Today on the list: Pop as porn redux, what college freshmen don’t know, a CNN anchor argues on behalf of “Ground Zero mosque” bigots, and why President Obama’s speech on the matter was actually quite shrewd.
On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.
The links below open in a new window. Newer ones are on top.
Gen. Petraeus Goes to Media War
It’s already history. In mid-August 2010, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan launched a huge media campaign to prevent any substantial withdrawal of military forces the next summer.
What Your Frosh Don’t Know
One ritual of the start of the academic year is the release of Beloit College’s annual “mindset list,” which aims to help professors understand what their new freshmen experienced (and didn’t) growing up.
The Rankings, Rejiggered
In the realm of college admissions, today is a day to rejoice—or rant. It all depends on your opinion of college rankings (or, perhaps, your college’s place on U.S. News & World Report’s annual list).
A CNN anchor expresses the crux of ‘mosque’ opposition
CNN anchor Don Lemon hosted a “debate” this weekend over the Park 51 Community Center in Lower Manhattan (misleadingly described everywhere as the “Ground Zero mosque”) in which Lemon dropped his mask of journalistic objectivity completely and, in doing so, perfectly captured the crux of the ugly case against Park 51.
Obama Defense of ‘Ground Zero Mosque’ Less Risky Than it Seems
Essentially, public opinion on this issue is divided into thirds. About a third of the country thinks that not only do the developers have a right to build the mosque, but that it’s a perfectly appropriate thing to do. Another third think that while the development is in poor taste, the developers nevertheless have a right to build it. And the final third think that not only is the development inappropriate, but the developers have no right to build it—perhaps they think that the government should intervene to stop it in some fashion.
Ansel Adams And the Art World Name Game
This has been a summer of discovery. Every other week, it seems, someone has come forward with lost works of famous artists.
The Secrets of Songwriters
Whether they’re poets or hired guns, modern lyricists are fighting to keep their words in tune with a wildly changing music business. How top writers, from country to hip-hop, nail the phrases they hope will last forever.
The surprising moral force of disgust
“Two things fill my mind with ever renewed wonder and awe the more often and deeper I dwell on them,” wrote Immanuel Kant, “the starry skies above me, and the moral law within me.”
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“Essentially, public opinion on this issue is divided into thirds. About a third of the country thinks that not only do the developers have a right to build the mosque, but that it’s a perfectly appropriate thing to do. Another third think that while the development is in poor taste, the developers nevertheless have a right to build it. And the final third think that not only is the development inappropriate, but the developers have no right to build it—perhaps they think that the government should intervene to stop it in some fashion.”
———————————————
The Obama risk and the Democratic Party’s risk is tha there are enough Americans who still believe that this is a Constitutional Democracy.
The issue is simple and straightforward. Do we have four freedoms, freedom of Religion being one of them or do we now hav three Freedom. And how long will it take to chip away at the rest of them.
But the risk is that the corporate media and spineless corporate controlled legislators will acquiesce and say, “Well, it’s insensitive to build a mosque there. You know what I mean. I can’t come out for a swarthy group of people with strange names and risk losing the next election.”
(Besides the Islamist are such a great target. 1.5 billion sitting on such wealth. Americans are such barbarians, we can milk this for quite a while to come.)
On the other hand, the yellow peril is re-emerging. They are the second largest economy in the world and where do they get off challenging us for complete dominance?
The prejudices are already set up. They are yellow, they speak a ‘funny’ language, and there’s a whole string of descriptive adjectives that I cannot remember.
Plus, there are a lot of them. Just human fodder by the numbers, and the Brave New World of Congressional hearings will tell all viewers of C-SPA and readers of the MSM, that we are in danger.
We have no alternative.
The U.S. Israel and Britain. The new Axis.
All so you can sit in a library on hot Summer nights with Air Conditioning, as nemesis2010 proclaims.
No need to go to a theater that advertises Air conditioning with a sign of silver lettering and a blue banner background hanging from the marquee.
We’ve got it all. Why give any of it up? Especially to those swarthy Ayrabs and those yellow ‘chinks’.
By Trencherbone, August 18, 2010 at 2:41 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
The Victory Mosque is just the visible tip of a very large iceberg. Beneath the surface of Western societies, Muslims are waging a campaign of infiltration, subversion, sedition and social sabotage, with the objective of destroying our countries and way of life from within.
Truthdiggers of the Week: 400,000 Canadians Launching the ‘Maple Spring’
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By garth, August 18, 2010 at 7:13 am Link to this comment
“Essentially, public opinion on this issue is divided into thirds. About a third of the country thinks that not only do the developers have a right to build the mosque, but that it’s a perfectly appropriate thing to do. Another third think that while the development is in poor taste, the developers nevertheless have a right to build it. And the final third think that not only is the development inappropriate, but the developers have no right to build it—perhaps they think that the government should intervene to stop it in some fashion.”
———————————————
The Obama risk and the Democratic Party’s risk is tha there are enough Americans who still believe that this is a Constitutional Democracy.
The issue is simple and straightforward. Do we have four freedoms, freedom of Religion being one of them or do we now hav three Freedom. And how long will it take to chip away at the rest of them.
But the risk is that the corporate media and spineless corporate controlled legislators will acquiesce and say, “Well, it’s insensitive to build a mosque there. You know what I mean. I can’t come out for a swarthy group of people with strange names and risk losing the next election.”
(Besides the Islamist are such a great target. 1.5 billion sitting on such wealth. Americans are such barbarians, we can milk this for quite a while to come.)
On the other hand, the yellow peril is re-emerging. They are the second largest economy in the world and where do they get off challenging us for complete dominance?
The prejudices are already set up. They are yellow, they speak a ‘funny’ language, and there’s a whole string of descriptive adjectives that I cannot remember.
Plus, there are a lot of them. Just human fodder by the numbers, and the Brave New World of Congressional hearings will tell all viewers of C-SPA and readers of the MSM, that we are in danger.
We have no alternative.
The U.S. Israel and Britain. The new Axis.
All so you can sit in a library on hot Summer nights with Air Conditioning, as nemesis2010 proclaims.
No need to go to a theater that advertises Air conditioning with a sign of silver lettering and a blue banner background hanging from the marquee.
We’ve got it all. Why give any of it up? Especially to those swarthy Ayrabs and those yellow ‘chinks’.
I think we’ve lost it.
Report thisBy Trencherbone, August 18, 2010 at 2:41 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
The Victory Mosque is just the visible tip of a very large iceberg. Beneath the surface of Western societies, Muslims are waging a campaign of infiltration, subversion, sedition and social sabotage, with the objective of destroying our countries and way of life from within.
Report this