The Heart in the Dark by Randall Auxier A bleeding heart liberal. That’s what Richard Henry Pratt was. At this late date it doesn’t matter whether he believed “white civilization” was superior to other ways of life, or whether he just saw the inevitability of its march. Either way he stood on the advancing…
Culture Wars, Old and New by Randall Auxier I lived in Oklahoma for some years, and learned to be suspicious of pictures like this one. Friends there helped me begin to grasp the depths of my own unconscious racism. One day I was walking with a colleague and our Dean to the faculty lunchroom.…
Isn’t It Rich? by Randall Auxier This fellow stands out in a crowd. I’ll bet he wants it that way. Most of us would be unable to connect with him. Say, you and me are having coffee and he wanders into the Starbucks. Are we allowed to stare? Surely the answer is “yes, you…
Belly Up Boys! by Gary L. Herstein, Guest Blogger Let me tell you a story. Well, first, let me explain why I want to tell you a story. Science (for example) can give us a pretty compelling account about what and how things are, employing the tools of logical coherence and empirical adequacy.…
Extreme Virtue 11: The Land of the Free by Randall Auxier The stray apostrophe on this sign doesn’t surprise me. No one likes a grammar snob, but I don’t like this sign. It comes from “Goldwater country,” now world famous for its inhospitality. The meaning of “white” is a moving target, isn’t it? With…
A Giant Leap by Randall Auxier There was no internet, needless to say. That gave the US government a kind of control over images that we can barely imagine today. No one fully understood the power back then. I like watching the characters in Mad Men as they gradually discover what images can do…
Of Mushroom Clouds and Old Bastards by Randall Auxier These are famous images from the infamous “Daisy” TV ad created for the Lyndon Johnson campaign of 1964. The little girl picks petals from a daisy, counting upward to ten. Being so very young, she makes mistakes. As she reaches ten a booming, disembodied voice counts…
Easy as 3-6-9 by Randall Auxier At the moment, a dollar will buy you 6 Swedish Crowns, roughly. The Swedes decided not to convert to the euro, a decision that is looking better every day. It comes as no surprise to the Swedes. It is not that Swedes can’t be surprised, but perhaps…
The Curse (of the Curse) of Babe Ruth by Randall Auxier Cubs fans, take a knee. This concerns your souls and you need to listen. I have a message for you from the Baseball Gods. I don’t know why they chose me, a Cardinals devotee, (with some Braves leanings on the side), as the…
“Dangerous Crosswinds May Exist” by Randall Auxier I mentioned in my last P&P post that I had been driving along “Future I-26 West” in North Carolina. As we always do these days, my spouse looked it up to see what was going on. The wireless modem has replaced family sing-alongs, but I’m not sorry…