A lot of the discussion about racism is nuanced and requires not so much a list of “dos and don’ts” but a general approach that requires consciousness raising about issues that may fall outside your personal experience. There will never be a specific pattern of behaviours that makes someone a ‘non-racist’ or is foolproof in …
Monthly Archive: June 2012
Jun 28 2012
More that divides US than unites US
If you’re American (or particularly politically active), your Facebook page is probably littered with various reactions to the Supreme Court decision this morning. They likely fall into one of three categories: “Good news, because now people will be able to get health care!” “Bad news, because we could have done a lot better” “GOODBYE DEMOCRACY …
Jun 28 2012
Obamacare ruled constitutional
In case you somehow missed it, the United States Supreme Court has ruled, in a 5-4 decision, that the Affordable Care Act (derisively dubbed ‘Obamacare’ by its opponents) does not violate the Constitution and will still carry the force of law. For a rundown of the decision, check out Ezra Klein’s blog: “The bottom line: …
Jun 28 2012
Racism, elections, and how we measure up
A while back, a writer I like got in trouble with a lot of people who would otherwise be fans over something she wrote: In it, Dr. Harris-Perry (who I follow on Twitter) lays out an argument for why white voters, who supported Barack Obama in the first election, may be abandoning him now at a …
Jun 27 2012
We can’t opt out
There is a contingent of the freethinking community, and I have no idea how large it is statistically, but a contingent nonetheless that believe the conversation about social justice lies well outside the list of things we should be talking about. Science, religion, skepticism – these are clearly part of the relevant topics for us to …
Jun 27 2012
Because I am an atheist: OleanderTea, a really, truly gumpy bunny
Today’s contribution was submitted as a comment by OleanderTea, a really, truly grumpy bunny Because I am an atheist… I know I won’t get to see my deceased spouse in a magical “someplace” after I die. I honestly believe it to be true, but it is also heartbreaking. My belief that there is no “eternal …
Jun 27 2012
Blowing the dust off our language
I am not an entomologist. If I was, I’d know that the word I wanted to use there was ‘etymologist’. Also I’d be covered in ants or something. At any rate, I have not made a careful study of language, and by no means am I up on the origins of the various aphorisms and …
Jun 26 2012
Putting your (thunder)foot in it
I haz a sad. Look I’ll make it simple, the point of a bar isn’t to make everyone maximally safe (indeed if it were, they would ban bars, as it would be far safer if everyone just stayed at home and did nothing), it’s to let everyone have the most amount of fun. The reason …
Jun 26 2012
Because I’m an atheist: Adam Lee
Today’s contribution comes from Adam Lee, from Daylight Atheism Because I am an atheist… …I don’t have to spend my energy justifying the unjustifiable. As I’ve written before, I can imagine how I could have been a religious person. A different roll of the dice, a few chance encounters that happened differently – there are …
Jun 26 2012
When the goggles come off
I have size 16 feet. They’re quite ridiculously large. I have to order my shoes from the internet, because if I try to buy them in a story I get laughed at (and then apologized to when they realize I’m not joking). I am not particularly eager to confirm or disconfirm the rumours about guys …
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