Author Archives: trotskyite

Helix and the Trouble with Tropes

Posted on January 13, 2014 | 2 comments

Good science fiction is tough to come by. There’re plenty of factors we could point the finger at for that, but more often than not, it seems the people who produce sci-fi just don’t quite understand how it works.

Science fiction is, at its core, a means of exploring some sort of political or philosophical or ethical question. The spaceships, the time travel, brave new worlds- they’re all framing devices for questions about what makes us human…

…how we treat others…

…or our place in the universe.

Continue reading →

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Posted in bizarreness, morality, science, science fiction, technology, television, writing

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Fame Day: Cop Watch

Posted on January 9, 2014 | 2 comments

Readers, as I was in the middle of researching my originally intended Fame Day I was interrupted by the sound of pounding outside my door. It was the cops, interrogating my next door neighbor about the last time he saw someone. I stood by the door, listening- though the primary cop speaking was yelling so loudly I really didn’t have to. Of course, it just made me extra sure I got his exact words:

“I hate this fucking complex.”

“I will give you shit until you give me what I want.”

Other, similar statements followed- though I try to observe Evan’s general rule of keeping profanity to a minimum. The neighbor repeatedly said that he hadn’t seen they guy they were after, which only resulted in both more shouting from the cop and, from the sound of it, him stomping into the apartment. Without a warrant or the consent of the my neighbor, which constitutes a violation of his 4th amendment rights.

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Posted in America, Fame Day, film, news, politics, technology

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The Truth About Welfare (From Someone Who Works In Welfare)

Posted on January 5, 2014 | 9 comments

I don’t talk about my work much. Partly that’s due to the fact that I tend to be pretty paranoid and partly because there’s not a ton of stories I can tell that’ll produce a reaction other than this:

I work at the intersection of nonprofits, social work, and welfare, and in spite of the relatively complexity (chaos might be a better term) of all that, I would still like to try to clear some things up about the system I work in and the people I try to serve.

I. The “Welfare Queen” is a Myth

There’s an imaged that’s been popularized in this country of the lazy, entitled so-called “welfare queen” who does nothing but collects a nice fat check every month which she blows on drugs, luxury cars, and plasma TVs.

This person, for all the outrage and bile she generates, does not exist. Continue reading →

9 Comments

Posted in America, bizarreness, Economy, food, health, money

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Shame Day: Megyn Kelly

Posted on December 17, 2013 | 7 comments

If you’ve been sheltered from much of the world’s madness, you’ve probably been fortunate enough to avoid a Megyn Kelly, FOX News’ latest production in their attempt to create the perfect Aryan newscaster.

Seriously, it’s like a “Where Are They Now?” slideshow of the Hitlerjurgend…

For the most part, Kelly has been comparatively benign. Don’t get me wrong, she’s every much a part of the entertainment-news vomit-cycle as anyone else, but Kelly’s always been more or less decent about keeping an even keel (as much as you can at FOX) and she’s certainly hasn’t demonstrated the straight-up malice of pundits like Beck or Coulter.

At least, she didn’t used to… Continue reading →

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Posted in America, Christianity, history, news, race, Shame Day

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Steve Taylor (Is Coming Back)

Posted on December 16, 2013 | Leave a comment

Since joining the blog in June of 2012 (yes, it’s been over a year now and yes, the romance is dead), I’ve often made reference to a mysterious musical figure by the name of “Steve Taylor”.

With the end of Year 2 fast approaching, I figure it’s about time I actually explain who this guy was.

Other than a man with impeccable taste in clothing…

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Posted in Christianity, music, religion

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Arizona’s Attack on Mexican-American Studies

Posted on December 9, 2013 | 5 comments

It occurs to me that it’s been too long since we actually had an actual “report” here, rather than rabid opinion piece. To that end, we’re going to be examining the state of Arizona’s recent assault on its Mexican-American ethnic studies programs. This story isn’t the freshest (or a full-on report; baby steps, people), but with relatively new developments, and how little attention the story was given in general, it’s worth reviewing.

In spring of 2010, Arizona decided to ban ethnic studies classes in its public schools for grades K-12 (HB [House Bill] 2281). Of course, by “ethnic studies”, the state of Arizona meant “Mexican-American/Chicano” studies, and as Tuscon school board member Michael Hicks clarified:

“Honestly, this law won’t be applied to any other of our [ethnic studies] courses. It was strictly written for one course, which is the Mexican-American studies program.”

-Interview with The Daily Show’s Al Madrigal, 04/02/12 Continue reading →

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Posted in America, education, history, literature, news, politics, race, Youth

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