The Room With its spaciousness, invites you. With its tables and chairs, talks to you. With its storage spaces, says, please stay. With its location, says, you are visible. With its mix of different people, inspires and encourages you. The Room is a neat, different, weird place. But, you don’t know The Room. The RoomContinue reading “The Room (Poem)”
Author Archives: Dr. Andrew Joseph Pegoda
Film and Television – Things On My Mind Series, #8
I use the Things On My Mind series to share collections of working, not necessarily related, ideas that don’t (yet, anyway) warrant their own article or have another home. Law and Order: Special Victims Unit receives its fair share of criticism, much of it warranted; however, here I want to mainly recognize some of LawContinue reading “Film and Television – Things On My Mind Series, #8”
No Room For Disabled People – Chick-fil-A at North Mopac and Parmer Lane
Disabled people are systemically abused, denied access, and misrepresented across the United States, and laws related to us are often ignored or are not enforced. While such problems of access and equity are often far worse in other countries, such is not an acceptable excuse. Case in point: While visiting Austin, Texas, on February 7-10,Continue reading “No Room For Disabled People – Chick-fil-A at North Mopac and Parmer Lane”
Alex Trebek. Aunt Becky. Not Your Friends.
Parasocial relationships form easily. Carefully-scripted and highly-rehearsed, people see fictional characters people on their screens from the comfort of their homes and almost naturally come to believe they really know and very much like them. People are not able to internalize that this relationship is one-sided and is with a fictional character. Sometime during the past week,Continue reading “Alex Trebek. Aunt Becky. Not Your Friends.”
Unemployment data is a distraction.
Despite rhetoric from businesses and governments, unemployment/employment statistics do not provide useful information. And worse, whether about the Great Depression or about today, they are a distraction. Unemployment data says nothing about: what work or employment mean what jobs pay available “benefits” how many jobs a person has how many hours a person works underemployment unofficial economiesContinue reading “Unemployment data is a distraction.”
Body, Country, and Betrayal: A Poem
Your body will betray you. Without consent or reason, Without preparation or solution, Without fairness or predictability, Pain and tumors will colonize. Ideologies and histories colonize, too. Suffering will reign in the body. Your body will betray you, Until an expiration date suddenly reveals, “Life is over,” And interrupts all. Your body will betray you,Continue reading “Body, Country, and Betrayal: A Poem”
Ableism and Wheel of Fortune
Tonight, I watched Wheel of Fortune to do something different and to relax a bit after a busy week. And I got to thinking. My students and I have been talking about privilege and its various manifestations. This evening I got to wondering what they would do if a contestant required a wheelchair or a stool or had some kindContinue reading “Ableism and Wheel of Fortune”
Facebook, Birthdays, and Neoliberalism
Earlier this year and last year, Facebook started encouraging its users to garner charitable donations through its platform, especially for birthdays. In particular, on my birthday last month Facebook encouraged me to select a charity that friends could donate to as a way of giving a birthday present that would keep giving. Facebook even offeredContinue reading “Facebook, Birthdays, and Neoliberalism”
Dr. Andrew Joseph Pegoda 