The Penguin’s Means, Ends, and Morality
‘The Penguin’ compels us to interrogate our morality: do we treat others in our lives only as means to an end?
Culture
Live Forever: Oasis’ Enduring Appeal
As long as nostalgia is a driving motivator of cultural taste, Oasis will remain one of the world’s most popular bands.
‘We Stand On Guard’ Goes to War Against Canada
Published in 2015, comics series We Stand on Guard speculates a near-future war between the US and Canada.
Workplace Drama ‘Severance’ Enhances Performance and Hits High Targets
Workplace drama Severance Season 2 enhances performance by moving sideways from work ethics to reach the complicated hearts of its protagonists.
American Jews’ and Muslims’ Conflicts and Commonalities
America’s religiously observant Jews and Muslims straddle a highway, each with one foot in religion and one in culture while worrying about being hit by traffic.
Not Amused: Why Standup Comedy Isn’t Funny
In most of today’s standup comedy the outrageousness of the topic goes a long way toward compensating for the absence of wit. I’m not amused.
Culture/All Things Reconsidered/Featured: Top of Home Page/Features/Film/Podcasts/Politics/Television
Dark Comedy ‘Patriot’ Illuminates Neoliberalism’s Dark Reality
The dark comedy Patriot illuminates how neoliberalism makes choices for us disguisedly, using entrepreneurial agency as a fig leaf to obscure manipulation.
Sol Foundation Symposium Examines the Political Problem of UFOs
Researchers from academia, technology, and governmental sectors gather to examine how civil society can act against UFOs/UAP cover-ups.
Cataloging Punk Permutations
Iain Ellis’ engaging Punk Beyond the Music’ goes beyond the usual permutations of punk into the fascinating cultural arenas of comedy, education, and sports.
Women in 1990s Rock Music Are Far from Dead
Tanya Pearson’s Pretend We’re Dead is both hopeful and challenging, and proves that the spirit of 1990s women in rock music is still alive and fighting.
Take Video Games and Our Perilous Era Seriously
Marijam Dids’ book on video games and culture, Everything to Play For, is a wake-up call for those ignorant of the titanic importance gaming has in the modern world.
It Ain’t Easy Being Green in Wicked’s Hollywood
In Wicked: Part 1, “normal” citizens come in all skin colors – except green. It ain’t easy being green in Wicked’s (or America’s) Hollywood.