1) Logan’s Run as a Lego diorama. For you younger readers, Logan’s Run is an old book and movie. This picture isn’t from BrickCon, btw.
2) Celebrity Twitter accounts reviewed.
4) Baby Monkey Riding Backwards on a Pig. This is my new favorite song. Video.
I was gone most of the day taking my wife and son to BrickCon (and the library). The displays were, as usual, amazing. The vendor prices were, as usual, appalling. When we left, we were not wearing rain barrels for clothing. I’m calling that a win.
And of course I took pictures: Continue reading
A lot of people have been linking to this story, about a survey that shows atheists and agnostics are more knowledgable about religion than religious folks.
Me, I’m not sure why this would be a surprise. Few people are raised as atheists in this country; most of them come by their lack of belief after much reflection and many challenges from their loved ones. From strangers, too. When’s the last time you heard the phrase “No Jews in foxholes!”
That would be never (I hope). I also hope no one reading this has been told “How can you be a Lutheran (or whatever)?” by your boss.
The truth is, religion is such a powerful force in this culture that atheists learn about it as a matter of self-defence. In fact, I took a shortened form of the test online (which I can’t find now, being at work). I scored a 93%, getting one answer wrong–sorry, all Jewish people everywhere–and I’m not even one of those people who thinks religion is some kind of dangerous delusion that needs to be refuted point by point. Personally, I think it’s mildly interesting in short doses. Mostly I don’t care. Still, I’ve felt the pressure to study up.
And this is why atheists even bristle at the term “atheist.” Even our language is biased to consider religious belief the standard.
By contrast, many religious believers, including many of my friends, are believers in what I think of as Culture-God. Not necessarily the God of [Religious Text], but the version of God that suits their view of the world–the supreme being that will intercede in hospitals, reward whatever deeds the citizen considers good ones, supports whatever political positions seem most reasonable, and absolutely disapproves of Those Guys Over There.
It’s not so much about the sacred text, or religious traditions, or the history of their faith. It’s about the cultural undertow that assumes every person has some sort of belief in a higher power–that assumes that people who don’t have such a belief are untrustworthy, damaged or incomplete in some way. A few months back I linked to a survey that showed more Americans would be willing to vote for a gay person for president than would vote for an atheist.
Now, one thing I am absolutely not saying is that all religious people are religious only because the culture expects it. That would be silly and wrong on its face. Of course people hold to their faith with deep and powerful convictions, often after careful consideration.
What I am saying is that it’s so tremendously easy to be a believer in our culture that many many people do it with barely a thought. How knowledgable would you expect such people to be?
Added note: This is my 1,000th blog post. Hmph.
1) Several people have been linking to this lovely, dialog-free animation as a depiction of the atheist experience. I think they’re pretty much right. Video.
2) Did you know that, back in the 1970’s, Psychology Today published board games meant to raise awareness of social issues? “In Sommer’s version, however, the black player could not win; as a simulation of frustration, the game was too successful. Then David Popoff, a Psychology Today editor, redesigned the game, taking suggestions from militant black members of “US” in San Diego. The new rules give black players an opportunity to use—and even to beat—the System.”
3) “What We Talk About When We Talk About Men Not Reading”
4) Paintings based on Craig’s List “Missed Connections”.
5) Wizards of the Coast hiring an book editor for their D%D line.
The NY Times has a story today about allegations of sexual exploitation against the head of a Georgia mega-church, one Bishop Eddie Long.
Not many details have come out so far. The four men say they were not underage, but they were coerced into a sexual relationship through the Bishop’s considerable authority over them, not to mention they were given jobs, money, cars, and so on. I’m sure you’ll be shocked to hear that Bishop Long is a social conservative, speaking out often against gay rights and even running seminars that proposed to “cure” people of their homosexuality.
It’s still early in the story. Bishop Long and his representatives have denied the allegations and intend to fight the lawsuits in court, but at this point I pretty much assume any public figure that speaks fervently against gay rights is in the closet. It’s possible, sure, that the allegations are fiction, but that wouldn’t be the way I’d bet.
Now, there’s been a bit of a furor over purported Newt Gingrich quotes in which he tells his about-to-be-ex-wife that he was entitled to give speeches on family values while cheating on his wife because it didn’t matter how he lived. He had to stand up and say what was right, even if he would never live that way himself. Hey, he’s a sinner, just like all of us, right? Speechifying for what’s right, and moral, and good is what politicians are supposed to do, and if he can’t live up to his own standards, it doesn’t mean the standards are wrong.
