Our two-and-a-half-year-old grandson comes over regularly, while his parents work growing food and community on Urban Roots Farm. What I like best about his visits is the perfection. He absorbs the world and scribes it on his brain, narrating the scene in flawless sentences, not always limited by the syntax of mere mortals. As I'm … Continue reading KEEP HOPING MACHINE RUNNING
It was a snowy evening in early February, 2003, and I was angry at Secretary of State Colin Powell. He was delivering his now-infamous address to the U.N. Security Council, providing the justification for military action in Iraq, and I was yelling at the TV. Because the speech was bullshit. We later learned much of … Continue reading THAT’S GREAT, IT STARTS WITH AN EARTHQUAKE*, or, How the Pandemic Took My Already Fractured Mental Health and Broke Me
With the news of Phil Spector’s death, my friend Dallas Jones went to Facebook and posted these important questions: “How do we handle the brilliant work of Phil Spector in relationship to his terrible shortcomings as a human being? How do we ultimately come to terms with any artist/celebrity/musician that has committed unspeakable atrocities?” Comments … Continue reading THE WALL OF SOUND AND FURY
We exist in a world where our social and political institutions are at risk of collapse, family members turning against each other, communities facing violent outbreaks over elections, pandemic safety precautions, financial instability, racial injustice, etc. In this climate of division and polarization – over nearly every issue imaginable – I’ve been giving a great … Continue reading SEES THE DAY
This is a conversation my friend Doug and I had on our local NPR affiliate, KSMU. We recorded it in early October, 2020, and it aired the day before the election. I continue to struggle with our collective ability to have constructive conversations, whether or not they foster a fallacy of false equivalence, and whether … Continue reading CHANGE THROUGH CONVERSATION?
I’ve been thinking about us this week, what we’re learning about ourselves and where we go from here. Pluralizing Whitman – “Do we contradict ourselves? Very well then we contradict ourselves, (we are large, we contain multitudes.)” – I’ve grappled with the extraordinary capability we humans have for ignorance and wisdom, cruelty and grace. Those contradictions seem particularly … Continue reading WE CONTAIN MULTITUDES
I do not share the optimism of my friends. Trump is sinking and Biden remains on the rise. But there may be a much deeper story unfolding. Most of this is covered in Gellman’s article in The Atlantic. Reading his analysis and research would be more valuable than sliding through my bullet points. Items 10-17 … Continue reading DARK DAYS AHEAD
This is a version of the remarks I delivered to the Rhetoric and Communication Theory Division of the Texas Speech Communication Association Convention this morning: I was talking to my friend Kaston last night. Kaston lives in Nashville. He’s a songwriter and plays in a band called My Politic. I told him I was “going” to … Continue reading A YEAR OF VANLIFE AND THE RHETORIC OF CIVILITY
When we were kids, my big sister and I didn’t always listen to our parents. Whether it was the dangers of fire or the value of a dollar, sometimes the best teacher was a burnt digit or sitting at home with no BB gun and an empty piggy bank. When I was about four years … Continue reading WOKE
Yesterday afternoon dozens of cars full of honking, waving Rountree Elementary teachers were streaming down our street. They were driving block by block, with balloons and posters on their cars, reminding students they are missed and loved. It was hard to keep my eyes dry as I watched little kids overcome with joy to see … Continue reading STAND TOGETHER, STAY APART
