It's been going on for a long time, but was hidden from us. Living in bliss is a lovely thing until the truth is revealed. Maybe the shock value will give rational people a kick start to help them get in gear and take part in the adult world of responsibility.
Thank you for the quiet intensity of your comment, Susan. It brings us to the need for all of us to recognize that we have for too long failed to stand up for democracy in the mistaken belief that it cannot be broken.
Interesting thought. I believe that many of us "failed to stand up for democracy" because as we saw it, it had little to do with our lives and we had too much else to worry about.
I fear, however, that the number of rational people may be insufficient to overcome those motivated by racist, misogynistic and xenophobic impulses. White Christian Nationalism is definitely on the move here in the U.S., throughout the South and the Midwest.
Yes. As I've said many times since 2016, the real horror of the Orange Mussolini's ascent was finding out how many of my fellow citizens were terrible people and completely irrational.
It is examined and explained in the study conducted by two Univ. of Kansas professors and published in the peer-reviewed journal "Critical Sociology." You can google "The Anger Games, Who Voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 Election, and Why?" You're not going to like what they concluded.
It looks to me like those who voted for tfg as a group can't think! They blame everyone else for their unhappiness, discontent and fear. External locus of control- a sign of immaturity and concrete .That there are so many who are so undeveloped is scary.
I only wish Texas was blue in majority…and with the NRA lining at least one elected rep’s pockets, not to mention abbott’s remarks following the Robb Elementary massacre, I doubt it will get any better. abbott and cruz tweet so much it’s a wonder they get anything done other than blaming President Biden for the border crisis.
Having never been on Twitter, IG, and whatever else is out there, I also wonder a bit--but not much--about what people in that world are thinking and doing.
I'm really at a loss here. Wasn't America created by people fleeing religious autocracy? How is it that people here practice what Jesus was against (hypocrisy being #1) in the name of Jesus? How did it come to be that a minority of lunatics dictate what is the correct skin color, what happens to our bodies and in our bedrooms, and what books our kids can't read? Yet, "free speech" is their refrain. What happened to the "melting pot" concept? I'm having a problem digesting....
The Puritans weren't known for their tolerance of other religions, especially not the Church of England or Catholicism. That strain continues today within certain Protestant sects. However, I believe the majority of those who came to the Americas did so in search of wealth and/or land. Consider the Spanish in Florida, the Dutch in New Amsterdam and the English in Jamestown (among other colonial settlements).
Very true, Judith. Thank you for pointing that out. We are living an amalgram of the religious intolerance and the greed that founded this nation. Deadly combination.
Yes. Exactly. Plus, "Gold, God, & Glory puts Gold first. The not-very-pure Puritans also didn't tolerate Native Americans (heathens whose allegiance was to the devil) or anyone who appeared to disagree with whatever whimsies the current religious leader dreamed up. Countless "normal" people were denounced and executed as witches. Arthur Miller's "Crucible" shows all too clearly how, "the more things change the more they stay the same." He'd probably write a fabulous play about our current plague of McCarthyism.
10. A brief overview of Black religious history in the U.S.
BY BESHEER MOHAMED, KIANA COX, JEFF DIAMANT AND CLAIRE GECEWICZ
Two-thirds of Black Americans are Protestant, like about four-in-ten Americans overall. The relationship between Black Americans and Protestantism is unusual due to the history of slavery and segregation, which spawned the creation of several Black-led denominations that allowed Black Americans to worship freely. Mostly founded prior to 1900, these historically Black Protestant denominations also supported colleges and helped Black communities in other ways.
At the same time, Protestantism alone does not define the Black religious experience in the United States. Before enslaved people in America began converting to Protestantism in sizable numbers during the 1700s, they commonly followed traditional West African religions or Islam. Catholicism, too, has long had a presence among Black Americans, including in Maryland, Kentucky and Louisiana during the slavery era. And in the early 1900s, Islam began attracting thousands of Black Americans with the message that Christianity, like America writ large, had failed to offer them equality.
What follows is a brief account of Black religious history in the United States, with an emphasis on efforts by religious groups to deal with racism and its effects. (Pew Research Center) See link below.
A brief overview of Black religious history in the U.S.
Most Black worshippers attend predominantly Black congregations and see a role for religion in fighting racial injustice, but generational patterns are changing' See link below.
I often wondered why slaves would adopt the religious beliefs of their enslavers, their oppressors. I surmised that it was the message of a glorious after-life that gave them some hope and the ability to carry on under such dire circumstances.
