With the US less dependable, other democracies need to look to their own security.
The French know how to do resistance right.
Professional counseling is a valuable resource for many issues.
The "exhausted majority" in American politics needs to rescue the country from its polarization.
Media companies are engaging in cultural vandalism.
DeSantis has made Florida a hotbed of attacks on free expression.
I have no need for spirituality.
We can't split the US into separate "red" and "blue" countries because huge numbers of people don't fall neatly into either camp.
Here's why I don't celebrate Russian deaths in Ukraine.
Where free speech is concerned, I stand on principle.
In a wasteland of murky, gloomy movies, bright and cheerful films stand out.
A lot of internet discourse is crude, childish, and irritating.
Minor errors may seem trivial, but they matter.
I have some uncomfortable questions about moral absolutes.
Our country suffers from outrageous inequality.
There is no "death of truth" -- objective reality exists whether people believe in it or not.
We need to reject the prohibitionist mentality and embrace harm reduction on a social level.
India's religio-nationalist government is sabotaging science education.
Here are the lessons of the Titan submersible disaster.
American movies these days are formulaic, preachy, and bloated. It's no wonder most of them flop.
Here's how I quit an awful job.
YouTube's war on ad-blockers is part of the broader shittyization of the internet by the forces of monetization.
To me, summer is the alien season.
In verse, I celebrate the coming of the true faith.
I reviewed the Barbie movie.
Seize the night.
Beware of closed minds.
Movies will always need the human touch.
Religions behave like viruses of the mind.
I looked at the implications of the covid surge that began in August.
I reviewed a time-travel novel.
I do the "truths and inspirations" posts pretty regularly, but this one and this one were the best this year
Do believers really believe?
Yes, it could happen here -- the shocking response in the West to the Hamas attack on Israel.
Here are some of my basic principles and beliefs.
Freedom won this year's US election.
You cannot trust the mainstream media.
Abortion will remain a dilemma for the Republicans.
Grassroots Americans are rebelling against polarizing zealots and demanding freedom.
Banning abortion or guns is just the wrong way to go. And I doubt it would stop there.
ReplyDeleteBratty internet is a good word for it. People are so rude now a days.
A lot of good discussions.
I hope you have a nice New year.
Thanks for putting this together. I missed a lot of your blogging this fall and it is great to catch up.
ReplyDelete"Almost all substantive literature, film, TV, etc contains elements that someone might find offensive" Exactly. If you're looking for something offensive, you'll find it. If you respect the creative integrity of the originator, you'll be rewarded rather than offended.
ReplyDeleteMary K: Thanks! One should always be wary of people who want to ban things. But they won't succeed.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the internet these days is so full of "fuck fuck fuck" that it's like listening to a bunch of toddlers yelling "poo poo pee pee" at each other and thinking it's clever.
Happy new year.
Lady M: Thanks. I always do these each year -- I figure it helps people find anything they've missed, and might be helpful to people who are new to the blog.
Nick: I shudder to think what the world would be like if all creative people were as scared of the Professional Offended People as these types are. Probably all books would be blank and all films would be just ninety minutes of a blank screen.