Culture

Politicians Don’t Seem to Laugh at Themselves as Much Anymore 0
- Culture
- August 22, 2019
As the 2020 presidential campaign gets underway, one of the key factors that shapes our perceptions is how the candidates use – or do not use – humor. One kind of humor that is in shorter supply among politicians than it once was is self-deprecating humor. That’s when politicians make themselves the butt of the
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‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’: Remembering a Culture War That Never Happened 0
- Culture
- August 22, 2019
(WARNING: Spoiler alert) The phrase “Once Upon a Time” generally opens fairy tales, but Quentin Tarantino’s film masterpiece, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” is not the stuff of sweet stories. The phrase refers here to time, not as mythical memory, but as a turning point in the human condition. “Once Upon a Time in
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Retooling Pronouns: Let’s Bring Back the Royal ‘We’0
- Culture
- August 21, 2019
Queen Victoria, so the story goes, sometimes resorted to the royal “we.” “We are not amused,” she might remark – one assumes with a sniff – at some slightly off-color story or inopportune remark. But whom did the queen intend by “we?” The spirit of Prince Albert? Other members of the court? The entire British
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Dilemmas of the 21st-Century American Parent 0
- Culture
- August 21, 2019
Standing in the breeze on a warm spring day at the end of another school year, I listen as a pre-Kindergarten child receives a prize at the elementary school’s yearly awards ceremony. Inwardly, I cringe as I hear “ . . . and she wants to be a YouTuber when she grows up.” My attention
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Why ‘Adult Recess’ Is Becoming a Trend 0
- Culture
- August 21, 2019
You’ve heard of adulting school. It’s where those who grew up in body, but not necessarily in responsibility, go to learn the ropes of changing tires, cooking, and doing laundry. But there’s a flip side to this phenomenon. Apparently, many adults have a craving to be a kid again. Enter “adult recess.” “Adults are reliving
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Delusion, Doublespeak, and Duplicity: Why Language Matters 0
- Culture
- August 20, 2019
Language matters. Let’s start with some quotes from one of the masters of the English language: George Orwell. From his Politics and the English Language: “Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” And again: “But if thought corrupts language, language
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