You are correct, some of those who arrived here on these shores early on were fleeing religious persecution. The Founding Fathers were well aware of the 150 years of religious strife that had wracked Europe and that is why the First Amendment makes it clear that the state has no religious involvement. But, are religions peaceful? Clearly, they're not. A book that treats this topic thoroughly is "The Christ Conspiracy" by Archarya S. You'll recollect that the lynchings of Black people in this country was carried out by white Christians. The torture administered by the Catholic priests during the Inquisition were unbelievably cruel - all in the name of Christ. What is happening in the U.S. today is not the exception, but rather the norm for some Christians.
There have been more people killed in the name of Christ, by Christian’s who have weaponized Christianity, than any other religion in the world. And it’s been going on since the very beginning of Christianity.
Islam is not far behind in terms of numbers and outright cruelty. Even today, in Pakistan, there are some who are being murdered for alleging commiting blasphemy. I would say not to travel to any Islamic countries for fear of harm, but the U.S. now has an epidemic of mass murders using easily-obtained guns.
In California schools, the phrase (term?) “melting pot” is not allowed as it’s been declared a micro aggression. Implies what each culture/newcomer brings not worthwhile to remain discrete.
It was over a decade ago, when my daughter was a Sociology major at UC Santa Barbara. Her prof read them the directive that went to all UC & Cal State teachers.
You will note, perhaps, that throughout the long, long history of dynasties, empires, kingdoms, caliphates, monarchies and democracies, almost all imploded from issues within. The Chinese dynasties are great examples, particularly the last two (the Ming dynasty in 1644 and the Ching dynasty in 1911.) Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia are two other examples. Is the U.S. next, falling to White Christian Nationalistic theocratic authoritarianism?
I am Hoosier born and raised and I just started A Fever in the Heartland about the rise of the KKK in the 1920s especially in Indiana. It was run by a horrible man who would give Santos, Rudy, and death star a run for their money. I knew Indiana had largest number of KKK in the 20s, but was not aware of how awful it was. I am now in Oregon which did not escape the plague either. What bothers me most is that all of it sounds very familiar especially the use of Protestant ministers and churches to spread the word, the number of pols who belonged, and how many in LE also belonged. My own family certainly had all the prejudices although I can't see them belonging to such a group and it also explains some of the nonsense i heard growing up especially about Catholics. The KKK burned a cross at Notre Dame in 1923 on St. Patrick's Day. South Bend was always suspect when I was growing up as it was full of Ds and Catholics. He also describes Indiana as the most southern of northern states, an observation I made long ago.
When we don't teach critical thinking skills in our schools, this is what happens. It isn't restricted to the U.S. A book that really takes religion (and particularly Christianity) to task for its cruelty and violence in its name is "The Christ Conspiracy" by Acharya S, available through Amazon and other online book sellers.
Thanks for the heads up. I was in education for several years and did teach critical thinking. It's more difficult now because of standardized testing and then made worse by COVID and all the culture wars now taking place in education. Just a note. I always buy my books from Powell's, a legendary Portland bookstore. We go out of our way to avoid Amazon for any purchase although it isn't always possible. I have an ex-student who is an author and she loathes Amazon.
Excellent point. I will give Powell's a try in the future. I'm downsizing at the moment and have no room for a lot of the books that I have. Any suggestions for what organization may want them?
Usually libraries have used books sales. Here in Salem, the YMCA has had a used book sale, but not since they opened their new building. Also we have taken some to Good Will and yes, put them out in the driveway for people to take. One person came to the door, the neighborhood kids were here, and he wondered if our parents knew what we were doing!
Rational, informed, and activated people are definitely in the minority . . . Tragically, too many people are activated by their irrational, uninformed, and ultimately self-defeating allegiance to messiahs and their mythologies .
To be sure, too often we humans tend to believe what we want to believe. As John Stuart Mill pointed out in his 1869 essay, "The Subjection of Women," when beliefs are based on feelings, facts don't matter.
The pandemic was the monkey wrench thrown into the mess. The disaster that is two Trumps, father and son, expanded in New York until Trump, the TV “star” did his beauty contest in Moscow, found a second “daddy,”
decided that building Trump Tower Moscow would be his greatest achievement, then, roasted by Obama, decided to run for president.
Because he knows nothing except autocracy (which is how he got rich), having learned nothing of American history, civics, or tolerance, he used his TV “stardom” as bully pulpit to get the Republican nomination. The rest is recent enough history that, were it not for the pandemic, we might remember Trump-as-president’s misdeeds. Instead, fear of poverty and premature death has addled our collective political brains giving Trumpists and the Republican Party generally, room to expand their anti-people agenda to the point that there is very little middle class left to counter big business (supporting Trump and his doctrine) and support those trying to get SCOTUS back to integrity. (Thinking of John Marshall or Earl Warren and looking at John Roberts.)
Do you know that you can message President Biden? Today I encouraged him to go to the meeting of 7 and to do whatever it takes to pay our bills and protect Social Security, etc. We cannot let the traitors take US over!
