumption behind DeVos's statement is this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The rich are generous with their money and that is why we should cut government spending and stop taxing the wealthy so heavily. The wealthy provide jobs and give to charities. If they were able to keep more of their money, they would give more, and the government wouldn't need to support causes like the Special Olympics or universities or the arts. The wealthy will step up and make sure those causes are supported. </blockquote>
That argument sounds nice. It plays into our perception that <i>people who succeed must be good people</i>. Look at <a href="https://www.forbes.com/top-givers/#4897beb066ff" target="_blank">this list of generous billionaire families</a>; it practically proves success is a sign of a person's inherent goodness. "<a href="https://www.shmoop.com/quotes/isnt-it-pretty-to-think-so.html" target="_blank">Isn't it pretty to think so?</a>"<br />
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<a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.271163997.6005/mwo,x1000,ipad_2_snap-pad,750x1000,f8f8f8.lite-1u2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.271163997.6005/mwo,x1000,ipad_2_snap-pad,750x1000,f8f8f8.lite-1u2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Unfortunately, even bad hombres are able to succeed from time to time.<br />
<br />
For example, take one of those very generous billionaire families.<br />
The <a href="https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a12775932/sackler-family-oxycontin/" target="_blank">Sackler family</a> give a lot of money to charities and non-profits, and that's nice.<br />
But it is worth noting that the family owns <a href="https://www.purduepharma.com/" target="_blank">Purdue Pharma</a>, the company that brought <a href="https://oxycontin.com/" target="_blank">OxyContin</a> to market in 1996. Much of their wealth has been accumulated through the sale of a narcotic painkiller - a narcotic painkiller that, <a href="https://www.apnews.com/f9db345d659a48bfbff33e6f4c394d0a" target="_blank">according to a recently settled lawsuit</a>, has been deceptively marketed in ways that fueled the opioid crisis.<br />
<br />
They are drug dealers.<br />
<br />
They make and market an addictive drug. They actively worked to get that drug into the hands of as many people as possible. When people started dying, the family did not stop trying to find new customers. When the drug they sold was named as one of the sources of a national crisis, they continued to defend their efforts to sell the drug.<br />
<br />
I'm sure the Sackler family does not think they are bad people. After all, they are only working to support themselves. They are enjoying economic success. They shouldn't be punished for that.<br />
And, here's the important part, they give generously to museums, charities, and universities around the world.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://d14rmgtrwzf5a.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/odr-graph4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://d14rmgtrwzf5a.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/odr-graph4.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
But they are bad people.<br />
<br />
They started the opioid crisis.<br />
<br />
They sell the drug that kills tens of thousands.<br />
<br />
They sought customers in places where their drugs do harm, and they aggressively sold the drug there.<br />
<br />
They still sell it.<br />
<br />
Our government has not stopped them from selling their drugs in irresponsible ways.<br />
<br />
The Sackler family's generosity cannot make up for the harm they have done.<br />
<br />
So, don't ask me to consider the generosity of the wealthy when forming my views on tax policy.<br />
<br />
I support policy intended to prevent the pooling of wealth.<br />
I believe economic inequality is a serious issue, and that the past thirty-five years of tax policy have contributed to that issue.<br />
I support a return to the top marginal tax bracket that was <a href="https://taxfoundation.org/us-federal-individual-income-tax-rates-history-1913-2013-nominal-and-inflation-adjusted-brackets/" target="_blank">in place from 1965-1981</a> when top earners paid seventy percent income tax on anything over a certain level of income.<br />
<br />
People don't have to agree with my policy preferences, but I am going to argue with people who tell me my views are wrong-headed. When I discuss such policies, I will try to respect the arguments people use support lower taxes on the wealthy.<br />
<br />
But I will no longer listen to arguments that invoke all the good done by wealthy Americans who give to charity.<br />
<br />
Nor will I listen to arguments that suggest the philanthropic sector can take on the work of a strong government.<br />
<br />
Those arguments ask me to hand over authority to people simply because they have wealth, and I do not believe such people will consider my interests when making decisions.Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-21206274661416208852019-02-05T11:12:00.000-08:002019-02-05T11:12:11.780-08:00Attacking the Sensitive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://pics.me.me/its-called-a-joke-we-used-to-tell-them-before-38900561.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://pics.me.me/its-called-a-joke-we-used-to-tell-them-before-38900561.png" width="278" /></a></div>
So, I'm bracing for the conservative backlash that is bound to splash across my social media feeds today when pundits start lampooning a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/movies/mary-poppins-returns-blackface.html" target="_blank">NYT op-ed by Daniel Pollack-Pelzner about Mary Poppins wearing blackface</a>.<br />
<br />
USA today is already <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2019/02/04/professor-accuses-mary-poppins-blackface-twitter-isnt-having/2773748002/" target="_blank">covering Twitter's reaction</a> (btw, really, USA Today?).<br />
<br />
I expect to see a lot of people pointing and shouting at this example of "<b>LIE</b>-berals being TOO <span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>sensitive</b></i></span>!!!!"<br />
<br />
And yeah, I think the Mary Poppins thing is silly.<br />
