Tag Archives: Culture

‘Politics is about sacredness’ – overlapping moral orbits

Mediation, Musings, Stories, , , ,

Fables were part of the moral fabric when I was growing up. Perhaps yours as well. Especially some of Aesop’s Fables. (Yet, I was suprised that this was not the case for many of my middle school students, when a public school teacher.)

There’s one fable, in particular, which social psychologist Jonathan Haidt discussed in a 2012 interview (noted below) about his latest book (at that time): Aesop’s The Ant and the Grasshopper.

Continue reading ‘Politics is about sacredness’ – overlapping moral orbits →

Authentic – word of the year 2023

General, Musings, , , ,

My personal word of the year is kayfabe. But …

Otherwise, in the wider, mainstream buzz: AP News, NPR, CNN, CNBC, …

So, in an info-verse awash in fake info, misinfo, disinfo, Merriam-Webster’s word for 2023 reflects erosion of the line between “real” and “fake.” And as traditional news sources are replaced by social media, presentation is everything – performative charm displaces deeper character [2].

[M-W article below] Authentic is what brands, social media influencers, and celebrities aspire to be. … Ironically, with “authentic content creators” now recognized as the gold standard for building trust, “authenticity” has become a performance.

Continue reading Authentic – word of the year 2023 →

Generational battles

Musings

The notion that the battles of prior generations are “won” for the next – just doesn’t happen. The battles over civil rights, women’s rights, … realizing the dream of the Constitution. A long slog, a forever journey. An evolution of minds, hearts, … and habits.

And sometimes conflicts are not so much won as just left behind by succeeding generations (without necessarily any linear progress either).

Continue reading Generational battles →

Two sides to every argument?

Musings

“If there are two sides to every argument – or, more to the point, if there are people willing to take up two sides to every argument – they both must be right or, at least, equally valid.” (1)

So, on any particular subject or topic, there may be two or more opinions. Today I’d trust that no one (hmm) believes that the earth is flat (2); so, let’s rule that out as subject to opinion.

Continue reading Two sides to every argument? →

Up is down, down is up

Musings

“Religion is in the box where science used to be. Politics is on the shelf where you thought you left science the previous afternoon. Entertainment seems to have been knocked over and spilled on everything.” – Charles P. Pierce, Idiot America (2009). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Note 11-13-2023

This 2012 episode of Moyers & Company is a useful take on the political culture of our times. Narratives “about fairness, capitalism, American history.” Moral foundations. Karma. Nuance. Why we’re all really good lawyers. The role of myths and fables. Fairness versus compassion. What the proper role of government is and is not.

And a call for two shared norms: ending demonization and cleaning up corruption.

Continue reading Up is down, down is up →