How this all started and how it escalated is less important than the weekend blowup that engulfed America, when average folks count on taking a break from tensions of the week at work and in the news and enjoy the diversion of sports events. Now it’s all blurring together and social tensions have invaded the
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Football was once the place Americans could go to get away from anxiety, division, and politics. No more. Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel for the National Anthem during the 2016 season has set off a chain reaction of sorts, one that is seriously threatening America’s pastime. Facing the prospect of being cut by the 49ers prior to
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Accusations of “virtue signaling” have become ubiquitous in online debate. It’s practically a Law of the Internet that, as soon as a controversial opinion is expressed, a commenter will appear to magnanimously and courageously set the record straight by explaining that, actually, it should be ignored because the author is just trying to look good
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The other day I received a brief survey from Renaissance Learning. Designed for parents, teachers, and administrators, it asked participants to list three must-read books for students in the following age categories: At first blush, the survey may seem simple and almost frivolous in nature. But in actuality, the books we select for our children
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The recent death of American poet John Ashbery sadly removed the last of his generation’s major poets. The current population of U.S. poets is now bereft of any truly significant figures — although there are many skillful writers of this hermetic yet important language art. How long Ashbery’s work will last is not clear. Mostly
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Once upon a time, I adamantly agreed with Mark Twain’s assessment of Jane Austen’s books. He noted, “Everytime I read Pride and Prejudice I want to dig her [Jane Austen] up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone.” Then I finally forced myself to sit down and make my way through Austen’s
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