Atlanta has given much to the world, including both Waffle House and Chick-Fil-A. You can visit the original Waffle House, which is now a museum, over at 2719 East College Avenue in Decatur. It dates back to 1955. You can […]
The Americans: so funny
Who are the Americans? There are many serious ways to approach answering this question. But approaching it less seriously may also show us something. Americans are funny people, and not just metaphorically. They value humor and they almost all consider […]
REVIEW: So Many Angles
In Our America, Ken Burns keeps the pictures still—and just as piercing
The presence of mothers
The other day my friends and I were reminiscing about cartoons. We were talking about the Flintstones and the Jetsons and we realized that we could remember Barney Rubble, but who was his wife? We knew George Jetson and “his […]
Ideas in progress: Elizabeth Stice on teaching Hitler’s Germany, thinking about place, and reading for a well-balanced life… Oh, and her new book!
As we wrap up another academic year, what is your favorite class of those you have taught recently? I am fortunate to enjoy all of the classes that I teach. But this semester my favorite may be my “Hitler’s Germany” […]
Get ready for more of the Mandela Effect
“The Mandela Effect” is a term to describe a strange cultural phenomenon. Sometimes there is something which a big number of people seem to remember, only it apparently never happened, or it was different than we remember. The classic example […]
Maverick, McNulty, and the least favorite best employees Â
One of last year’s biggest hits was Top Gun: Maverick. The story takes place quite a bit later than the 1980s original, but in many ways Maverick is unchanged. He’s still chasing the edge—flying as fast as he can, willing […]
What are you reading?
Billy Budd is one of Herman Melville’s most enigmatic writings. It involves an inexplicable animosity toward a handsome sailor, an accidental death, and a verdict of ambiguous justness. The captain of the ship on which the events take place is […]
Your favorite professor might be a dirtbag
Your favorite professor might be kind of a dirtbag. Dirtbag, in this case, referring to climbing subculture and people willing to eschew running water and good housing to spend their time scaling rock faces. According to climbinghouse.com, “dirtbagging emerged out […]
Freedom, financial and otherwise
These days, there are a lot of people pursuing “financial independence.” They want to retire at 40, they want to build “generational wealth,” they want to “never work another day in my life.” The spirit is everywhere, with inspiration from […]
Different worldviews or different vantage points?
It can be incredible what a difference vantage points can make in our views of certain subjects. Consider differing opinions on the extent and significance of structural inequity versus the impact of individual choices. Some people believe that we generally […]
Everything in season: why you will love and likely sometimes hate your alma mater
College is an interesting time. You get constant social approval for Chili’s and Taco Bell. Staying up all night to read Beowulf isn’t all that weird. You worry about “printer money” and parking and what you’re doing for spring break. […]
Unfry Your Brain: Go to the Fronton
We aren’t everywhere. We’re somewhere.Â
The war in Ukraine and the struggle over cynicism
This Friday, February 24th, will mark the one-year anniversary since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Several posts on this blog this week, therefore, will reflect on different aspects of this war. It’s very curious how negatively some […]
A common fund of knowledge
In his 2010 book about higher education, The Marketplace of Ideas, Louis Menand writes that: “In a meritocratic society, citizens need a common fund of knowledge, a kind of cultural lingua franca, to prevent politically dangerous divisions from developing.” This […]
Finding the Good: NBA Father Figures
We have many cultural commentators today decrying the loss of the traditional family and the decline of fatherhood. Some of their concerns seem grounded in the previous decades—divorce is down, for example, and fathers are more engaged than they were. […]
Complicity and the Failure to Care
In December 2022, one of the biggest international news stories was the conviction of a 97-year-old German woman for being accessory to murder during the Holocaust. She was a teenager at the time of her crimes, 1943-1945, but she was […]
The Queen and Conservatism
God save the queen—and all the other institutions that need saving
Help the World, Find a Hobby
Connection and contentment might be a dance away
Consumer Capture
Our rights don’t come from companies. They come from being citizens.