When you see the term Gender Ideology, alarm bells should ring in your head!
Here we go again. Gender ideology. Gender. Ideology. Do you think you know what it means? It’s currently in vogue in the Americas. Bolsonaro put it back in style in … Continue reading
Do you need an abortion? PLANCPILLS.ORG
Let me start by asking people, all of you out there, to pass this along to your readers and followers, friends and family. I know many people are disturbed by … Continue reading
Christianity and the Strong Arm of the Law: Do the religious not trust themselves?
This was from the former Pink Agendist Blog posted in January of 2014, but happens to unfortunately be relevant yet again. “Christianity has had, since its inception, an obsession with … Continue reading
A Fascinating Perspective; Critical Race Theory in Action at The White Lotus
“… Excellent performances (and performers) like Rothwell as Belinda are wasted as the Black and Hawaiian characters — the ones actually best suited to critique their white oppressors through the … Continue reading
Much Ado About Critical Race Theory
People seem to be incredibly preoccupied with this theory at the moment. It’s being discussed in much the same way as they used to talk about the Homosexual Agenda. I … Continue reading
A Random Rant or an Open Letter – or the 1st draft of a letter
Infuriating. Infuriating. Have I said infuriating? For the nth time in the past three years the French Douane (customs office) has sent us a request for supplementary information on a … Continue reading
Medical Fraud: Misleading Coronavirus Video Spreads Online
In a video posted Monday online, a group of people calling themselves “America’s Frontline Doctors” and wearing white medical coats spoke against the backdrop of the Supreme Court in Washington, … Continue reading
The Threshold of Injury to Demand for Action Ratio as Based on Genetic Determinism/Identity
Consider this example: For the past few years a sector of the American population has been proposing the legal denial of service to customers based on the customer’s sexual orientation. … Continue reading
The World in Which a Dead Son Is Better Than a Gay Son
I’d rather have a dead son than a gay son. Let that phrase wash over you. Let it envelop you. Let it sink in. Taste its bitter sting. A dead … Continue reading
This map shows what white Europeans associate with race
“… Each country on the map is coloured according to the average score of test takers from that country. Redder countries show higher average bias, bluer countries show lower average … Continue reading
Denialism: what drives people to reject the truth by Keith Kahn-Harris
“In recent years, the term has been used to describe a number of fields of “scholarship”, whose scholars engage in audacious projects to hold back, against seemingly insurmountable odds, the … Continue reading
Of ridiculous things to say
Yes, Richard, it must be cultural. Either that or senility. Church bells are an absolute invasion of people’s right to reasonable peace and quiet. I make an effort not to be … Continue reading
For Brexiters, truth is what you believe – even if it’s a lie | Opinion | The Guardian
“… It was shameless, a degradation of our public life. But sealed in the bubble of her ideology, protected by a right-wing press locked in the same bubble, she was … Continue reading
Religion as a Tool in Social Dominance Theory
“Social dominance theory was put forth by two researchers, Jim Sidanius and Felicia Pratto, in 1999. Specifically, Sidanius and Pratto attempted to explain how, and why, social structures seemed to … Continue reading
The Magnificent Hannah Gadsby Monologue
” … because I still have shame. You learn from the part of the story you focus on. I need to tell my story properly. Because the closet, for me, … Continue reading
Author Didier Eribon: ‘What was difficult was not being gay but being working-class’ | Books | The Guardian
“What was difficult was not being gay but being working-class,” he says. ‘People who say they are proud to be working-class are really saying they are proud to no longer … Continue reading
The “Governor’s Residency” at Tel ‘Eton, The United Monarchy, and the Impact of the Old-House Effect on Large-Scale Archaeological Reconstructions
“… This has bearings on the date in which social complexity evolved in Judah, on the debate regarding the historicity of the kingdom of David and Solomon, and it also … Continue reading
Chris Hayes: What ‘Law and Order’ Means to Trump – The New York Times
“… In this view, crime is not defined by a specific offense. Crime is defined by who commits it. If a young black man grabs a white woman by the … Continue reading
The Paranoid Style in American Politics | Harper’s Magazine – 1964