(If Heather can end a sentence with a preposition, I can dare to also.)
Oh, golly, while there are a few grammar police here, they've learned that this is not the place for it. (Besides, the thing about not ending in a proposition has nothing to do with English, which has always done that. If it's good enough for Shakespeare, it's good enough for the rest of us.)
You're welcome Annie! You can probably thank my father, although it's possible I got it from my brother or a friend. Or maybe all three! I love it too!
It certainly was hidden from me as a child. As a Baby Boomer with a lengthening lens for history now, I see how little I knew at all. One of my children took two classes from HCR in 1999. I found her then. I bought a couple of her books and found them almost impossible to understand because I still knew so little. You know, that learning curve thing. I'm wide awake and on fire now, but the "not knowing" I had in the past helps me interact with others who still don't really know. I can admit my own journey of discovery and appeal to the goodness of the still uninformed or ignorant. It makes my skin crawl to see how I accepted much that wasn't true at all. I was missing the visceral sense of what systemic racism is, for example. So, I keep speaking up (and writing) and finding different ways to bring a few more people here and there across the finish line. History is replete with awful stories. They've always been there. Power mongers, cheats, and users. I figure, let's make a difference now while we are here, each of us. Heather is a godsend.
Hence my reason. & they would go through research material 8 times as fast, AND their ink would come in quite handy if they learned to write ! 🐙🦑 Great, I made myself hungry for calamari.....
With all that intelligence, the odd thing is that they are not social creatures among themselves, although they do sometimes get friendly with humans. Sy Montgomery has one book about them, and there are probably others.
Sadly, they don't live very long, so they may be intelligent, but not long-lived enough to acquire discernment beyond their own circumstances. It makes me sad: I had a relationship with an octopus once, who seemed to recognize my kayak and come to visit.
No, I do not do that with wild creatures, ever. It was well-fed as it lived in a small cove just up my inlet at the southern end of "Greater Puget Sound" with lots of octopus edibles. The water was shallow, calm and very clear. I loved slowly paddling over and seeing what the bottom creatures were doing (it was a veritable community of creatures among the seaplants).
I think the octopus simply got used to me, as I was there nearly every day, and would come out of her hidey hole when I came. I am sure she perceived my kayak as an intentional thing, and I doubt she had any sense of me as a person, since I was mostly in the kayak above her. Nonetheless, I had the distinct feeling that there was cognition there. I'd tap the water with my paddle and she would respond by moving toward me with no fear. It was one of my special treats for about 3 years. I suspect she died then, as I didn't see her after that, and I mourned.
Another special one was a young sea lion who used to wait for me to put my kayak in the water and join him for a paddle up the inlet. When he saw me coming down, he'd leap up and do an amazing belly flop to make sure I knew he was there. When I put in, he paddled alongside me companionably to the point. I think I can honestly say we were friends. His mother and aunties weren't so sure, and scolded him repeatedly (perhaps for going off alone). But they never showed any animosity toward me. I watched this young sea lion grow up and eventually the family moved. And then another took its place. I never lacked for companions on my morning paddle. Oh, my, I miss it so much!
Oh, but others come to take their place! One simply has to be open to receive them. I'll mention just one: When I retired, I learned to spin, and being the way I am, I began buying raw fleeces from people I knew with sheep (sometimes fresh off the sheep and processing the fiber from washing to finished yarn. One year I had some mohair that I put out on my net covered rack to dry. That fall, after the leaves went out, I found a lovely cup nest fully lines with mohair locks stolen from the rack! The nest was right by my driveway, at eye level, but I did not see it until the leaves dropped. And immediately felt a kinship with the bird couple who had tended their young, cozy in the mohair I'd prepared for them!
Brain size isn't the only factor, though. Brain structure varies a great deal from species to species. I wonder if what we infer as "intelligence" in octupuses is not really a self-awareness, and an ability to recognize awareness in other beings. Their lives are short because they are wholly oriented around ensuring the survival of their species, and perhaps the self-awareness is what makes that possible.
Likely no to your last sentence. Evolution doesn't work that way. And longevity usually goes with the sort of intelligence that leads to self awareness and other-awareness. Intelligence in short-lived animals is all about avoiding predation. Here's more info on octopii:
"Amodio adds that his ideas still need to be tested. For example, researchers could compare different species of octopuses on the same tests, to see whether species that forage in more complex ways, or live in habitats with more predators, are also smarter. That’s surprisingly hard: It’s not obvious how you would test the cognition of a creature as alien as an octopus, and it’s telling that many demonstrations of their intelligence are anecdotal. “We have a lot of evidence that their behavior is flexible, but we still need to test how smart they are,” Amodio says."
Sadly, we could run some of those tests on humans. Our species is almost singular in our ability to engage in self deception and ignore the obvious. Some creatures that must stay acutely aware practice better critical thinking skills than some humans I know and also know about.
