Category Archives: Narrative

Political Retributions, and Values

Three and a half years after my heart and kidney transplants, I’m doing fine; About Biden’s pardon of his son, and the impending takeover of the FBI to pursue retribution; Robert Reich understands why he did it; Yet another essay … Continue reading

Posted in Lunacy, Music, Narrative, Politics | Comments Off on Political Retributions, and Values

Politics, Tribalism, and the Retelling of History

Book burning and the erasure or retelling of history; Trump’s latest outrageous choice for his cabinet; And how Trump voters are now unconcerned about voter fraud, since their side won. Given that ideology, tradition, and storytelling are more common on … Continue reading

Posted in History, Narrative, Politics | Comments Off on Politics, Tribalism, and the Retelling of History

Stories Are Not Evidence

How the right “creates stories” to support their worldview (i.e. they’re all about motivated reasoning); Paul Krugman on Trump, tariffs, Stalin, and Lysenko; Items about DeSantis cheating and which party is the party of violence; Items about a brain fever … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Lunacy, Music, Narrative, Politics | Comments Off on Stories Are Not Evidence

Plot Armor

Beginning with this unusual topic. Not about Trump per se; more a general principle of story-telling. And faith. OnlySky, Dale McGowan, 6 Sep 2024: For the Trump faithful, it comes down to plot armor, subtitled “It’s no surprise that Trump … Continue reading

Posted in Astronomy, conservatives, Lunacy, Narrative, Religion | Comments Off on Plot Armor

Never Mind Policy or Principles, Conservatives Need Only Stories

Politics and the Narrative Drive converge in items today. Robert Reich about how the GOP is courting unions; How J.D. Vance emphasizes his personal story rather than conservative principles; How Republicans cling to the myth of migrant crime; And how … Continue reading

Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Narrative, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Never Mind Policy or Principles, Conservatives Need Only Stories

Perhaps There Is Only Story

Now right-wingers are blaming the Trump assassination attempt on women; Those who come out and say that want to impose Christian Nationalism on the nation; Paul Krugman on Project 2025, and it would reverse measures established in the 19th century … Continue reading

Posted in conservatives, Narrative, Politics | Comments Off on Perhaps There Is Only Story

Fear of Fiction

What is fiction, and why are most people attracted to it? This isn’t just about reading books or short stories; what also is the attraction of movies and TV shows that are all about imaginary people facing imaginary problems? Why … Continue reading

Posted in Human Nature, Narrative, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Fear of Fiction

Politics as Fantasy, as Competing Stories

Three topics for today. The Hunter Biden verdict this morning, and how conservatives explain it to fit their conspiracy theories; Religious dimwittery about installing the Ten Commandments into schools; and Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito’s presumptuous allegiance to Christian godliness … Continue reading

Posted in Morality, Music, Narrative, Politics | Comments Off on Politics as Fantasy, as Competing Stories

Visiting the Profound

Brian Greene on understanding reality as a collection of nested stories; Recalling analogous thoughts by Sean Carroll and others; Big Think’s Ethan Siegel on the success of modern fundamental science. Perhaps today we can step back from the paranoid, delusional … Continue reading

Posted in Book Notes, Cosmology, Narrative, Physics, Science | Comments Off on Visiting the Profound

Third Birthday

Third ‘birthday’; Why American Christians support Israel; More polarities and correlations for my chart; Examples, just from recent days, about Republican ambitions to turn back history; More examples of Christian indoctrination. This week is the third anniversary of my heart … Continue reading

Posted in conservatives, Narrative, Personal history, Religion | Comments Off on Third Birthday