Richard Hofstadter was DeWitt Clinton Professor of American History at Columbia University. His book “Anti-intellectualism in American Life” was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1964. This essay … Continue reading
Enlightenment Now by Pinker via Bill Gates
Five interesting facts Gates liked from the book: You’re 37 times less likely to be killed by a bolt of lightning than you were at the turn of the century—and … Continue reading
Is Jordan Peterson the stupid man’s smart person? – via Macleans.ca
Tabatha Southey delves into University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson’s work and finds his secret sauce—and what makes his work unnerving Tabatha Southey “…Western civilization is, after all, a delicate … Continue reading
Sophisticated Theology™ in Group Structures (and politics)
Something absolutely fascinating happened to me yesterday. D.P. Monahan, who sometimes comments here, pointed me to a blog by someone called Hoyt who’d written a post on Matriarchy/Patriarchy. She (and … Continue reading
It’s not my fault | Edouard Louis
“It was a chase scene. In the foreground was what looked to be a middle-class man, wearing a white shirt and suit pants. He was trying to get away from … Continue reading
(Translation) Tradução: 40 Anos do Movimento Anti-Gay
Versão original in English: aqui. Em 2005 a SPLC publicou um cronograma da história do movimento anti-gay nos Estados Unidos. Usando aquele trabalho como base criei uma versão alternativa, mais detalhada, … Continue reading
It’s an alpha male thing: what dominant chimpanzees and Donald Trump have in common | via The Guardian
“Chimpanzee politics can be intricate, but they always obey the rules of social dominance. Because chimps and humans evolved from a common ancestor going back 5-7m years, we humans know … Continue reading
Sexism, Racism, Classism & Homophobia – Here I come!
Or there I went. Down the rabbit hole, just like Alice. This business of one’s past is dangerous stuff. Here I was, safely behind my exceedingly high French walls, but no, … Continue reading
A Boy (or more) to be Sacrificed
I watched the men talking on the beach with some degree of suspicion. I simply did not understand what was going on, what they were doing, or why. I’d never … Continue reading
Rulers, Religion and Riches by Jared Rubin – why the west got rich | Books | The Guardian
“Why are some parts of the world rich, and other parts poor? In the west many of us live in conditions almost unimaginably more comfortable than billions of people in … Continue reading
Why Are Americans So Afraid? | Class Warfare Blog
“I was reading an article over at AlterNet with the title above. The subtitle is “Facts Take a Backseat to Deeply Ingrained Fears.” That article takes a fact-based approach in … Continue reading
Trans discrimination II via Clare Flourish
Trans discrimination II by Clare Flourish “It is not a free speech issue. You’re a man, really has little value as speech. Why would anyone want to be rude to … Continue reading
Standards of Real Manhood™
“Segurem suas cabras que meu bode está solto“ That’s a traditional Lusophone saying that means tie up your does because my buck is free. Get it? Keep your females locked up … Continue reading
How the middle class hoards wealth and opportunity for itself | Inequality | The Guardian
“… Opportunity hoarding does not result from the workings of a large machine but from the cumulative effect of individual choices and preferences. Taken in isolation, they may feel trivial: … Continue reading
Rank reversal aversion inhibits redistribution across societies | Nature Magazine, Human Behaviour
“Income inequality is pervasive despite evidence of inequality-averse social preferences. We show that people will sometimes support inequality to avoid reversing the rank of others in society. Using a … Continue reading
Artificial realities and income
Just found this in today’s El Pais And I had this one for France already: Does anyone have examples for other countries? You’d never guess those are the real … Continue reading
‘Are you yellow?’ Red Symons interview with Beverley Wang prompts ABC apology | The Guardian
Symons: “Do they speak Mandarin or Cantonese? Wang: “Who’s ‘they’?” Symons: “The people in Taiwan.” Wang: “They speak Taiwanese and they speak Mandarin. And in Canada, where I’m from, … Continue reading
Perspective, Priorities & Women in Society
Yesterday I was reading John Oliver’s more than justified criticism of the coverage of the most recent terrorist attacks in London; this was shortly after reading an article someone emailed … Continue reading
Free speech is at the core of the left-right divide. But what are we fighting over? | Jason Wilson | Opinion | The Guardian
by Jason Wilson “… Free speech in the Bill of Rights is not freedom from criticism or disagreement. But this was not what Christian appears to have had in mind. … Continue reading
