Culture

Romeo and Juliet

Once you go deplorable, you’ll know that we’re adorable.

By Justin Katz | February 8, 2022 |

To begin with, let me apologize for the subject line.  Once it occurred to me, I couldn’t let it go. If you’re of a certain age, you may recognize the sexual undertones of the phrase, which I began thinking about after stumbling across a Twitter exchange between apparent progressive Liz Gledhill and known conservative Nicole…

A water drop and ripples

The pizza assignment is an unlabeled example of “pleasure-based sex ed.”

By Justin Katz | February 7, 2022 |

Erika Sanzi shared a post on Parents Defending Education about a school assignment to teach kids about sexual consent.  Working in groups, students design a pizza that their partners will like by communicating with non-verbal cues.  Everybody likes cheese, but not everybody will want olives.  Here’s step number two: “Now mirror these preferences in relation…

A dark net

Social media and COVID are in symbiosis.

By Justin Katz | February 7, 2022 |

Something clicked as I listened to the podcast version of the Megyn Kelly episode embedded from YouTube below. Her primary guest was Tristan Harris, a Silicon Valley player who’s been warning about the manipulative dangers of social media.  He’s taken the Stanford classes on “persuasive technology” along with the tech entrepreneurs and knows how it…

A drowning person's hand

We’re on a dangerous path with Whoopi Goldberg’s suspension.

By Justin Katz | February 3, 2022 |

She slipped up and exposed the direction of the narrative before all of the necessary special interests were pinned down.  Wokism, intersectionality, anti-racism, proclamations about “white supremacy”… in all of these variations on the theme, whiteness is bad, whiteness is everywhere, and racism only goes one way.  People of European descent are white; Jews are…

A man's shadow over a swing set

Is the General Assembly setting up schools to groom children for pedophiles?

By Justin Katz | February 2, 2022 |

If that question seems like hyperbole, think it through. Either our legislators are deeply sick or criminally susceptible to manipulation by people who are.

Palette of moving boxes on a truck lift

Whatever Americans’ reasons for moving, they aren’t coming to Rhode Island.

By Justin Katz | January 31, 2022 |

Writing for J&S Transportation, Travis Van Slooten tries to understand why Americans have moved during the pandemic. To start with, though, we should probably think about why they have not: A lot of attention has been focused on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected moving trends in the U.S. While some use terms like exodus when…

A water drop and ripples

We’re living in Dolores Umbridge’s world.

By Justin Katz | January 31, 2022 |

Jon Miltimore explains why Dolores Umbridge is the best character in the Harry Potter books (as distinct from his favorite character).  She’s an archetype, and unfortunately, our society is becoming more archetypal, these days, so to speak: Like Dolores Umbridge, Australian leaders (and Lemon) apparently see no problem in using force for the greater good, including using…

Darlene D'Arezzo and Loren Spears on State of the State

State of the State: Tomaquag Museum Update

By Darlene D'Arezzo | January 30, 2022 |

Host Darlene D’Arezzo catches viewers up with happenings at the Tomaquag Museum, with Executive Director Loren Spears.

A stage with empty tables

I miss the atmosphere of debate.

By Justin Katz | January 28, 2022 |

The topic of the podcast was tangential to my point with this post, but listening to Jordan Peterson speak with infrastructure academic Rick Geddes and writer and Democrat messaging consultant Gregg Hurwitz recently made me wish Westerners could get back to working together. Lately, I find that the people with whom I come into disagreement…

A water drop and ripples

Biggest news of the day…

By Justin Katz | January 25, 2022 |

… Neil Young is still alive!