That’s the theory anyway. I’m not a Christian, and while I have pretty solid ideas about right and wrong, I’m not too keen on the concept of “sin.” I’m also not keen on the prosperity gospel (to get back to Bishop Long) or “muscular christianity”. The only reason a wife should “submit” to her husband is if they’re into that sort of thing, not because some dude in a silk suit says it’s the only way to be rich in this life and heaven-bound in the next. Frankly, there’s a lot of different kinds of “sin” out there; when you climb into the pulpit, be sure to direct your condemnation at those vices you won’t be indulging in after services are over.
And I’m perplexed by the willingness of social conservatives to forgive public figures for their hypocrisy on sexual matters (Did you know Ted Haggard is starting a new church?). Would they be so forgiving to a politician who accepted bribes while campaigning against corruption? I don’t think so. To me, it’s all hypocrisy.
Some of the books I’d read had told me that love is fleeting; some of the other books I’d read had told me that love is eternal. But they were wrong. Love isn’t either of those things. Love is not wanting the thing you love to ever end.”
-Brock Clarke
(via Bookslut)
1) Miniature scenes crafted inside toilet rolls.
2) Superheroes imagined as hipsters.
3) Top ten cars the Car Talk guys hate the most.
4) “Hey, you’re the one who forgot the wheelbarrow!” Video.
5) Until I saw it, I didn’t know I wanted perfume that would make you smell like a library.
6) Now THIS is the A-Team movie they should have made! Video.
7) Dot, the world’s smallest animation character. Video. Truly amazing.
There have been some brilliant, and touching articles posted online recently. These don’t deserve to be shunted to a “Randomness” post, which is for fun weirdness and simple beauty. These are deeper than that. So, here are some articles you might want to read:
First, everyone has been linking to Ta Nahisi-Coates’s post on “Compassion” and for good reason. If you haven’t read it, you should.
In this society, we view compassion as a favor, something along the lines of forgiveness extended to the humble and deserving. No. My compassion is utterly selfish, and is rooted in a craving for power. It is compelled by my curiosity, itself, just another name for hunger, for desire, for want of the great power of knowing.
Second, a post by Shweta Narayan called “Dissimilation”, about her experience as an Indian in British schools, and the way she was pressured to assimilate by people who would never really accept her.
My friends, in this period (maybe just the first 10 years of it) were the people who sometimes did not torment me, who sometimes let me sit with them without wrinkling their noses and edging away and tossing my books around the room, who sometimes called me Shweta rather than Pakkie or Shwetterpants or shitface.
Third, Myra McEntire writes “Speak Loudly – In Defense of Laurie Halse Anderson” about her Christian faith and her outrage that people are trying to ban YA books about troubling subjects from schools, in particular a book called Speak about a young girl who is raped and does not speak up about it.
Because for Christians, there is one Boss. Mr. Scroggins might need to surrender his Junior God badge.
Fourth, in the NY Times, Nicholas Kristoff sends a “Message to Muslims: I’m sorry.” If we expect moderate Muslims to apologize and denounce extremists, shouldn’t moderate American citizens do the same?
I hereby apologize to Muslims for the wave of bigotry and simple nuttiness that has lately been directed at you. The venom on the airwaves, equating Muslims with terrorists, should embarrass us more than you. Muslims are one of the last minorities in the United States that it is still possible to demean openly, and I apologize for the slurs.
That’s about it for today.
1. My wife comes home from her Italian yoga retreat tonight. I can’t wait. As much fun as I’ve had with the boy this week, I miss her. We both do.
2. The apartment is clean but cluttered, for those of you expecting to hear that I’ll be spending the day in a frantic cleaning jag. The living room needs to be picked up, though. It’ll take about 15 minutes.
3. My desk is another story. I’m tempted to just throw a match on it to rid myself of these meaningless stacks of paper.
4. I can’t stand Talk Like A Pirate Day. Can’t we let that idea die?
5. I deposited my on-publication check for Game of Cages yesterday. Damn, that feels good.
6. Sales for Game of Cages seem to be doing pretty well, too. It’s not a guarantee, but it bodes well for the future of the series.