Our Very Own Honour Killings: 15enne uccide l’amico per un like su Facebook – Corriere.it
Un like di troppo e un commento, poco appropriato, sotto la foto di una ragazzina postata sul suo profilo Facebook, ha convinto Alex, 15 anni, che quello era uno sgarbo … Continue reading
The wonderful world of Herbert Spencer
“The presumption that any current opinion is not wholly false gains in strength according to the number of its adherents. Admitting, as we must, that life is impossible unless through … Continue reading
Apparently “Chanel needs to understand Indigenous anger” over boomerangs
“If you are an Aboriginal person the idea that someone would pay nearly $2,000 for a designer boomerang is absurd. To pay that much for a boomerang would have to … Continue reading
Canadian journalists support ‘appropriation prize’ after online furore | The Guardian
“The piece sparked furore on social media. While some defended Niedzviecki’s idea, others described the piece as clueless and an insult to the indigenous writers who had contributed to the … Continue reading
The Red-Pill Right Swaps Chivalry for Misogyny – via TDB
“An investigation by The Daily Beast about the New Hampshire state representative who was secretly behind The Red Pill (“the web’s most popular online destination for pickup artistry and men’s … Continue reading
The Secret Life of the Mind: How Your Brain Thinks, Feels, and Decides by Dr. Mariano Sigman
“Where do our thoughts come from? How do we make choices and trust our judgments? What is the role of the unconscious? Can we manipulate our dreams? In this mind-bending … Continue reading
The Butchering of the Age of Reason – via TDB
“Our country is in a crisis that threatens to set us back 400 years. I know this sounds dramatic, and I am not talking about politics, I’m talking about reversing … Continue reading
Reflections on White Masculinity via The Guardian + Society’s failure to discuss ideas.
[The book is] “slated for 2018 . It’s based on interviews with four different groups around the world. One of them is an organization in Sweden which helps young neo-Nazis … Continue reading
The Anatomy of Populist Economics by Brigitte Granville – Project Syndicate
A bit of a long read, but well worth it. Professor Brigitte Granville’s article is outstanding. PARIS – For at least the past year, populism has been wreaking havoc on … Continue reading
Him, Daniel Blake
We watched Ken Loach’s film last night. Beautifully done but excruciatingly sad. I spent the rest of the evening feeling generally guilty- and selfish, and clueless, and uncaring. It’s something … Continue reading
The Last Straw Fallacy: Another Causal Fallacy and Its Harmful Effects
by Carolyn Cusick & Mark Peter November 2015 Argumentation; Nov. 2015, Vol. 29 Issue 4, p. 457 “We have noticed a pattern of arguments that exhibit a type of irrationality … Continue reading
The David Irving Method & Wanker Theory
One of the less talked about films of last year was Denial. Not as cheerful as La La Land or dramatic as Fences, it tells the story of the libel … Continue reading
From Simulation Confusion by K. Sanes
“… more often, we are being deliberately tricked, by people who have something to gain by manipulating us with misleading appearances. Indeed, much of America’s economy is based on providing … Continue reading
In case you missed it: Matt Frei
“Meet The Trumps: From Immigrant To President Donald Trump is the 45th President of the United States and commander in chief of America’s armed forces, the most powerful position in … Continue reading
Let’s just say they wish today was over: Penelope Fillon & Marine Le Pen
Marine Le Pen: élue au Parlement européen, et est accusée d’avoir rémunéré avec des fonds européens comme assistante parlementaire Catherine Griset, alors que celle-ci travaillait essentiellement pour le FN. Cette dernière … Continue reading
Skittles, Terrorism & the Hippopotamus Factor
These excellent graphs are by the wonderful people at Datagraver. For more interesting graphs, numbers and information on terrorism, Oxford University’s OWID is fantastic. I thought it would be interesting for … Continue reading
A Series of Even More Unfortunate Events: The Appalling Airport
No sooner had the Baudelaire orphans handed their passports to the immigration officer than they looked up and realized it was actually Count Olaf in disguise! In a very, very bad disguise. … Continue reading
Sean Spicer: Trump considering 20% tax on Mexican imports – Business Insider
“Sean Spicer, White House press secretary for President Donald Trump, told reporters on Thursday that the administration is pushing for a 20% border tax on Mexican imports. “When you look at … Continue reading
Clickbait title: Is rape imaginary?
