Recent Posts - page 2
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Notes on: “Social Construction”
As I have written numerous times, and as my students can attest, I am a proponent of seeing everything as a social construction. Such a position is easily misunderstood. I often hear: what do you mean that so-and-so is a social construction. There… Read More ›
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The Constitution as a Religious Document? – Hidden Power of Words Series, #29
Scholars generally praise the Constitution of the United States (Bill of Rights included) because it does not mention a God or otherwise include Christianity. Historians add that this is a further indication, in concert with other founding texts, that the… Read More ›
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Lies are coded truths.
Politicians, preachers, and pupils sometimes make statements we deem lies. From the perspective of psychology and rhetoric, however, “lies” do not necessarily exist. Everything uttered speaks to manifestations of hopes and fears. For example, sometimes fellow professors complain when students… Read More ›
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Racism, History, and How To Get Away With Murder’s Bold Statement
On the most recent episode of How To Get Away With Murder, Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) addresses the Supreme Court and says: ….Racism is built into the DNA of America. And as long as we turn a blind eye to the pain of… Read More ›
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Modern Life and the Problem of Memory
Several days ago, I was on the way to Houston to teach and suddenly had a fear that I had forgotten to put deodorant on that morning! (Luckily, I had put deodorant on, even though I never could retrieve that… Read More ›
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Ableism is the most important identity marker.
At least once each semester, I’ll usually ask my students at some point, “What is the most important identity factor? You have to narrow it down to one thing.” They’ll usually say race, gender, class, or something similar. These are… Read More ›
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A song, a television show, and two thoughts.
Terra Naomi’s “Say It’s Possible,” a powerful song inspired by Vice President Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, has captured my fascination since first hearing it in 2007. You can watch it here. Lyrics are here. Of all the lyrics I find… Read More ›