Now think about that for a moment - why is it ODD that they arent social creatures? Really! Look where our intelligence (supposed) & social society is right now. Maybe those creatures understand society better than we do.
Bonobos (very close relative of chimps) are also social creatures, and much nicer than humans. Same with elephants. With elephants, the oldest female is automatically the group leader, so there is none of the back stabbing in the quest to be leaders that goes on with humans and chimps. Bonobos inject sex into everything and if I'm remembering correctly, the females tend to be the leaders. (I need to do some more reading about bonobos.)
I think perhaps the reason octopuses aren't social is because they don't have much defense from predators and if they were social, that would group them together, making them bigger targets for predators.
Soooo David - are you maybe saying that when females are in charge (OLDER females) that everything just runs smoother and better??????? Perhaps that should tell all of us something, right?
With the elephants, it's partly the politics dictating who is in charge so that there is no vying for leadership, with all the back-stabbing that so frequently entails. With the bonobos, it's partly the use of sex to help assuage problems. And of course, in both cases, the leaders are female.
I don't know whether that would translate to H. sapiens or not. I don't think Ginni Thomas wouild be any improvement over Clarence Thomas. And there are plenty of GOP women on Capitol Hill who I sure wouldn't want running anything (MTG, Lauren Boebert for starters), as well as former conservative leaders of other countries (Margaret Thatcher), the like of whom I would not want in charge anywhere.
Scandinavian countries seem to have had more female leaders than most countries, and I've not heard anything bad about them, but I think that has a lot to do with the character of Scandinavian countries (both that they have female leaders and that said leaders do a good job).
Even within the US, I think the better female governors, reps, etc. come from blue states, and the lousy ones come from red states. (Don't forget Sarah Palin.)
And there are some damn good men...
It's complicated. But I sure would not want to go back to the days before women's equality, and the days before women could hold public offices, and if it had to be only one gender holding public offices, women might well do a better job than men.
Of course, my maternal grandmother was likely the first female Coloradan to earn a PhD. She was born a Hornbein. And if you google that name you'll get another interesting relative who--alas--just checked out of this mortal coil. The name adorns a high place on Earth.
One writer kept one as a pet. One day he came in to find that it came out of its tank & died. I hope that it wasn't Catholic. No last rites or burial in sanctified ground for it !
I dunno for sure, but I remember it from the 70s, but not before. That very well may be simply due to the people I hung around with. On the other hand, it sure does sound like something George Carlson would come up with. Though I be there's been something along those lines forever.
There’s so much MESSINESS going on, it’s practically impossible to keep up with it.
As to Comer, his “credibility”has no basis:
https://congressionalintegrity.org/why-does-james-comer-keep-lying-to-the-press/
It's been going on for a long time, but was hidden from us. Living in bliss is a lovely thing until the truth is revealed. Maybe the shock value will give rational people a kick start to help them get in gear and take part in the adult world of responsibility.
Thank you for the quiet intensity of your comment, Susan. It brings us to the need for all of us to recognize that we have for too long failed to stand up for democracy in the mistaken belief that it cannot be broken.
Interesting thought. I believe that many of us "failed to stand up for democracy" because as we saw it, it had little to do with our lives and we had too much else to worry about.
I fear, however, that the number of rational people may be insufficient to overcome those motivated by racist, misogynistic and xenophobic impulses. White Christian Nationalism is definitely on the move here in the U.S., throughout the South and the Midwest.
My fear also, the MAGAts and their ilk rule in much of Texas. I used to think that logical and rational people were the majority.
Yes. As I've said many times since 2016, the real horror of the Orange Mussolini's ascent was finding out how many of my fellow citizens were terrible people and completely irrational.
It is examined and explained in the study conducted by two Univ. of Kansas professors and published in the peer-reviewed journal "Critical Sociology." You can google "The Anger Games, Who Voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 Election, and Why?" You're not going to like what they concluded.
Thanks, Richard Sutherland. Outstanding study. Here's the link that worked for me: http://criticalsociology.org/the-anger-games-who-voted-for-donald-trump-in-the-2016-election-and-why/
Ooooops: Here's a link to the entire study: http://criticalsociology.org/the-anger-games-who-voted-for-donald-trump-in-the-2016-election-and-why/
It looks to me like those who voted for tfg as a group can't think! They blame everyone else for their unhappiness, discontent and fear. External locus of control- a sign of immaturity and concrete .That there are so many who are so undeveloped is scary.
Exactly. The election provided him with a Rorschach Test of the number of Acultamuricans yearning for a messiah. Perfect marketing tool.
