We are constantly bombarded by people screaming we must “take back” the country, particularly during an election year. As if it has been stolen by rebel forces whose primary mission is to destroy it. Alternately we are told we must take back the country from the President, radical right-wingers, bleeding heart liberals, big government and corporations. We must fight and take it back from the Muslims, Jews, Catholics, gun nuts, constitution eroders, freedom inhibitors, women haters, and lobbyists. We must wretch these precious United States from the destructive grips of (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘culture’
take it back
Posted: October 7, 2012 in Observations and CommentaryTags: America, commentary, common good, common ground, culture, differences, division, life, society, USA, we the people
life in the big city: culture clash
Posted: July 23, 2012 in Life in the Big City, PhotographyTags: culture, diversity, life, Life in the Big City, melting pot, New York, NYC, people, Photography, The Clash, urban
culture clash
death and twitter
Posted: May 2, 2012 in Observations and CommentaryTags: culture, death, Junior Seau, life, respect, society, Twitter
Today Junior Seau died. He was an ex-football star who had a distinguished 20 year career in the National Football League. Most likely he will eventually – and rightfully – get inducted into that sport’s Hall of Fame. Preliminary indications are he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 43.
Ever since Twitter burst into the collective consciousness people have used it as a vehicle to express public condolences when someone of note passes away. Today was no exception. Apparently the Twitterverse was bursting with (more…)
post-authentic world
Posted: March 19, 2012 in Observations and CommentaryTags: authentic, blogging, Blogosphere, culture, internet, life, music, post-authentic world, society, Springsteen, SXSW, truth
On Saturday I watched Bruce Springsteen’s March 15th keynote address from the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Austin, Texas. He said a lot, but one thing in particular intrigued me.
“We live in a post-authentic world. Today, authenticity is a house of mirrors. It’s all just what you’re bringing when the lights go down.”
Contextually he was speaking about music, but the descriptor “post-authentic world” is reflective of a broader societal shift. Nowadays it is far more difficult to separate real from fake, sheen from substance. It takes work. Reality is constantly being distorted and thanks to (more…)
Trask Avenue 
more collateral damage
Posted: December 15, 2012 in Observations and CommentaryTags: culture, death, guns, life, Newtown, rights, shooting, society, United States
It is hard to write through tear stained eyes, but not impossible. What is impossible to comprehend, even fractionally, is the scope of the horror in Newtown, Connecticut yesterday. 26 people mowed down at the hand of a deranged killer, massacred like characters in a video game. 26 people, 20 of them children. Good lord. How does one wrap their head around that? 20 children. It is (more…)