May 6, 2008
Matt Taibbi’s article “
Jesus Made Me Puke” about his experience going undercover at an evangelical Christian religious retreat demonstrates another deep flaw in the philosophy of Skepticism — its deeply incurious streak. The one that seeks to debunk rather than discover answers.
The previous half hour or so I’d spent dawdling in my car outside a Goodwill department store off Route 410 in San Antonio, clinging to some inane sports talk show piping over my car radio — anything to hold off my plunge into Religion.
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May 3, 2008
The Sprout is now of an age where we can start carrying him around places without it being a strategic nightmare and risk to our sanity. So we set out to find out what there was nearby. Imagine our surprise to find a
meadery almost in our back yard.
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May 2, 2008
Hilzoy points at a recent health care poll:
The poll also found that in the past year, 23% of U.S. residents said they or a member of their household had either decided to stay with a current employer, instead of accepting a new job, or had switched jobs because of health insurance coverage.
This is how our current health care system harms small businesses and rural areas. I’m lucky that my own company even has health insurance options. But it costs several hundred dollars a month to keep myself, my wife, and my son covered. I’m either lucky to be able to afford it or stupid enough to trade health security for the benefits of working for a small firm.
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May 1, 2008
The
The Wizard of Ads
says:
If the goal is to cause the customer to willingly give you her attention…you must offer her a thought more interesting than the thought that currently occupies her mind.
Even though the Wizard is down on the idea of using sex to sell, this explains nicely how sex sells. It is far more interesting than your current thoughts about the electric bill.
Posted in Commerce 1 Comment »
May 1, 2008
In the face of so many people claiming Wright’s recent media appearances are a tour of vanity by a deranged, self-serving individual, Sara Robinson provides some much needed context on liberal Christianity and
Liberation Theology vs. the Prosperity Gospel.
And here’s where Jeremiah Wright comes into the story. According to Posner, Wright has been a visible and articulate critic of the GOP’s new pet theology over the years — one of a noisy clutch of ministers who’ve made no bones about the mischief inherent in this new theology. He’s also a respected and insightful proponent of black liberation theology, holding King’s torch high in the face of unscrupulous preachers who think they’re helping poor people by cajoling them to vote away their safety net and toss their government checks in the offering plate.
In a just world this issue would be a non-issue as far as as the Presidential campaign is concerned. But our discussion of Wright is a test of our ability to see through the media narrative (”Wright is a bigoted anti-American flake!) and actually respond to the content of what Wright says.
And as far as the “vanity” charge is concerned, please give it a rest. The man is a successful pastor of a sizable church and has been for years. He and his congregation have been condemned as total nutjobs by people who not only tolerate Pat Robertson but put him on television regularly. Wright’s job is a mix of political activism, cultural criticism and public speaking. What do you expect him to do in these circumstances, keep his trap shut? He’d have to have another career, like network administrator or government regulator.
(See also:
Dave Neiwart)
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