Life Without a Net
Culture
Why is Gay Marriage Even an Issue?
With President Obama’s landmark endorsement of gay marriage, the United States has taken a significant rhetorical step forward in the First World. The barrage of hate and vitriol spewing from the Far Right seems farther and farther removed from the opinions of workaday Americans, who appear to be coming around to the belief that things … Continue reading
The Avengers: Great Movie, but Disturbingly Violent.
I enjoyed The Avengers. It was a well acted, well directed, intense movie, and I’ll probably see it again on the big screen, which is extremely rare for me. As super-hero movies go, it is as high quality as anything I’ve seen in recent years. (Although personally, I think the first Iron Man will hold up better to … Continue reading
Shania Twain and the Welfare System: America’s Fixation on Beating the Odds.
What could Shania Twain and the U.S. welfare debate have in common? It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but I believe there’s something very profound to be discovered in the comparison. If music is indeed a reflection of our culture, then I believe Shania’s greatest hit reveals a profoundly dysfunctional fixation with … Continue reading
This is Why it’s Wrong to Tell Women to Cover Their Bodies.
This may seem like just another big-haired 80s pop song to you, but it’s way more than that to me. In fact, I’m going to be a bit self-indulgent and say that this otherwise innocuous bit of music trivia is a microcosm of my coming of age, and a perfect example of what I’ve become. … Continue reading
Christmas: Not really so Christian after all.
If you believe the pundits pushing the notion of a godless “War on Christmas,” you might be shocked to learn that America’s history of Christmas isn’t especially Christian. In order to turn Christmas into the kind of historical rah-rah Jesus festival many Christians would like to believe in, you have to do some very creative … Continue reading
Tebow Annoys NFL Peer with Too Much Jesus.
It’s funny how a bit of fame can turn the most trivial of statements into full-blown scandal. Former NFL quarterback Jake Plummer, best known for his one good year with the Denver Broncos (13-3 in 2005), had some disparaging things to say about controversial pseudo-quarterback Tim Tebow: “Tebow, regardless of whether I wish he’d just shut … Continue reading
Thanksgiving: What it means for *this* atheist.
Thanksgiving is a tough holiday for the thoughtful non-theist. For a non-theist with progressive values, it’s difficult not to view it with utter disdain. It is at once a distillation of the privilege of religious insinuation into public life, and the glorification of materialism and selfishness. Despite this fact, Thanksgiving has become for me a … Continue reading
The Penn State Scandal Makes the Church Look Even Worse.
The Penn State Scandal has moved beyond sports news into the mainstream, and for very good reason. If you’ve been under a rock, here’s the short version: Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky has been accused of numerous counts of child molestation during his tenure at the university. Head coach and football demigod Joe Paterno has … Continue reading
Economics and Marriage: Making Sense of the Republican Agenda
What does marriage have to do with the political agenda of the Religious Right? Why are Republican Christians so united in their support for both conservative politics and “traditional” sex and marriage? To many non-believers, the two topics seem unrelated. Christians are sexual prudes, and Republicans are hyper-conservatives. It just so happens that most Republicans … Continue reading
Apple Joins Delta and Others in Boycotting Christian Values Network
Apple has pulled its iTunes store from the Christian Values Network due to what it sees as the network’s contributions to controversial groups, as tech companies tread carefully in the midst of complicated social issues. (LINK) After what has seemed like weeks of bad news for non-believers, there is a small ray of hope tucked … Continue reading
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