Confessions of a Conservative Atheist
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Diversity, if we take that to mean the richness of experience and ways of life, requires people to stick with their own to some extent and exclude others from some things. I was born and bred in majority white towns, a proud member of Generation X who grew up in the 1980s. Throughout my grade… Continue reading Personal lessons in the wonders and limits of diversity
Mr. Seinfeld becomes living proof that everything and anything needs to be constantly reevaluated according to our ever changing standards of moral decency, and anyone who expresses an opinion of any kind even remotely at odds with those standards will find themselves facing either cancellation criticism or forced irrelevance. At the risk of stating the… Continue reading No, Jerry Seinfeld isn’t controversial and the media shouldn’t be pretending otherwise
Lily gave up a treat she loved because dinner was bigger and better, but now she doesn’t get the treat at all – and she doesn’t even realize it. Lest you think I am picking on poor dogs, there are likely many, many people out there that suffer from a similar phenomenon. Most dogs are… Continue reading An aging coonhound’s bizarre behavior and a lesson for all of us
Even having lived through the cultural and musical phenomenon that was Jackson’s golden years, it is difficult to remember how truly unique and special he was, at least when the music isn’t playing. Then, it’s impossible to forget. Michael Jackson is something of a tragic figure in the music and cultural worlds. The undisputed King… Continue reading Michael Jackson’s “Dirty Diana” and the King of Pop’s controversial legacy
The Godfather is what most would consider the better movie by normal standards. A far more beloved and well-remembered film, but which rings more true today when most of us spend our days trapped behind computer screens? Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola somehow managed to direct The Conversation, what has proved to be an almost… Continue reading Francis Ford Coppola’s haunting The Conversation might be more important than The Godfather fifty years later
It is no exaggeration to say that if one of these wanna-be protesters was transported back in time, they would run screaming for the present in less than five minutes, seeking whatever safe space they could find because there were none back then. As anti-Israel if not outright antisemitic protests sweep major college campuses, the… Continue reading Occupied Academia: Today’s wanna-be activists have a lot to learn about the 1960s and should have a lot more respect for their fellow students
Roosevelt has little in common with Trump on the surface, save for being born wealthy in New York City and having significant careers outside of politics, but both men inspired over the top passion and both spent a lot of time in court after their Presidencies. On New Year’s Day 2016, I joined my wife… Continue reading Donald Trump, Teddy Roosevelt, a President on trial, and the American obsession with sick bastards
Surrounded by tens of thousands of fans, many of whom know the lyrics by heart, the promised land is then and there. As Springsteen belts out the lyrics - even as he approaches the fifteen hundredth time – the moment we are seeking is right now. “The Promised Land” has never been one of Bruce… Continue reading Springsteen in Albany and “The Promised Land”
Jaques, As You Like It’s “melancholy fellow,” is not likely to appear on any list of Shakespeare’s greatest characters, nor is his speech on the nature of his melancholy, but we see in him a sort of proto-Hamlet without the need to wound, opinion unrestrained, as he fancies himself said, claims it is better to… Continue reading Shakespeare’s most underrated character and speech, perhaps
Roger Ebert asked, “It’s tempting to search here for themes and a style he would return to in his later masterpieces, but...Seeing it without his credit, would you guess it was by Kubrick?” On the surface, the answer is self-evidently no, but to a more critical eye, we can see the early signs of an… Continue reading The Killing and the early genius of Stanley Kubrick
Confessions of a Conservative Atheist 