I just read a piece titled “Why We’re Addicted to Online Outrage,” by Michael Brendan Dougherty. In his essay Dougherty links to “Outrage Porn: How the Need for ‘Perpetual Indignation’ Manufactures Phony Offense,” by Ryan Holiday. According to Holiday all the online outrage is fake, just a way for Websites to get publicity. He doesn’t…
Not all sexism is equal
March 17, 2014
I had a friend I called “Lola” in Ghosts and Ballyhoo. She was a brilliant musician, an incredible athlete, had a great sense of humor, and could draw anything. Now that Mom and Dad are gone, I can admit that when I was eighteen in Stavanger, Norway, Lola used to sneak over at night and…
Not your problem
March 16, 2014
I’m mentally ill. But it’s not your problem. Some of my mental illness is genetic. I have clinical depression on both sides of the family. One relative lived by herself for decades, filling each room of her house with junk until there were piles that reached the ceilings. She used a chamberpot and emptied it…
THIS son of a bitch doesn’t
March 15, 2014
Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph “Dan” Daly, United States Marine Corps, is said to have shouted, “Come on, you sons of bitches! Do you want to live forever?” at his men during the Battle of Bealleau Wood (June 1 to 26, 1918). Well, this son of a bitch doesn’t. I can’t think of anything worse. My…
The mirror is my harshest critic
March 12, 2014
In 2006 I corresponded with a famous writer about a Christian peace activist who went to Iraq to protest the war. He was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by terrorists. I told the writer that the dead man’s approach reminded me of the 1951 movie The Thing From Another World. If you’re not familiar with that…
The eternal question of forgiveness
March 10, 2014
I expect to write about the question of forgiveness for the rest of my life. It’s all right. I don’t mind. The subject interests me. A well-meaning friend sent me the following quote from a Holocaust survivor. Forgiveness is more than “letting go.” It is proactive rather than passive. We become victims involuntarily, when a…
Podsnappery
March 7, 2014
I like to research things, just for fun. A few days ago, I decided to look up Victorian American slang. No reason; it was just something I wanted to know about. I’m glad I took the time, because I learned an extremely useful word. Podsnappery: noun. Willful, complacent determination to ignore the objectionable or inconvenient, at…
The Dave Test
March 5, 2014
I’ve just finished The Dave Test: A Raw Look at Real Faith in Hard Times, by Frederick W. Schmidt. Dr. Schmidt is an Episcopal priest and professor; the Dave in the title was his brother, who died of brain cancer. The book is only 153 pages long, but it punches far above its weight class….
A terrible death awaits you
March 4, 2014
I just wasted an hour trying to download the new Apple operating system for my computer. Apple is in a death spiral. They don’t send you disks anymore; you download everything fro the App Store. The problem is that the App Store will often not recognize your Apple ID and/or password. It waits until you’ve…
The cow must die
March 3, 2014
This is a sad video, but it isn’t graphic. And it makes a broader point, so please watch it. “Awww, ya dumb fucker.” No, the cow doesn’t deserve its fate, but the engineer did all he could. The cow had the entire world to stand in. For whatever reason it chose to position itself on…