A few years back, I read an interesting article (I think it was in The New Yorker) predicting the ultimate marginalization of the Religious Right and the victory of social liberalism and toleration. The article acknowledged a string of right-wing electoral victories, but based its prediction on the values of popular culture–precisely those values that cause apoplexy in people like Bill Bennett and John Ashcroft. The thesis of the article was that popular culture is a predictor of political change.
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Category Archives: Gay Rights
Be Very, Very Afraid
November’s election was much more than a triumph for George W. Bush, our inarticulate and one-dimensional President. It was one of those fateful turning points in national history–quite possibly the event that scholars in the future will point to as the beginning of monumental change.
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The Three T’s
I’ve now had an opportunity to read Professor Richard Florida’s fascinating and very readable new book, “The Rise of the Creative Class.” I would recommend it.
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Framing the Issues
Over the past several years, political pundits have talked increasingly of “spin”—the persistent attempts by politicians and their handlers to describe events and issues in terms most favorable to their position or candidate. But spin is not new, nor necessarily evil. It is probably as old as the use of language itself. Academics call it “framing.”
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Sex and the City
Some Indianapolis City-County Councilors are apparently “insulted” by introduction of an ordinance allowing City employees to obtain health insurance for cohabiting (i.e. unmarried) partners.
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