All Entries in the "Columnists" Category
Patriot’s Game
Personally I’ve never been a big fan of patriotism. I grew up hearing how “our country was the best in the world” but it didn’t take me long to figure out there was some rust on that shiny image. Still, the image was a useful way to shut down debate. “If you don’t like it move somewhere else” is the stock response of the sleeping patriot.
Ding Dong the Alpha Male is Dead
Is our socialization process a process of ideological indoctrination? As part of our socialization we learn “how the world really works.” Our religions teach us of a cosmic “fight” between good and evil, science teaches us about the struggle for survival and “survival of the fittest,” and everybody talks about how its OK for the “winners” to dominate the “losers.” It is all part of the natural (or divine) social order! But is it really, or is it just indoctrination. You be the judge.
Living the Dream: Transcending the Boundary between Sci-Fi and Reality
Visualization and imagination create the world. Or, as Dr. Tim says, reality starts with fantasy. Or, as I like to say, as above in consciousness, so below in matter. No where is this more clear than in the area of science fiction where reality consistently lags behind fantasy only by a half century or so.
God, Darwin, and Sturgeon Heights School Division
Ah school. Frolicking days of care free learning in positive and loving environments right? Guess again. Schools are contested grounds and parents, administrators, and teachers struggle to find equitable, democratic, and positive ways to raise the next generation of citizens. But what does that entail? Better yet, what do we want to teach our children? Do we want to teach them love, acceptance, and tolerance, or do we want to model judgment, punishment, and disdain. Children learn by watching what the adults do so as adults we should be careful what we do to our children.
The Graveyard of Empires: The Debacle that is the US Mission in Afghanistan
Way back in my undergraduate years I read a book by Dr. Edward S. Herman called The Real Terror Network. The book really opened my eyes to the true nature and purpose of war. It was written in 1982 but 30 years hasn’t changed a single thing, except the victims involved. I gotta say, if you want to understand what war is really about, and you want to disabuse yourself of the delusions and illusions of international state-craft, you should read this book.
If Obama’s Not an American, Then Neither Are You
In the days since Osama bin Laden’s execution much of the hullabaloo surrounding Barack Obama’s citizenship has quieted. Out of gratitude for dispatching the world’s most annoying terrorist, the majority of Americans have joyfully re-embraced President Obama as a favorite son. Putting a bullet through Osama’s brain did more to convince the public that Barack [...]
Airlines to Charge Passengers by the Pound
On the heels of Allegiant Airline’s plan to charge up to $35 per carry-on bag, other major airlines have begun considering plans to charge passengers by weight.”It’s simple math,” stated Howard Fine, a spokesperson for Universal Airlines. “Heavier passengers cost more to ship from point A to point B.” In response to questions about consumer backlash over [...]
Educating The Human – Capital or Capability?
There’s something wrong in the world today, and Sociologists know what it is. We live in a system that privileges cash value over everything else. If you can’t lay a dollar value, and if you can’t generate profit, it is worthless in the eyes of the system. That might be a great way to pursue personal enrichment, but it sucks as a way to live healthy, environmentally sound, happy lives. It’s time to consider some alternatives, don’t ya think?
The New World Order: Rush Limbaugh vs. Empowered Women in the 21st Century
Freedom of speech? Its a thorny topic. Do people have the right to be hateful, misinformed, even misogynist? Does free speech include allowing emotional and psychologies bullies, like Rush Limbaugh, to use the airwaves for name calling? In the United States it is free speech uber alles, but other countries have different perspectives. In Canada you can’t engage in hate speech, just like you can’t punch people in the face. Whatever your position, however you think about it, Rush certainly is a magnet for controversy.
The Last Days of the Lilliputians
Are you an angry student? Are you pissed off? Does your education lead you to look at the world and say WTF? Well welcome to our nightmare, the world as it is, and not how it is presented by the corporate media. But what are you going to do with that anger? Riot in the streets? Burn some police cars? Throw some bottles? All I can say to that is, grow up and get some analysis, get some hutzpah, and join a cause. You don’t like the way the world is working? Get together with some others and make some change.
What to know about the nature of money, the value of money, and money's role in our modern economies of exchange, then download The Rocket Scientists' Guide to Money and the Economy and let the truth set you free. [
Sociology for the revolutionary in you. 