Category Archives: Culture

Recurring Themes

Posted on Thursday 5 January 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Not enough time to write a review this afternoon, so I’ll just post a few links about current events. NY Times, Charles M. Blow, 4 Jan 2023: The Burn-It-All-Down Republican Caucus

Posted in Culture, Politics | Comments Off on Recurring Themes

Good News of 2022; What Success at College Means

Posted on Tuesday 3 January 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

NY Times, Nicholas Kristof, 31 Dec 2022: Cheer Up! The World Is Better Off Than You Think.

Posted in Culture, Education | Comments Off on Good News of 2022; What Success at College Means

The Weekend, and Heather Cox Richardson on 2022

Posted on Monday 2 January 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

I’ve missed posting the past two days for various reasons.

Posted in Culture, Personal history | Comments Off on The Weekend, and Heather Cox Richardson on 2022

Self-Replacement?

Posted on Tuesday 27 December 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Today looking at an article about how conservatives worry about the “great replacement” (of US Christian whites by non-white, non-Christian immigrants) and how, ironically, conservative policies invite their being replaced, through simple natural selection. With comments at the end about … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Religion | Comments Off on Self-Replacement?

Assorted Links from Recent Weeks

Posted on Friday 23 December 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

About George Santos’s fictional resume, Tucker Carlson’s year of being wrong, Avatar 2’s “ecological Indian” cliche, the hypocrisy of right-wing “free thinkers,” Thomas Frank on the lack of imagination of Democrats, DeSantis and vaccines, book banning, and two religious graphics.

Posted in Culture, Movies, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Assorted Links from Recent Weeks

Hanukkah Kitsch and Christmas Shopping

Posted on Tuesday 20 December 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

I spent most of this afternoon Christmas shopping. I can make that align with this article about Hanukkah kitsch. New York Times, 18 Dec 2022: Potato Latke Cocktail, Anyone?

Posted in Culture, Personal history, Religion | Comments Off on Hanukkah Kitsch and Christmas Shopping

Assorted Items on Friday the 16th

Posted on Friday 16 December 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

About evidence and reason; conservative book bans; automobiles as creators of inequality; anti-vaxxers and traffic crashes; Trump as the emblem of a half population of semi-literates. I’ve seen this comment on Facebook before, but have never quoted it. It’s apocryphal, … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture | Comments Off on Assorted Items on Friday the 16th

No Escaping Tribal Warfare

Posted on Monday 12 December 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Items today about Hasidic yeshiva schools, “common good constitutionalism,” the root cause of violent crime, and the increasingly despicable Elon Musk. We like to think modern society is more advanced than societies of thousands of years ago, and it is … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Politics | Comments Off on No Escaping Tribal Warfare

Ancient Apocalypse, Odds and Ends

Posted on Wednesday 30 November 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

The “Ancient Apocalypse” nonsense; Movie trailers; Political headlines.

Posted in Culture, Politics, Religion, Science | Comments Off on Ancient Apocalypse, Odds and Ends

Change and Survival: A Refined Conception of Science Fiction

Posted on Tuesday 29 November 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

A couple items today have perhaps led me to a new formulation of the idea of “science fiction.”

Posted in Culture, Religion, Science, science fiction | Comments Off on Change and Survival: A Refined Conception of Science Fiction