…“The dissociation of labor and disintegration of society, which liberty and free competition occasion, is especially injurious to the poorer class; for besides the labor necessary to support the family, … Continue reading
The Magic(al thinking) Word of 2016/2017: Deal
Bold, ambitious, Global Britain- those were some of the terms Theresa May repeated ad nauseum in today’s speech on Brexit. The most used word, however, was deal. That is undoubtedly … Continue reading
The Mother of All Muckrakers
“… Tarbell was the nemesis of John D. Rockefeller, the creator of Standard Oil, precursor of ExxonMobil. But she was a lot more than that — as a journalist she … Continue reading
The adventures of President Shyster & his Shysterettes
By now you’ve probably seen President Shyster posing next to a table covered in files: The setup was extraordinary. Basically he said, Dear Public, these are papers. Papers mean I … Continue reading
Wishful thinking: from Proxylane to Dedifferentiated Rose Cells
I can’t tell you how annoying I find advertisements for cosmetics. What’s most irritating is that they work. The world’s wealthiest woman is, after all, Liliane Bettencourt the owner of L’Oreal. What … Continue reading
Darwin, Bonaparte & the Samaritan (starting the year on a good note!)
That’s the title of Michel Serre’s new book. Unfortunately I think it’s not yet available in English (but it is in French & Spanish.) He’s one of the great minds … Continue reading
Democrats, demagogues and despots via the FT
“The more powerful the passions and the more uncontained the ambitions, the more likely the democratic system will collapse into despotism. Demagogues are the Achilles heel of democracy. There is … Continue reading
Ich bin ein Berliner
Right now we don’t know what the reasons were- and frankly I imagine the motivation doesn’t play much of a role in the feeling of loss of those who have lost … Continue reading
Welcome to the age of anger
The seismic events of 2016 have revealed a world in chaos – and one that old ideas of liberal rationalism can no longer explain by Pankaj Mishra “Writing in the … Continue reading
What Gamergate should have taught us about the ‘alt-right’ + Let’s talk about language.
“It’s understandable that the world didn’t much care about Gamergate. The 2014 hashtag campaign, ostensibly founded to protest about perceived ethical failures in games journalism, clearly thrived on hate – … Continue reading
Viviane Amsalem & Body Ritual Among the Nacirema
Last night we watched Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem. Everything about it is superb. Watch the trailer because it gives a very good idea of how the film plays … Continue reading
Religious radicalisation before there was ISIS: Reports of the West’s Enlightenment have been greatly exaggerated.
Catholic seminarians in late 1930’s Pamplona taking up arms for what the church itself called a Crusade. The crusade involved overthrowing the democratically elected 2nd Republic. Catholicism became omnipresent in … Continue reading
Already Happening: The Normalization of Trumpism – via TDB
“… Only the characteristic bluntness of a child, who proclaimed the emperor’s nudity as he paraded through the streets humiliating himself and his kingdom, threatened to break the spell. But … Continue reading
White nationalists? Alt-right? If you see a Nazi, say Nazi | Lindy West | The Guardian
“What does it take to call a Nazi a Nazi? In the interminable fortnight since the election of Donald Trump, the US press has been floundering in a gyre of … Continue reading
What So Many People Don’t Get About the U.S. Working Class via The Harvard Business Review
“My father-in-law grew up eating blood soup. He hated it, whether because of the taste or the humiliation, I never knew. His alcoholic father regularly drank up the family wage, … Continue reading
The Economist’s Ode to Canada
“In this depressing company of wall-builders, door-slammers and drawbridge-raisers, Canada stands out as a heartening exception. It happily admits more than 300,000 immigrants a year, nearly 1% of its population—a … Continue reading
History – Attention Must Be Paid | Envisioning The American Dream
“In my constant field of vision, are a series of framed vintage Vanity Fair magazine covers from 1933 that powerfully illustrate that most tumultuous year, a year that would have … Continue reading
Lord Haw-Haw: How a Little Liar Sold the Biggest One – The Daily Beast
“While studying at the University of London in the early 1920s, Joyce became virulently anti-Semitic. Some say that when a leftist slashed his face from the edge of his lip … Continue reading
My Very Own Question Time: On shame, guilt & victimhood