I only wish Texas was blue in majority…and with the NRA lining at least one elected rep’s pockets, not to mention abbott’s remarks following the Robb Elementary massacre, I doubt it will get any better. abbott and cruz tweet so much it’s a wonder they get anything done other than blaming President Biden for the border crisis.
I wonder how much my perspective is skewed by not being on Twitter...but I'm not anxious to find out.
Having never been on Twitter, IG, and whatever else is out there, I also wonder a bit--but not much--about what people in that world are thinking and doing.
They ARE the do-nothings—other than obstruct, lie or disinform.
I'm really at a loss here. Wasn't America created by people fleeing religious autocracy? How is it that people here practice what Jesus was against (hypocrisy being #1) in the name of Jesus? How did it come to be that a minority of lunatics dictate what is the correct skin color, what happens to our bodies and in our bedrooms, and what books our kids can't read? Yet, "free speech" is their refrain. What happened to the "melting pot" concept? I'm having a problem digesting....
The Puritans weren't known for their tolerance of other religions, especially not the Church of England or Catholicism. That strain continues today within certain Protestant sects. However, I believe the majority of those who came to the Americas did so in search of wealth and/or land. Consider the Spanish in Florida, the Dutch in New Amsterdam and the English in Jamestown (among other colonial settlements).
Very true, Judith. Thank you for pointing that out. We are living an amalgram of the religious intolerance and the greed that founded this nation. Deadly combination.
Yup. Greed, imperialism, elitism, misogyny, racism, religious fundamentalism . . . How much progress have we made?
Yes. Exactly. Plus, "Gold, God, & Glory puts Gold first. The not-very-pure Puritans also didn't tolerate Native Americans (heathens whose allegiance was to the devil) or anyone who appeared to disagree with whatever whimsies the current religious leader dreamed up. Countless "normal" people were denounced and executed as witches. Arthur Miller's "Crucible" shows all too clearly how, "the more things change the more they stay the same." He'd probably write a fabulous play about our current plague of McCarthyism.
From the Pew Research Center:
10. A brief overview of Black religious history in the U.S.
BY BESHEER MOHAMED, KIANA COX, JEFF DIAMANT AND CLAIRE GECEWICZ
Two-thirds of Black Americans are Protestant, like about four-in-ten Americans overall. The relationship between Black Americans and Protestantism is unusual due to the history of slavery and segregation, which spawned the creation of several Black-led denominations that allowed Black Americans to worship freely. Mostly founded prior to 1900, these historically Black Protestant denominations also supported colleges and helped Black communities in other ways.
At the same time, Protestantism alone does not define the Black religious experience in the United States. Before enslaved people in America began converting to Protestantism in sizable numbers during the 1700s, they commonly followed traditional West African religions or Islam. Catholicism, too, has long had a presence among Black Americans, including in Maryland, Kentucky and Louisiana during the slavery era. And in the early 1900s, Islam began attracting thousands of Black Americans with the message that Christianity, like America writ large, had failed to offer them equality.
What follows is a brief account of Black religious history in the United States, with an emphasis on efforts by religious groups to deal with racism and its effects. (Pew Research Center) See link below.
A brief overview of Black religious history in the U.S.
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/02/16/faith-among-
black-americans/
PEW RESEARCH CENTERFEBRUARY 16, 2021
;Faith Among Black Americans
Most Black worshippers attend predominantly Black congregations and see a role for religion in fighting racial injustice, but generational patterns are changing' See link below.
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/02/16/faith-among-black-americans/
I often wondered why slaves would adopt the religious beliefs of their enslavers, their oppressors. I surmised that it was the message of a glorious after-life that gave them some hope and the ability to carry on under such dire circumstances.
You are correct, some of those who arrived here on these shores early on were fleeing religious persecution. The Founding Fathers were well aware of the 150 years of religious strife that had wracked Europe and that is why the First Amendment makes it clear that the state has no religious involvement. But, are religions peaceful? Clearly, they're not. A book that treats this topic thoroughly is "The Christ Conspiracy" by Archarya S. You'll recollect that the lynchings of Black people in this country was carried out by white Christians. The torture administered by the Catholic priests during the Inquisition were unbelievably cruel - all in the name of Christ. What is happening in the U.S. today is not the exception, but rather the norm for some Christians.
There have been more people killed in the name of Christ, by Christian’s who have weaponized Christianity, than any other religion in the world. And it’s been going on since the very beginning of Christianity.
I wonder what Jesus must be thinking....
My personal favorite hypocrisy is "pro life"--murdering the abortion doctor who is saving a woman's life....
Islam is not far behind in terms of numbers and outright cruelty. Even today, in Pakistan, there are some who are being murdered for alleging commiting blasphemy. I would say not to travel to any Islamic countries for fear of harm, but the U.S. now has an epidemic of mass murders using easily-obtained guns.
