Since J.K. Rowling’s (yes, that J.K. Rowling) transphobic tweet last week, conversations on Twitter around topics of sex, gender, and trans individuals have been going on nonstop. Far too many of these conversations are transphobic and show stubborn disregard for any… Read More ›
Conversations on social media about privilege and oppression often have comments along the lines of “it’s not the minority individual’s job to educate others as to how they are being oppressive or blind to their privilege.” And this always strikes… Read More ›
Please read and then share my latest publication: “Yes, you should have free speech on Facebook“ found on History News Network. Thanks! Dr. Andrew Joseph Pegoda
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… Read More ›
Recent events, including today’s (weird, irrelevant, distraction-mechanism) announcement by Trump about colleges and “free speech zones,” warrant a few comments and reminders about free speech/censorship and about facts/options, generally. People should remember common sense and decency at every step. People… Read More ›
According to Southern mores, “bless your heart” is typically a veiled insult, despite its sympathetic denotation. “Think for yourself” has a similar, contradictory function. Think-for-yourself phraseology appears in my inbox regularly, but only when I have publicly expressed my most… Read More ›
Suggestions that something is classist, racist, or sexist, for example, are often met with dismissively hostile words. People say, “you’re thinking too hard,” “you’re looking to cause trouble,” “you can find [fill in the blank] anywhere if you look hard… Read More ›
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… Read More ›