This has been on my mind for a while: How do the anthropological notions of Shame Society and Guilt Society – and the newer term (for a very old behaviour) Victimhood … Continue reading
Must Read: Resisting Resentment Politics Down Under, Paul Tyson
How owning our Resentment can save Australian Politics In this piece, Paul Tyson, honorary Research Fellow at the University of Queensland, outlines his take on the rise of right wing … Continue reading
After the election we will not mourn. We will organize | Gloria Steinem | Opinion | The Guardian
“In my country, the white-lash and the man-lash have just created President Donald Trump, an unqualified candidate who came up not through politics, but through inheriting money, a gift for … Continue reading
Absolutely Fascinating
I was awake late last night and then early this morning. I think like most, I expected Clinton to win. WOW! What a shock. I’ll probably surprise you by not … Continue reading
The Curious Cases of Nawaz & Ali
In case you haven’t yet heard, The SPLC has published a list of what they call Islamophobes. I prefer the traditional term, which is simply racist. Or in this precise … Continue reading
How do we combat flawed thinking?
SANE ASYLUM The Swiss Know How to Beat Wingnuts Flavia Kleiner and Operation Libero handed the anti-immigrant right a major defeat last spring. Now they’re building their ‘rebellion of the … Continue reading
First there was the vote. What now? The future of Brexit.
“The widespread assumption that Britain would remain in the EU gave way, after the June referendum, to the antithesis: the prospect of “hard” Brexit. Now, courtesy of Japanese carmaker Nissan, … Continue reading
What Do Trump and Marx Have in Common? – The New York Times
HAMBURG, Germany — “We have a word in German, “Wutbürger,” which means “angry citizen” — though like many German compound words, its meaning can never quite be captured in a … Continue reading
The brain adapts to dishonesty : Nature Neuroscience : Nature Research
“Dishonesty is an integral part of our social world, influencing domains ranging from finance and politics to personal relationships. Anecdotally, digressions from a moral code are often described as a … Continue reading
Patriarchy, feminism & other things
What do you think gay boys fear being called the most when we’re young? It’s not a short list, is it? I bet you came up with at least three … Continue reading
Welcome to the ‘White Identity Retreat’: The Rise in Student Segregation – The Daily Beast
“A 2004 study that examined “ethnic enclaves” within college universities, surveying incoming freshmen at the University of California, Los Angeles the week before classes began and those same students each … Continue reading
Thoughts on The Best News You Don’t Know
Source: The Best News You Don’t Know, Kristof for the NYT, 22/09/16 “As world leaders gather for the United Nations General Assembly this week, all the evidence suggests that we … Continue reading
Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore Suspended for Rest of His Term Over Defiance on Gay Marriage – WSJ
“A disciplinary court suspended Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore for the remainder of his term Friday for violating judicial ethics in his defiance of federal court rulings on same-sex marriage. The decision … Continue reading
Jesus, the brownish dwarf
Very amusing article by Candida Moss: “Historically speaking, it is likely that the average first-century male from Roman Palestine would have had dark hair, brown eyes, and dark skin tone. … Continue reading
Mike Pence Opposes Word ‘Vice’ On Religious Grounds, Doesn’t Want To Be Called Vice Presidential Candidate | Huffington Post
“… Pence’s comment about Duke came in response to a question after Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate for president, referred to Trump supporters, including Duke, as a “ basket of … Continue reading
Hard Brexit via Clare
“The Single Market is not a matter of common tariffs but common law. It is our agreement to common standards of product safety, for the good of consumers, as well … Continue reading
How Trolls Are Ruining the Internet | TIME
Fantastic article at Time: “But trolling has become the main tool of the alt-right, an Internet-grown reactionary movement that works for men’s rights and against immigration and may have used … Continue reading
Christopher Biggins and the fall of civilisation
“Suppose you’d invited me round to dinner to celebrate my engagement to your daughter, which do you think would be more offensive? If a) I got violently drunk, threatened all … Continue reading
Fascinating concept: Trepalium
I’m usually not inclined to science fiction- but having read the description I couldn’t just walk away: “In a world where jobs are scarce, in a city where only 20% … Continue reading
The problem with narratives.