In California schools, the phrase (term?) “melting pot” is not allowed as it’s been declared a micro aggression. Implies what each culture/newcomer brings not worthwhile to remain discrete.
But E Pluribus Unum is still ok.
I've never heard that and have lived in California for 50+ years. What is your source for that?
It was over a decade ago, when my daughter was a Sociology major at UC Santa Barbara. Her prof read them the directive that went to all UC & Cal State teachers.
Me, too, about 50 years in California though I have retired in "Insane" Land, aka Florida. I had to check this out, and sure enough, Citizen60 is correct: https://jonathanturley.org/2015/06/23/berkeley-holds-seminars-to-discourage-use-of-terms-like-melting-pot-as-racial-microaggressions/#:~:text=The%20new%20list%20of%20verboten%20terms%20out%20of,get%20the%20job.%E2%80%9D%20They%20are%20now%20all%20microaggressions.
Thanks, Richard. Never heard this and there's a difference between "discouraged" (Berkeley seminar) and "not allowed" in California schools..
It is a real cancer fed my right wing media and it can be fatal if unchecked.
You will note, perhaps, that throughout the long, long history of dynasties, empires, kingdoms, caliphates, monarchies and democracies, almost all imploded from issues within. The Chinese dynasties are great examples, particularly the last two (the Ming dynasty in 1644 and the Ching dynasty in 1911.) Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia are two other examples. Is the U.S. next, falling to White Christian Nationalistic theocratic authoritarianism?
Agree. Historically, democracies don't last.
I'm glad my greatest generation father-in-law and his brother, who helped liberate Auschwitz, are gone. Our current unraveling would have killed them.
Historically, nothing lasts and most implode instead of falling to foreign aggression.
I am Hoosier born and raised and I just started A Fever in the Heartland about the rise of the KKK in the 1920s especially in Indiana. It was run by a horrible man who would give Santos, Rudy, and death star a run for their money. I knew Indiana had largest number of KKK in the 20s, but was not aware of how awful it was. I am now in Oregon which did not escape the plague either. What bothers me most is that all of it sounds very familiar especially the use of Protestant ministers and churches to spread the word, the number of pols who belonged, and how many in LE also belonged. My own family certainly had all the prejudices although I can't see them belonging to such a group and it also explains some of the nonsense i heard growing up especially about Catholics. The KKK burned a cross at Notre Dame in 1923 on St. Patrick's Day. South Bend was always suspect when I was growing up as it was full of Ds and Catholics. He also describes Indiana as the most southern of northern states, an observation I made long ago.
When we don't teach critical thinking skills in our schools, this is what happens. It isn't restricted to the U.S. A book that really takes religion (and particularly Christianity) to task for its cruelty and violence in its name is "The Christ Conspiracy" by Acharya S, available through Amazon and other online book sellers.
Thanks for the heads up. I was in education for several years and did teach critical thinking. It's more difficult now because of standardized testing and then made worse by COVID and all the culture wars now taking place in education. Just a note. I always buy my books from Powell's, a legendary Portland bookstore. We go out of our way to avoid Amazon for any purchase although it isn't always possible. I have an ex-student who is an author and she loathes Amazon.
Excellent point. I will give Powell's a try in the future. I'm downsizing at the moment and have no room for a lot of the books that I have. Any suggestions for what organization may want them?
Usually libraries have used books sales. Here in Salem, the YMCA has had a used book sale, but not since they opened their new building. Also we have taken some to Good Will and yes, put them out in the driveway for people to take. One person came to the door, the neighborhood kids were here, and he wondered if our parents knew what we were doing!
Do not forget about some of the western states! ID & MT especially!
Yes Richard Sutherland. Ominous times. The coming election is certainly a critical time.
Rational, informed, and activated people are definitely in the minority . . . Tragically, too many people are activated by their irrational, uninformed, and ultimately self-defeating allegiance to messiahs and their mythologies .
To be sure, too often we humans tend to believe what we want to believe. As John Stuart Mill pointed out in his 1869 essay, "The Subjection of Women," when beliefs are based on feelings, facts don't matter.
"Don't let your facts interfere with my feelings/beliefs . . ."
The pandemic was the monkey wrench thrown into the mess. The disaster that is two Trumps, father and son, expanded in New York until Trump, the TV “star” did his beauty contest in Moscow, found a second “daddy,”
decided that building Trump Tower Moscow would be his greatest achievement, then, roasted by Obama, decided to run for president.
Because he knows nothing except autocracy (which is how he got rich), having learned nothing of American history, civics, or tolerance, he used his TV “stardom” as bully pulpit to get the Republican nomination. The rest is recent enough history that, were it not for the pandemic, we might remember Trump-as-president’s misdeeds. Instead, fear of poverty and premature death has addled our collective political brains giving Trumpists and the Republican Party generally, room to expand their anti-people agenda to the point that there is very little middle class left to counter big business (supporting Trump and his doctrine) and support those trying to get SCOTUS back to integrity. (Thinking of John Marshall or Earl Warren and looking at John Roberts.)
