Anybody Remember That One Guy Who Said “Don’t Freak Out”?
I want everybody to remember that there were voices from the beginning saying “don’t freak out,” and those voices were silenced and ridiculed. And they were right.
culture
The Painfully Obvious Symbolism of the Notre Dame Fire
If a novelist wrote this as a plot point in a piece of fiction, his editor would say it was too on-the-nose. A Christian cathedral that has stood for a millennium at the center of a city known as the “City of Light” is devastated by fire during Holy Week. Also, the country where this … Read more
Forgiveness v. Celebration
Goodness knows, I don’t want to seem like a jerk, and I’m all about forgiveness and second chances and all that stuff. But can someone explain to me why we’re all supposed to be rooting for Tiger Woods now? I’m a golf fan, so I’ve been watching sports media this season as Tiger has edged … Read more
Thoughts and Prayers and Materialism
In the wake of the Parkland, FL school shooting, there’s been lots of anger and vitriol, including some people engaging in America’s hottest new pastime: making fun of religious people. It seems like people are now waiting to pounce on the first person to offer “thoughts and prayers” after a tragedy, and pounce they did … Read more
Comfort and Joy Comes Later
Doug Wilson explains that a little, tiny, soft baby was born to deliver to a hard gospel:
“Fixer Upper” and Term Limits
As much as I hate the idea of lifer politicians holding an office until the day they die, I’ve always been against the idea of term limits, for two simple reasons. First, if I love Joe Incumbent and I want to keep voting for him over and over until he’s had to file a lawsuit … Read more
Remembering Hugh Hefner, Pioneer in the Marketing of Meat and Meat-Related Products
One of the most insidious lies of the progressive left is the one about “the arc of history.” Whenever anyone uses that phrase, the unspoken premise they’re trying to push on you is that the course of history is set, and its end point is already determined. Any time the culture changes in a liberal direction, … Read more
The Failure of Obamacare, the Failure of Obamacare Repeal, and the Coming Kid Rock Presidency
The Trump presidency hasn’t really changed much about Washington. What it has done is unmask and throw into sharp relief the sad state of felonious crapitude the place was already in. The people that are going most out of their minds over Trump are the people who most desperately want to keep things going the … Read more
Watching “13 Reasons Why” Will Not Make You a Better Parent
Please note off the top that this is not a review of 13 Reasons Why. I haven’t watched the show and have no plans to watch it. But a lot of people have been watching it, and talking about it. It ended up on my radar, which is markedly free of must-watch TV shows (Tell me more about this “Sopranos.” … Read more
The Last Mr. Anderson
When I was a kid, I never would’ve dreamed of calling my parents’ friends by their first names. Everyone who looked older than a high school senior was “Mr.” this or “Miss” that. First names were only used when accompanied by an honorific like “Uncle” or “Nanny.” (You’ve never heard someone call his grandmother something like “Nanny … Read more
5 Things I Learned: May 2016
My lovely wife has challenged me to make some blog posts that are more personal, and one of her suggestions is a post every month with a “5 things I learned this month” format. This is a challenge because I am fairly dense and don’t learn a whole lot. I could go several years without learning … Read more
Everything I Know About Culture I Learned from Bugs Bunny
And it shows, am I right? But seriously, I’m glad the Wall Street Journal is finally acknowledging what cartoon aficionados have always known: while you’re watching those old Warner Brothers cartoons, you get a ton of exposure to some pretty highbrow stuff. In the video below, real live opera singers tell about how they were inspired … Read more
A Celebration of Phineas and Ferb
At Catholic Digest, Steven D. Greydanus recaps pretty much everything that was great about Phineas and Ferb. Bear in mind that if you’ve never seen the show, this article will probably make no sense at all. But if you know, you know: Phineas and Ferb should not exist to begin with because it’s too complicated; at … Read more
“Mad Max” and the Redefinition of “Great”
The 2016 Oscar nominations were announced recently. It’s an announcement I used to look forward to with great anticipation, but I barely notice anymore. Judging be recent ratings of the Oscar awards ceremony, I think a lot of people feel the same. Of the eight Best Picture nominees (five nominees aren’t enough anymore because there … Read more
Some Videos for Your Thinkbox to Get the Year Started Off Right
Here are a few videos to get 2016 rolling in a thoughtful and thought-provoking way. First up is William F. Buckley and Malcom Muggeridge discussing faith and doubt: Next, the Stand to Reason blog asks the question that nags at all believers from time to time, “How do I know if that inner voice is God speaking … Read more
I’ll Be Damned If I Let My Kids Go to College
I don’t have the greatest memory where events of my own personal life story are concerned. As far as I can recall, my childhood consisted of A) my trip to see Star Wars when I was six, and B) the time that girl’s bikini top fell off at the public pool. After that, I don’t remember anything … Read more
10 Easy Steps to Fight the Power
Over at The Federalist, Stella Morabito, last seen here authoring an insightful article about the mass delusion currently infecting every aspect of life in America, pens another piece about ways to fight that infection. Her ten simple tips for the resistance include: 2. Realize Personal Relationships Are the Target PC is a war on our personal relationships … Read more
The Official End of Shame
In the aftermath of the Lewinski scandal way back in the ’90’s, you heard a lot of people talking about “the end of shame.” Up until Bill Clinton, pretty much any politician caught in the same situation would’ve resigned in disgrace, and quickly, too. But that’s because up until Bill Clinton, most politicians had at … Read more
The Endumbening
Especially appropriate after the recent cultural dumpster fire known as the VMAs, Bill Whittle gives a talk on “The Great Unlearning: How Our Society Became so Stupid”:
What’s Going On
If you’re looking around at world events and starting to think that maybe you’re the crazy one, here’s something to make you feel a little less insane: this article from The Federalist by Stella Morabito is the clearest explanation I’ve yet seen for what’s currently happening to American politics and culture. If you don’t have time to … Read more