In the context of the recent troubles of race/religion/violence a couple of analysts doing the rounds on 24 hour news channels are going with the story that France stands apart … Continue reading
Almost 10 thousand euros per month?
Yep. It’s apparently true. President Hollande keeps a hairdresser on staff at the Élysée Palace at a cost to the taxpayer of €9,895 per month. This has been the case … Continue reading
Death of a Matador – and religion
Extraordinary picture, isn’t it? For the first time in decades a Matador in Spain was killed while “performing”. The bull gored him through the heart. His name was Victor Barrio. Spain … Continue reading
Trump Delegate Looks Forward To Finding A ‘Real Man’ At GOP Convention | The Cretonia Times-Picayune
“BATON ROUGE – (CT&P) – Tanya “Hep C” McGhee, a Trump delegate from Syphilis Springs, Louisiana told CNN last week that she hopes to “land a real man” when she … Continue reading
The Guardian view on the Chilcot report: a country ruined, trust shattered, a reputation trashed | Editorial | Opinion | The Guardian
As always in matters of military aggression, the humane perspective has to start with the victims. Since the US-led, UK-backed invasion of Iraq in 2003, estimates of the lives lost … Continue reading
Officer, I was walking down the street when a gang of Micro-Aggressions attacked me!
Yes, my friends, this is what we’re up against: the infantilization of society. A game of semantics so ridiculous that people making an effort not to be racist are deemed racist. … Continue reading
Theresa May Emerges as a Contender to Lead Tories – WSJ
LONDON— Theresa May, one of the U.K.’s longest-serving home secretaries, has emerged as a favorite to become the next prime minister. Source: Theresa May Emerges as a Contender for U.K. … Continue reading
A Lesson From ‘Brexit’: On Immigration, Feelings Trump Facts – The New York Times
“Many citizens, particularly those who have suffered under the economic pressures of globalization, express their anxiety over these changes by focusing on another form of change: foreigners in their midst. … Continue reading
Boris Johnson: markets and the pound are ‘stable’—- Seriously???
“Are they? Boris Johnson, seen as one of the main contenders to replace David Cameron as UK prime minister, has suggested the worst of the markets turmoil is behind Britain, … Continue reading
Brexit: The carnage has begun
The FTSE saw losses yesterday worth a few hundred billion. Australia followed suit with losses of 50 billion in shares (AUD). The GBP is at a 40 year low. Moody’s has … Continue reading
The mood is ugly, and an MP is dead | Polly Toynbee | The Guardian
“There are many decent people involved in the campaign to secure Britain’s withdrawal from the EU, many who respect the referendum as the exercise in democracy that it is. But … Continue reading
Outstanding documentary – The Dishonesty Project (The Matrix Experiment)
(Dis)Honesty – The Truth About Lies: Feature Film It’s human nature to lie; we all do it! From scandalous headlines to little white lies, (Dis)Honesty – The Truth About Lies … Continue reading
The Josiah Effect: How Moderate Religion Fuels Fundamentalism | Quillette
“In both Islam and Christianity, it is easy to dismiss fundamentalist doctrines as perversions of scripture. But the fundamentalists have a ready defense against this charge. When Curtis suggested that … Continue reading
Is it really Christians who are under attack? The story of a prolonged aggression.
In 2005 the SPLC published a timeline of the history of the anti-gay movement in America. Using that as a basis I’ve created an alternate, more detailed, international and up … Continue reading
Free Speech vs Hate Speech Part II
Yesterday someone re-blogged the previous post on free speech vs. hate speech with a critique. The critique itself wasn’t unreasonable, although the author basically relied on the slippery slope fallacy. His … Continue reading
Hate Speech vs. Free Speech
After a discussion this week with an American blogger regarding free speech, I decided to do a little research. Apparently the US is the only developed nation which does not … Continue reading
Post-truth politics: Michael Gove says it’s time to tell Europe’s elites ‘you’re fired’?!?
