Category Archives: society & culture

Popular Delusions

Posted on December 16, 2023 by midiguru

In honor of the season, I’ve been reading Bart Ehrman’s Jesus Before the Gospels, a scholarly but very readable debunking of the idea that the four Gospels in the New Testament provide anything like an accurate account of Jesus’s life. … Continue reading →

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That’s Not Okay

Posted on November 4, 2023 by midiguru

The weird, twisted beliefs of the new Speaker of the House ought to alarm everybody. This wacko is only two steps away from the White House. The question I’m asking myself this morning is, what can we do about Christian … Continue reading →

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Here and There

Posted on October 29, 2023 by midiguru

I’m not an expert on global economic issues, so there may be things about the immigration mess that I don’t understand. But here’s my take on it. For many years, the rich nations in Europe and North America have treated … Continue reading →

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Ah, but I Was So Much Older Then…

Posted on July 3, 2023 by midiguru

The other day, seeking something to read, I pulled down from my groaning bookshelf Carl Jung’s Modern Man in Search of a Soul. I opened it at random to a passage in Chapter Five, “The Stages of Life,” and found … Continue reading →

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(Pay No Attention to) the Man Behind the Curtain

Posted on June 10, 2023 by midiguru

When browsing for novels you might like to read, do you consider what sort of author you’re going to support and hang out with? If you’re gay, do you prefer gay authors? If you’re a person of color, do you … Continue reading →

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Sticks & Stones

Posted on April 24, 2023 by midiguru

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine on Facebook was hating on J. K. Rowling. As far as I know, my friend is a very nice person; I tend not to collect a following of wackos. My friend … Continue reading →

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Stop the Presses…

Posted on April 2, 2023 by midiguru

As vehemently as I detest the current wave of book-banning in school libraries, I feel I should point out that removing books from libraries is not “unconstitutional.” The First Amendment, which is plainly what is being used as a guidepost … Continue reading →

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The Anti-Trans Wave

Posted on March 15, 2023 by midiguru

In recent months, Republican legislators in state governments across the U.S. have introduced a torrent of bills that attack LGBTQ rights. If enacted into law, as some of them surely will be, these bills will cause both hardship and pain … Continue reading →

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Lame & Queer

Posted on March 15, 2023 by midiguru

Apparently, Ursula Le Guin’s son has knuckled under to the forces of political correctness. He has consented to a few editorial changes in her children’s books. (You can read his explanation here.) The words “lame” and “queer” are being excised … Continue reading →

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White-Out

Posted on February 27, 2023 by midiguru

In today’s news, Elon Musk (a flagrant asshole) is defending Dilbert creator Scott Adams (also a flagrant asshole). Adams made some overtly racist remarks, as a result of which his once-popular comic strip is being dropped by a lot of … Continue reading →

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