@Sam M, Maybe so. But I think you can achieve cultural revitalization without welcoming anyone to the cubicle. You can stop targeting the inner city disproportionately with the absurd war on drugs just to name one thing. But also you can allow Wal*Mart to set up in the food deserts in many inner cities. You can provide better public transportation.
Sam, I know you care about these things. I think we see things a bit differently here. I'm not advocating we brainwash or program anyone to despise or lose their former culture. I'm saying there is a deficit of meaningful institutions in these places. You say they have their own language - but in many of these places, the language is hanging by a thread. The culture is hanging by a thread, drowning in poverty. What I'm saying is that somehow choices to exit this poverty need to be provided and/or within these cultures there needs to be an effort to rebuild institutions. That's happening to some degree with the Navajo language, but I think it's fairly unique in that regard.
@Trumwill, The trick with the reservations is that...well...it's so damn tricky. They're basically little countries within a country that are entirely dependent on the federal government - little enclaves dependent on welfare and utterly cut off from commerce. But for many, leaving the rez is the same as leaving your tribe, your cultural heritage altogether. And at the same time it's almost impossible to introduce any sort of economic investment into the rez.
@Matthew Schmitz, Well said, Matthew & thanks. I find the era leading up from the gilded age into the big revivalist movements of the turn of the century and up to the New Deal pretty fascinating. Quite an extraordinary period of American history.
@Katherine, I understand Red Toryism as socially conservative and economically to the left. Phillip Blond, for instance, is a staunch social conservative and localist and his economic prescriptions are far, far to the left of anything on offer from any conservatives in the states or anyone in the Tory party in the UK.
@Sam M, I think it makes perfect sense for young adults, once out of the k-12 system, to want to focus solely on career-building skills at the college level. I'm focused more on pre-college stuff in the first half of this post.
Balance in all things. We had video games but we had time restraints on how much we could play, how much TV we could watch, etc. And I actually really loved to read so it was never much of an issue. I think the point we should take from this is that parents have a responsibility to ensure they're kids have balanced experiences - that they do spend time reading, getting outside, etc. Not that we should all be electronic puritans.
On “One more post about Juan Williams and then I’m done”
@Michael Drew, Very well said.
On “Living with the Dilemma: Religion and Higher Education”
Welcome!
On “National Review Gives Up, Tries Magic”
Welcome, Barrett! Truly - fantastic post.
On “A failure of institutions ctd.”
@Sam M, Maybe so. But I think you can achieve cultural revitalization without welcoming anyone to the cubicle. You can stop targeting the inner city disproportionately with the absurd war on drugs just to name one thing. But also you can allow Wal*Mart to set up in the food deserts in many inner cities. You can provide better public transportation.
"
Sam, I know you care about these things. I think we see things a bit differently here. I'm not advocating we brainwash or program anyone to despise or lose their former culture. I'm saying there is a deficit of meaningful institutions in these places. You say they have their own language - but in many of these places, the language is hanging by a thread. The culture is hanging by a thread, drowning in poverty. What I'm saying is that somehow choices to exit this poverty need to be provided and/or within these cultures there needs to be an effort to rebuild institutions. That's happening to some degree with the Navajo language, but I think it's fairly unique in that regard.
On “A failure of institutions”
@Michael Drew, Thanks for that. I think tackling the irresolvable tensions is a necessary exercise in futility. Glad we're on the same page.
"
@Trumwill, The trick with the reservations is that...well...it's so damn tricky. They're basically little countries within a country that are entirely dependent on the federal government - little enclaves dependent on welfare and utterly cut off from commerce. But for many, leaving the rez is the same as leaving your tribe, your cultural heritage altogether. And at the same time it's almost impossible to introduce any sort of economic investment into the rez.
On “William Jennings Bryan, Billy Graham & the Evolution of Christian Populism in America”
@Roberto, We are none of us free from the scourge of typos.
"
@Matthew Schmitz, Well said, Matthew & thanks. I find the era leading up from the gilded age into the big revivalist movements of the turn of the century and up to the New Deal pretty fascinating. Quite an extraordinary period of American history.
"
@Katherine, I understand Red Toryism as socially conservative and economically to the left. Phillip Blond, for instance, is a staunch social conservative and localist and his economic prescriptions are far, far to the left of anything on offer from any conservatives in the states or anyone in the Tory party in the UK.
On “Radically rethinking education”
@Kyle Cupp, Absolutely.
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@Trumwill, No I think you make some good points about choice. My conundrum: I don't want my choice to be built upon the backs of those less fortunate.
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@Sam M, I think it makes perfect sense for young adults, once out of the k-12 system, to want to focus solely on career-building skills at the college level. I'm focused more on pre-college stuff in the first half of this post.
On “Narrative Over Principle: The Perils of Believing Your Own Propaganda”
Excellent post, Mark.
On “Attack of the Village Voice”
@North, You'd think with all the crazy in the world they could actually find something to read in full and still screed away about...
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@Aaron W, I think that's up for debate still. Or at least it is as far as I'm concerned.
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@Trumwill, Thanks! Glad to hear it, on both counts.
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@Mike Schilling, Okay, I like soy-pissant better. Definitely.
On “Proof of God”
@Pat Cahalan, True! And I'd much rather be doing just that! The blog is rather a shoddy second-best, I'm afraid, but she'll have to do.
On “How Boys Learn to Read”
Balance in all things. We had video games but we had time restraints on how much we could play, how much TV we could watch, etc. And I actually really loved to read so it was never much of an issue. I think the point we should take from this is that parents have a responsibility to ensure they're kids have balanced experiences - that they do spend time reading, getting outside, etc. Not that we should all be electronic puritans.
On “Friday Night Jukebox”
The National grows on you. Or not. It's not for everyone. My wife hates them.
On “The Scapegoat Principle”
Very well put, Jason.
On “Neoliberalism & Culture”
@Christopher Carr, This seems like a chicken and egg explanation.
On “Increased border enforcement leads to more migrant deaths”
@Sam M, I certainly understand the concerns. But I don't think this qualifies as 'epistemic closure' either.
On “The New Culture War”
@Will, Thanks!
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.