Listening to Boris Johnson and Michael Gove in the past two weeks one would be obliged to think they’d left the Tories to start a Neo-Bolshevik British revolution. They do … Continue reading
Otherization (Othering) Part II: of religion, race and sexual orientation
Otherization is not done casually or accidentally. It exists in one context and one context alone. It’s designed to afford one’s self privileges that were not earned. It’s an attack … Continue reading
From Cardinal Cañizares to Donald Trump to Brexit: The Objective of Othering.
“Social identities are relational; groups typically define themselves in relation to others. This is because identity has little meaning without the “other”. So, by defining itself a group defines others. … Continue reading
Man in dress and funny hat says gender equality is biggest threat to civilization in all human history.
Mithra help us all! Cardinal Cañizares of Valencia, sporting his white muumuu and a hat which doubles as a lightning rod, has been bestowing his senility on anyone willing to listen. His current bugbears are … Continue reading
Almost as difficult to get rid of as the super-gonorrhea her husband got at ex-gay camp!
The title is a joke, obviously; I say this for legal reasons 🙂 She’s baa-aack. Yesterday I was given the news that Katy Faust of Grace Church Seattle was back … Continue reading
The internet was the great equalizer- until it wasn’t.
Have you noticed the change? It’s happened on Google, Ebay, Amazon and basically everywhere you turn on the internet. When you type things in- you no longer get the results … Continue reading
The Hilarious Story of the Palmarian Church
Origins: “In March 1968, four Spanish schoolgirls (only known as Ana, Josefa, Rafaela and Ana María) stated they saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary by a little tree on … Continue reading
Brexit: The EU’s “red tape”?
A constant refrain of the out campaigners seems to be the EU’s red tape and how Europe interferes with British law. On occasion they go on to say the UK … Continue reading
The imbecility goes on: Pseudo-feminists and a new angle?
First they proposed a solution to a nonexistent problem: let’s stop trans women using women’s bathrooms to stop the attacks that have never happened. Ever. And this week they’re back … Continue reading
Roy Moore may be removed from AL Supreme Court!!!
“The Southern Poverty Law Center continues its quest to remove Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore from the bench. Today they moved one step closer. The Alabama Judicial Inquiry … Continue reading
The Brainwashing of My Dad + Pick a dictator, any dictator.
Yesterday I watched The Brainwashing Of My Dad. It’s a film about the rise and socio-cultural effects of right-wing media in the United States (Fox, Limbaugh etc.) It’s interesting but comes … Continue reading
Of religion and successful marketing: The doctrine of finding solutions to nonexistent problems
If you follow American politics, by now you’re privy to the case of the many bathroom bills introduced by religious conservatives in various states. The recent, rather unsurprising revelation that all … Continue reading
Exasperating: Hijab Day
“The Hijab Day event was held (last week) in the wake of Prime Minister Manuel Valls’ statement that he wished to ban all forms of religious headscarves at French universities.” … Continue reading
One True Ideologies: Sectarianism. I think she just said white supremacist.
The way my encounter with the TERF group began was bad enough- but trust me, it’s been all downhill from there. People who don’t embrace their discriminatory ideology aren’t just alleged supporters … Continue reading
The pseudo-feminists: TERF’s. This is how cults work.
I must admit I hadn’t heard of this movement until very recently- and what an unpleasant surprise it has been. They represent, for all intents and purposes, the opposite of … Continue reading
A very short lesson in political philosophy: The reality of politics. Cowboys vs. Indians?
