We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
As with accumulated sets of china, why not use your real silverware for everyday too? It is pleasantly heavy, lovely, and civilized. Should nice things be only for special holidays?
The youth do not care about china and silverware - or brown furniture either, nor should they. It's not practical. However, life is not all about practical. And we all have scullery maids to polish the silver, don't we?
The sudden outburst of vicarious Ukrainian patriotism on the part of many Americans—as well as people in similar North Atlantic democracies—seems like a Freudian “return of the repressed.” Taught that celebrating their own national traditions is racist and xenophobic, and deprived of opportunities to play a meaningful role in national defense, many Americans and Western Europeans have found an outlet for a lost sense of belonging by borrowing the national pride of another nation.
Ordinary people in this country are proudly loyal to America and don’t give a @#%&% about Ukraine. For the progressive elites, it’s the other way around.
Remember when experts were claiming "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day"? Perhaps that concept was paid for by Kellogg's Corn Flakes.
Of course, it is not true. Some people are hungry in the morning but as we have documented many times hunger does not necessarily indicate a need for food. Overweight people are always ready for a meal or a snack. Same for growing kids who need lots of food.
I like coffee for breakfast. While I do not lift weights, I can not argue with the need for 30 gms of protein after heavy weights. However, anything more than coffee in the morning just slows me down. If my work entailed manual labor, I am sure I would see it differently.
I will admit that, on vacation. I like European breakfasts. In Italy they might give you a hard-boiled egg, a little toast or mini-muffin, and an espresso or two. Nice. Or in England, a plate of bacon, black sausage, maybe some eggs and toast and jam.
The survey question is this: Do you routinely eat a breakfast and, if so, what sort of stuff?
The family is the most exclusive private association known to man, and, as Plato knew, it is the single greatest obstacle to collectivism. Families are inward looking units that resist government-imposed homogenization, and they are an inherently conservative cultural force that seek to preserve the private manners and mores of each and every particular family. Worse: families are the origin of private property, the division of labor, inequality, and gender roles. The family is a naturally occurring social unit that has always stood against the State in its attempt to collectivize the community for either reactionary or progressive ends. Figuratively speaking, every family is protected by a virtual “No Trespassing” sign barring entry.
The success of government schooling and its ultimate goals therefore require the families ties between parent and child be weakened if not broken...
The post is at Chronicle (of Higher Ed). It is annoying to me that so many links are through paywalls or "register to read the whole thing." I understand why they do it, but it would make me happier if they did not. For another example, Epoch is an excellent news source. If I had to pay for every news source just for myself, it would cost plenty of money. Besides that, I would be linking things our readers could not read.
The National Archives in Washington, D.C., today places warning labels on the Constitution, because reading it may induce unpleasant sensations in some identity groups. Universities like Princeton now publish “antiracist toolkits” to instruct the faithful on how to “move beyond diversity” and into identity heaven. Nike, which makes sneakers, demands of its customers: “Don’t pretend there’s not a problem with America. Don’t turn your back on racism.” The Cleveland Indians and Washington Redskins, two time-honored sports franchises, for their identity sins have had their names stripped away. I could extend the list unto boredom—it would range from prestigious media institutions like the New York Times to local bodies like the San Francisco school board.
Basically, I feel that individuals and organizations feel frightened about being mobbed, canceled, losing a job. McCarthy-like tactics, magnified.
Three things about this nonsense bother me most: People losing jobs for innocent reasons; people self-censoring their opinions; academic institutions abandoning core principles; and the PC mob mentality.
Final point: "I/we deeply apologize for the hurt and harm I/we have caused by ____. " The apologies are baloney, and nobody was hurt. It's just an opportunity to take a scalp. I hope the scalp image does not get me in trouble.
In his science fiction novel Nemesis, Isaac Asimov describes a female character as possessing the "unloveable virtues": Serious, Practical, Responsible, Dutiful.
When I googled the concept, I found this: "Stan Asimov used to say that his brother Isaac had "all the unlovable virtues". Then, while describing a character in Nemesis, Isaac wrote "she possesses what someone once described to me as all the unlovable virtues"."