Do you know that you can message President Biden? Today I encouraged him to go to the meeting of 7 and to do whatever it takes to pay our bills and protect Social Security, etc. We cannot let the traitors take US over!
(If Heather can end a sentence with a preposition, I can dare to also.)
Oh, golly, while there are a few grammar police here, they've learned that this is not the place for it. (Besides, the thing about not ending in a proposition has nothing to do with English, which has always done that. If it's good enough for Shakespeare, it's good enough for the rest of us.)
As Churchill once said, "this is an insult, up with which I shall not put!"
One of the classics of the English language! Thanks for reminding me of it- I have always loved his rendering of that foolish "rule".
You're welcome Annie! You can probably thank my father, although it's possible I got it from my brother or a friend. Or maybe all three! I love it too!
Excellent points!--PS: The preposition rule is pretty much an anachronism. https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Dangling-Prepositions.htm#:~:text=A%20dangling%20preposition%20(also%20called,form%20a%20complete%20prepositional%20phrase.
But the Churchill quote must live forever regardless!
As I learned it, what Churchill said when some junior dared to edit him was "This is the kind of arrant nonsense up with which I will not put."
Yes, its infamy is something we must always believe in.
It certainly was hidden from me as a child. As a Baby Boomer with a lengthening lens for history now, I see how little I knew at all. One of my children took two classes from HCR in 1999. I found her then. I bought a couple of her books and found them almost impossible to understand because I still knew so little. You know, that learning curve thing. I'm wide awake and on fire now, but the "not knowing" I had in the past helps me interact with others who still don't really know. I can admit my own journey of discovery and appeal to the goodness of the still uninformed or ignorant. It makes my skin crawl to see how I accepted much that wasn't true at all. I was missing the visceral sense of what systemic racism is, for example. So, I keep speaking up (and writing) and finding different ways to bring a few more people here and there across the finish line. History is replete with awful stories. They've always been there. Power mongers, cheats, and users. I figure, let's make a difference now while we are here, each of us. Heather is a godsend.
If I were a professional journalist, I'd need an intelligent octopus or perhaps 2 to help fact - check & research.
It's interesting that you would choose to use an octopus. Studies have shown that they are very intelligent.
Hence my reason. & they would go through research material 8 times as fast, AND their ink would come in quite handy if they learned to write ! 🐙🦑 Great, I made myself hungry for calamari.....
OMG!! I should have kept my mouth shut. Still, they are amazingly intelligent, as much as, if not more than, some primates.
With all that intelligence, the odd thing is that they are not social creatures among themselves, although they do sometimes get friendly with humans. Sy Montgomery has one book about them, and there are probably others.
Sadly, they don't live very long, so they may be intelligent, but not long-lived enough to acquire discernment beyond their own circumstances. It makes me sad: I had a relationship with an octopus once, who seemed to recognize my kayak and come to visit.
Annie D. Stratton: I'm sure the octopus did recognize you. Did you feed it?
No, I do not do that with wild creatures, ever. It was well-fed as it lived in a small cove just up my inlet at the southern end of "Greater Puget Sound" with lots of octopus edibles. The water was shallow, calm and very clear. I loved slowly paddling over and seeing what the bottom creatures were doing (it was a veritable community of creatures among the seaplants).
I think the octopus simply got used to me, as I was there nearly every day, and would come out of her hidey hole when I came. I am sure she perceived my kayak as an intentional thing, and I doubt she had any sense of me as a person, since I was mostly in the kayak above her. Nonetheless, I had the distinct feeling that there was cognition there. I'd tap the water with my paddle and she would respond by moving toward me with no fear. It was one of my special treats for about 3 years. I suspect she died then, as I didn't see her after that, and I mourned.
Another special one was a young sea lion who used to wait for me to put my kayak in the water and join him for a paddle up the inlet. When he saw me coming down, he'd leap up and do an amazing belly flop to make sure I knew he was there. When I put in, he paddled alongside me companionably to the point. I think I can honestly say we were friends. His mother and aunties weren't so sure, and scolded him repeatedly (perhaps for going off alone). But they never showed any animosity toward me. I watched this young sea lion grow up and eventually the family moved. And then another took its place. I never lacked for companions on my morning paddle. Oh, my, I miss it so much!
Oh Annie D Stratton--This is lovely! Thank you for a real heart-warmer. So sorry these precious experiences are in the past.