Most people think we can describe politics with the linear model above. One side wants one thing, the other wants the opposite. Yes to abortion rights, no to abortion rights. … Continue reading
Coddling Idiots: Safe Spaces, Trigger Warnings & Microagressions
That, my friends, was an actual discussion chez Roughseas. I’ve been hearing murmurs of this new phenomena for a while now, but I’d never seen it in action (courtesy of … Continue reading
Diary of the Oppressive White Male
I read something appalling yesterday. Of course I understand that when people are young, they see the world in the first person. All that exists, only exists in relation to … Continue reading
Umberto Eco on Political Correctness (Translated and Revisited)
Eco died a few days ago. He’s best known as the author of The Name of the Rose, but he was also an exceptional social commentator and philosopher. Among his … Continue reading
The Eight Species of Gaymen. A Non-Scientific Study by The Pink Agendist
In my many years out, I’ve been conducting entirely non-scientific (anti-scientific, even) research to identify and inform society of the many species of gaymen they may come into contact with … Continue reading
Corruption-fest 2016
The Noos case began today. Despite a plethora of pre-trial motions the charges against Princess Cristina were not dismissed. Also in Spain, the Taula case is taking shape. It involves 30 … Continue reading
February: Skip a single little luxury month
The Max Mello association for animal’s plea got me thinking. Exchange rates, life, well being, Brazil’s £130 per month minimum wage. How a pretty boxed bottle of Cristal champagne is … Continue reading
Anti-lgbt C-Fam’s Tax Return
Amusing reading: C-fam 2013 Tax Return This is how to make homophobia and opposition to women’s rights into a lucrative business: Austin Ruse, who started and heads this anti-gay group, pockets over … Continue reading
French Anti-lgbt Icon Writes Book, Sells 38 Whole Copies!!!
Christine Boutin the crazy Catholic, aka Mrs. Homosexuality is an Abomination, aka George Bush plotted 9/11, aka mastectomy in the case of breast cancer is sex reassignment surgery (yes, she … Continue reading
The Blue Jasmine Doctrine
Yesterday El Pais live streamed the pre-trial motions in the Noos case and I watched most of it. I’m not sure why I find it so interesting, I suppose it just represents a … Continue reading
A Tildeb Moment: The dangers of interpretation bias
As I said a few days ago, this blogging thing is fascinating. Yesterday Tildeb was pointing out in one of his comments the dangers of interpretation bias. That is, when an … Continue reading
New York Times Sparks Breitbart Article Scapegoating against LGBT Human Rights Advocacy | Melanie Nathan
NEW YORK TIMES SPARKS BREITBART ARTICLE SCAPEGOATING AGAINST LGBT HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY By Melanie Nathan, December 22, 2015. Who has hurt African LGBT people more? Is that the question? Ask yourself … Continue reading
AMAZING message for everyone #noelsansprejuges
This just came up on television. I’m thoroughly impressed. I could hardly believe it. Vive la France! Even if you don’t understand French, watch it anyway. The message is clear.
So your qualification to speak on this topic is… sexism?
Goodness gracious; the garbage that’s out there is truly, truly appalling. Just when you think you’ve already seen the worst of it, you hear of something called a Milo Yiannopoulos. A promoter … Continue reading
Ab Fab movie accused of racism
Janette Krankie and Ab Fab movie accused of racism Full text: Ab Fab movie accused of racism And most unfortunate is the accusation comes from comedian Margaret Cho. Ab Fab … Continue reading
Lesser Known Bible Passages by Modern Jesus
I have no idea who this guy is, but he’s brilliantly funny. My two favourites of the day: And
Are the Best Things in Life Free? – The New York Times
Turning Points asked Yao Chen, Karl Lagerfeld, Andreja Pejic, Yanis Varoufakis, Richard Hell and others why people are so rarely satisfied with life’s necessities. Continue reading: Are the Best Things … Continue reading
Déjà Vu, Global Radicalism Edition | Right Wing Watch
Sometimes, covering the Religious Right every day, we feel like we’re hearing the exact same talking points repeated over and over again. And then, sometimes, we actually are hearing the … Continue reading
Trying to save her homophobic sinking ship: Katy Faust is at it again
We had a short break from her chronic homophobia, but she’s at it again. After her Australian fiasco, her blog went private, then she simply decided to remove the comments section. … Continue reading
#21h20 Paris time turn on your lights and play loud music
“Around the world, French artists and cultural figures are calling for people to mark a week since the start of the attacks with an outpouring of ‘noise and light.’ The … Continue reading
Study: Religious Kids Are Jerks – The Daily Beast
Study: Religious Kids Are Jerks A study published in the journal Current Biology testing the behavior of Christian, Muslim, and atheist children has found that religious kids are meaner and … Continue reading
Schadenfreude-Wagen. The power of the social myth.
I can’t deny it, I’m finding the VW scandal de-licious. It’s a fantastic lesson on the power of mythology and social manipulation. Most countries I’ve been to have some variety … Continue reading
My Mazamet 
Recent Comments