<br />
But this "too sensitive" thing, like the derisive use of "politically correct," is worth some attention.<br />
<br />
Sure, there are times when people are being too sensitive (I'm looking at you Pollack-Pelzner).<br />
<br />
However, there is a much longer history of guys like me telling other people, "Don't be offended. This is the way things are. You're being <i>too sensitive</i>."<br />
<br />
Due to the accident of history, our cultural landscape was shaped by a lot of straight white dudes catering to all the other straight white dudes. If you find that statement controversial, I don't know what to tell you. The evidence is literally everywhere. And it's not just that the world is built to make us comfortable; it's also the absurd backlash to razor commercials, #BLM, #metoo, female science fiction writers, female game designers, black actors in comic book movies... Oh. My. God. The irony that these are the people accusing others of being too sensitive surpasses the level of satire.<br />
<br />
But I get it. Because for people who are comfortable in a world built for straight white dudes (and that includes a lot of people are not straight, white, or dude-like), "<i>this is the way things are</i>."<br />
<br />
And living in a moment when people are challenging the way things are can lead to some disturbances. In fact, it should disturb some people.<br />
<br />
It disturbs me and my understanding of my world. I have to accept there are some things I do not understand as offensive, but those things offend others.<br />
<br />
And when people assert themselves and expect to be treated with dignity, I may have to reexamine the way things are.<br />
<br />
I may find that the world I thought of as so comfortable was actually a lot less comfortable for people I hadn't taken into consideration.<br />
<br />
Making room and treating others with dignity is going to change my world.<br />
It'll disturb my world.<br />
<br />
There's going to be times when I have to admit I do not - <i>and cannot - </i>understand why someone is offended, because they have a point of view I am unable to share.<br />
<br />
So, I have to be more careful with that accusation of "too sensitive." It may, after all, be me that has become too sensitive.Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051996.post-43913624418751431382018-12-17T11:15:00.000-08:002018-12-17T11:42:02.375-08:00The Democrat Bogeyman Have you heard people refer to the "Democrat Party?"<br />
They drop the "ic" from the Democratic Party - even though "Democratic Party" is the name of the party.<br />
<br />
Maybe you dismissed this as a mistake -- or as D.C. slang from folks in the know.<br />
But it's actually childish namecalling.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.eduardosuastegui.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Name-calling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://www.eduardosuastegui.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Name-calling.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Pay attention to who uses the shortened, harsher sounding, ungrammatical "Democrat Party." It's primarily conservative commentators, along with a few of the conservatives working in government.<br />
<br />
It's not an accident or accepted slang. It's a cheap shot that, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/ombudsman/2010/03/since_when_did_it_become_the_d.html" target="_blank">according to NPR's Ombudsman</a>, started in the 50s when a conservative decided he didn't like the opposing party's name because it includes an adjective with positive connotations.<br />
<br />
Now, if I have an acquaintance named James who has told me he prefers to go by the name "James," but I insist on calling him Jimbo, there is not a lot James can do. He can explain to others that I am a petty and small-minded person who does things simply to make others uncomfortable, but he can't make me stop.<br />
<br />
In fact, taking a stand on such a small thing should be beneath a guy like James.<br />
<br />
So, I normally take a cue from this hypothetical James and try to ignore it when I hear conservatives use their disparaging nickname.<br />
<br />
But it is an effort to ignore it. I always hear it - of course, that's the point.<br />
<br />
Recently, I heard Stevie Miller use "Democrat Party" in <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2018/12/16/stephen_miller_trump_absolutely_willing_to_shut_down_government_over_border_wall.html" target="_blank">an interview</a> about the Administration's plan to shut down the government if Congress doesn't fully fund a wall building project. In the interview, he said, "The Democrat Party has a simple choice. They can either choose to fight for America's working class or to promote illegal immigration. You can't do both."<br />
<br />
That's when I found a new way of hearing that name, "Democrat Party."<br />
<br />
Stevie Miller is not talking about the actual Democratic Party. He's talking about an imaginary group of horrible people who want to destroy the country. The fake party he's talking about is made up of policymakers who would gladly watch this country burn. He gave this imaginary party a name - a name no actual political party has. His monstrous political party is the Democrat Party.<br />
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Of course, there is no such party. He (and others) made it all up. It is a horror story used to make sure Trump's base doesn't ask too many questions.<br />
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You want proof, look at his quote from that interview:<br />
"The Democrat Party has a simple choice. They can either choose to fight for America's working class or to promote illegal immigration. You can't do both."<br />
Wait... What? That doesn't make any sense.<br />
Unless!<br />
That is the logic of a man trapped inside an imaginary fantasyland where the villains of an evil political party are working to destroy America.<br />
The name Democrat Party is an exercise in imagination by people who need make-believe villains to justify the actions they are taking in reality.Hoganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212121417479646924noreply@blogger.com0