Oh, but others come to take their place! One simply has to be open to receive them. I'll mention just one: When I retired, I learned to spin, and being the way I am, I began buying raw fleeces from people I knew with sheep (sometimes fresh off the sheep and processing the fiber from washing to finished yarn. One year I had some mohair that I put out on my net covered rack to dry. That fall, after the leaves went out, I found a lovely cup nest fully lines with mohair locks stolen from the rack! The nest was right by my driveway, at eye level, but I did not see it until the leaves dropped. And immediately felt a kinship with the bird couple who had tended their young, cozy in the mohair I'd prepared for them!
I feel the same about their short lives. It's odd, as there seems to be a correlation of brains with longevity.
Brain size isn't the only factor, though. Brain structure varies a great deal from species to species. I wonder if what we infer as "intelligence" in octupuses is not really a self-awareness, and an ability to recognize awareness in other beings. Their lives are short because they are wholly oriented around ensuring the survival of their species, and perhaps the self-awareness is what makes that possible.
Likely no to your last sentence. Evolution doesn't work that way. And longevity usually goes with the sort of intelligence that leads to self awareness and other-awareness. Intelligence in short-lived animals is all about avoiding predation. Here's more info on octopii:
"Amodio adds that his ideas still need to be tested. For example, researchers could compare different species of octopuses on the same tests, to see whether species that forage in more complex ways, or live in habitats with more predators, are also smarter. That’s surprisingly hard: It’s not obvious how you would test the cognition of a creature as alien as an octopus, and it’s telling that many demonstrations of their intelligence are anecdotal. “We have a lot of evidence that their behavior is flexible, but we still need to test how smart they are,” Amodio says."
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/07/why-did-octopuses-become-smart/593155/
Sadly, we could run some of those tests on humans. Our species is almost singular in our ability to engage in self deception and ignore the obvious. Some creatures that must stay acutely aware practice better critical thinking skills than some humans I know and also know about.
Now think about that for a moment - why is it ODD that they arent social creatures? Really! Look where our intelligence (supposed) & social society is right now. Maybe those creatures understand society better than we do.
Bonobos (very close relative of chimps) are also social creatures, and much nicer than humans. Same with elephants. With elephants, the oldest female is automatically the group leader, so there is none of the back stabbing in the quest to be leaders that goes on with humans and chimps. Bonobos inject sex into everything and if I'm remembering correctly, the females tend to be the leaders. (I need to do some more reading about bonobos.)
I think perhaps the reason octopuses aren't social is because they don't have much defense from predators and if they were social, that would group them together, making them bigger targets for predators.
Soooo David - are you maybe saying that when females are in charge (OLDER females) that everything just runs smoother and better??????? Perhaps that should tell all of us something, right?
With the elephants, it's partly the politics dictating who is in charge so that there is no vying for leadership, with all the back-stabbing that so frequently entails. With the bonobos, it's partly the use of sex to help assuage problems. And of course, in both cases, the leaders are female.
I don't know whether that would translate to H. sapiens or not. I don't think Ginni Thomas wouild be any improvement over Clarence Thomas. And there are plenty of GOP women on Capitol Hill who I sure wouldn't want running anything (MTG, Lauren Boebert for starters), as well as former conservative leaders of other countries (Margaret Thatcher), the like of whom I would not want in charge anywhere.
Scandinavian countries seem to have had more female leaders than most countries, and I've not heard anything bad about them, but I think that has a lot to do with the character of Scandinavian countries (both that they have female leaders and that said leaders do a good job).
Even within the US, I think the better female governors, reps, etc. come from blue states, and the lousy ones come from red states. (Don't forget Sarah Palin.)
And there are some damn good men...
It's complicated. But I sure would not want to go back to the days before women's equality, and the days before women could hold public offices, and if it had to be only one gender holding public offices, women might well do a better job than men.
Of course, my maternal grandmother was likely the first female Coloradan to earn a PhD. She was born a Hornbein. And if you google that name you'll get another interesting relative who--alas--just checked out of this mortal coil. The name adorns a high place on Earth.
Exactly! Cant improve on that comment.
https://symontgomery.com/soul-of-an-octopus/
One writer kept one as a pet. One day he came in to find that it came out of its tank & died. I hope that it wasn't Catholic. No last rites or burial in sanctified ground for it !
Who was it who said, "Life is a bitch, and then you die?"
wasn't that from James Dean in " Rebel Without a Cause " ?
I dunno for sure, but I remember it from the 70s, but not before. That very well may be simply due to the people I hung around with. On the other hand, it sure does sound like something George Carlson would come up with. Though I be there's been something along those lines forever.
It's a proverb/folk saying. Etymology unknown.
http://folklore.usc.edu/lifes-a-bitch-and-then-you-die/
Daniel Appleton: Eeeeeewwww!
🤣🤣🤣 You could try squid instead.
Yeah... calamari are squid. I can eat those, used to get them at the fish market in the PacNW. Will not eat octopus.