During 2018, I read about 9,000 (!!) student writing assignments, at least a thousand or so articles, and 35 books, listed below. In addition, I “read” and studied lots and lots of popular cultural texts (songs, movies, tv shows). American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On America The Argonauts Aristotle and Dante Discover theContinue reading “Recalling the Books I Read in 2018”
Tag Archives: holidays
Thanksgiving Day teaches submissiveness.
On this Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2018: Please try to remember those who might not have anything to be “thankful” for, where thankful means “conscious of benefit received” and “expressing gratitude and relief.” Saying everyone has “something” to be grateful for vocalizes, likely unconsciously, positionalities of comfort and privilege. Thousands, if not millions, of people areContinue reading “Thanksgiving Day teaches submissiveness.”
No Words Remain: Racism and Remembering James Byrd, Jr.
On the way for lunch with a friend in Clear Lake, Texas, I saw a truly horrifying and upsetting scene this morning. Take a look at what the white pickup truck is dragging on the road in the pictures below. This is such a clear display of racism and violence–violence of all sorts. Some peopleContinue reading “No Words Remain: Racism and Remembering James Byrd, Jr.”
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”
6th Annual 4th of July Reflection
On the meaning of the upside down flag: Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones) in In the Valley of Elah (2007) says: It’s an international distress signal….It means we’re in a whole lot of trouble so come save our asses ’cause we ain’t got a prayer in hell of saving it ourselves.
Very Brief Thoughts: Easter and Theology
Think how much different (and more powerful) Christian celebrations of Easter would be if mainstream theology embraced all aspects of this ritual. This ritual—partially and selectively and without historicism—celebrates and mourns a person-deity, while manifesting erasure when it comes to the poor, unwanted, immigrant, and Black status of this person-deity, erasure manifested from and perpetuatedContinue reading “Very Brief Thoughts: Easter and Theology”
King would not be surprised.
….History prefers legends to men. It prefers nobility to brutality, soaring speeches to quiet deeds. History remembers the battle, but forgets the blood. Whatever history remembers of me, if it remembers anything at all, it shall only remember a fraction of the truth…. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would not be surprised that a viciously arrogant,Continue reading “King would not be surprised.”
A few thoughts about Christmas songs, the related theologies, and traditions.
A powerful lesson happens when we have understandings of the past informed by evidence: the realization that most things considered “traditional” or as having lasted forever are actually new developments–often in the past century, sometimes in the past decade or two. Of course, this doesn’t detract from the power associated with the mores and ritualsContinue reading “A few thoughts about Christmas songs, the related theologies, and traditions.”
Dr. Andrew Joseph Pegoda 