Category Archives: Politics

Regressions

Posted on Wednesday 29 March 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Topics in this post: Why do “parents’ rights” only seem to involve requests to suppress and ban? The power of a single conservative snowflake. Undermining democracy. An authoritarianism quiz. Phony scandals. Banning non-existent vaccine microchips. Religion as the solution to … Continue reading →

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Negative News, Conspiracy-Minded Customers, Conservative Traditions

Posted on Thursday 23 March 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Three items for today. How the negativity bias in news reporting is partly a matter of demand and supply; How “the customer is always right” thinking leads Fox News and Republican congressmen to pursue outlandish conspiracy theories, because that what … Continue reading →

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How Much News Is Too Much News?

Posted on Tuesday 21 March 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Today: that debate, my own news consuming habits, and the negativity bias. Then: more about wokeness, and the relationship between conservatism, liberalism, wokeness, and equality; and between teaching values and indoctrination. The Atlantic, Shadi Hamid, 13 Mar 2023: You’re Better … Continue reading →

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Liberty and Freedom vs. Conservatives

Posted on Sunday 19 March 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

About the notion of liberalism; the panic among White Christian nationalists; a book about the John Birch society, which anticipated the modern MAGA movement; and examples of conservatives’ opposition to liberty and freedom. Let’s start with this short video by … Continue reading →

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To Conservatives, Woke Seems to Mean Whatever They Don’t Like

Posted on Thursday 16 March 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

So my take on wokeness, a couple weeks ago, as a “perhaps exaggerated respect for the sensitivities of others,” is not what most others mean by “woke.” To some conservatives, it means anything they don’t like or want to acknowledge, … Continue reading →

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Narratives, Vanity, and Empathy

Posted on Wednesday 15 March 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

A writer named Alissa Quart has a new book out, Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream, that challenges the American myth that one can “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” to succeed all on your own. It’s a fantasy … Continue reading →

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Today’s Political/Religious Stew

Posted on Thursday 9 March 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

It’s like a traffic accident; you can’t look away. Recent headlines on political matters as influenced by religion. One particular religion, whose followers apparently do not respect the Constitution (or at least the establishment clause of the First Amendment). The … Continue reading →

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Disinformation and Tribal Beliefs

Posted on Sunday 5 March 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Political items? Or items about people who don’t quite live in the real world? Is there a psychological term for them? NY Times, Linda Qiu, 4 Mar 2023: Fact-Checking Trump’s Speech at CPAC, subtitled “The former president made inaccurate claims … Continue reading →

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Assorted Links, early March

Posted on Friday 3 March 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Politics, The Crazies, Science and Culture, Religion Jeff VanderMeer (and a coauthor) on DeSantis and students in Florida; David French on cancel culture and the now two Overton Windows; Amanda Marcotte on Republican hypocrisy; MTG’s confused timeline; bills to outlaw … Continue reading →

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Leftover February Links, 2

Posted on Thursday 2 March 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Science, Culture, Politics A 3-D map of near space, and errors in film and TV science fiction, and a novel; 11 recent scientific breakthroughs; a Lunar time zone. When reading went silent. Ron DeSantis’ freedom crackdown, and a question about … Continue reading →

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