“Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine.”
-Patti Smith
Well, the world didn’t end after all. We woke up the morning after the 21st to find that the dust had settled and it was just another day. Life does go on, and aside from the exciting, exasperating highs and lows of political conflicts, social struggles and apocalyptic tall tales, life is mostly pretty boring.… [Read more]
I recently had a conversation with someone regarding the current global state of affairs. Whether in the U.S., England, China or Nigeria the masses of the people are struggling just to survive. Why is that? Why is living in the 21st century, when there is an abundance of resources, so arduous. Especially when the fact of the matter is it doesn’t have to be. … [Read more]
With the approach of the year 2013 the battle for protecting the country’s democratically elected leadership in Pakistan is also gaining heat. The country’s powerful judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court of Pakistan, appears to have literally taken to indicting the President of the country, Asif Ali Zardari. The recent disqualification of the country’s prime minister is a major move in this case.… [Read more]
“I work hard. Why do I have to pay for other people’s misfortunes? Why must my hard-earned tax dollars go to support lazy leeches who have only themselves to blame for their lot in life?”
“Why should I care?”
In last week’s Great Society post, I tried to answer this question. The reason you should care, in short, is because it’s the right thing to do.… [Read more]
I’m teaching a Black Politics course this summer, and I’m using Toure’s “Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now“ as the primary textbook. Initially, I planned to take the traditional route – lecturing from works by the usual suspects: Manning Marable, Michael Dawson, Cornel West. But I decided in the end that I wanted to discuss race in a contemporary way, and Toure’s work allows me that freedom.… [Read more]
Just when you thought they had all the various groups of vulnerable citizens adequately disenfranchised, the Republican Party decides to stick it to students as well (now, they are attempting to stick it to women and children instead. I’ll explain in a minute). How can these guys and gals possibly get re-elected? It’s a mystery to many thinking folks.… [Read more]
I can’t help being fascinated by the Trayvon Martin case – by the way the events are unfolding and the ways in which narratives are being constructed and white supremacy is being exposed. It’s interesting to hear the many “takes” on the situation, including the following gems of cognition:
