This week, Jonathan McInÂtosh (of RebelÂlious PixÂels) released a new cartoon,“Right Wing Radio Duck,” that remixÂes dozens of clasÂsic Walt DisÂney carÂtoons from the 1930s to 1960s. The artisÂtic work is seamÂless. The video is downÂright fun to watch. And the underÂlyÂing mesÂsage is entireÂly conÂtemÂpoÂrary. A la ColÂbert: Keep Fear Alive.
The new video is released under a CreÂative ComÂmons license, and, accordÂing to the artist, this transÂforÂmaÂtive remix “conÂstiÂtutes a fair-use of any copyÂrightÂed mateÂrÂiÂal as proÂvidÂed for in secÂtion 107 of the US copyÂright law.” Will DisÂney, a comÂpaÂny that exerÂcisÂes enorÂmous powÂer over AmerÂiÂcan copyÂright law, agree? That remains to be seen.
To Glenn Beck fans who douÂble as OC readÂers (if we have any), I apolÂoÂgize in advance.
If the war in Afghanistan, now in its ninth year, has felt disÂtant, then this video report by GlobÂal Post will give it some real colÂor, if only for a short while. The iniÂtial video spells out what you will see: the afterÂmath – and human costs – of a fireÂfight between U.S. and TalÂiban forces in the northÂeastÂern Kunar Province. GlobÂal Post’s blog, DisÂpatchÂes: Afghanistan, is a live blog that tracks the counÂterinÂsurÂgency camÂpaign and proÂvides vetÂerÂan reportÂing from the field. You can folÂlow it here.
As jourÂnalÂists try to find their footÂing in the new digÂiÂtal enviÂronÂment, News21, a Carnegie and Knight iniÂtiaÂtive, has startÂed “incuÂbatÂing” eight jourÂnalÂism schools across the counÂtry and helpÂing stuÂdents develÂop new forms of invesÂtigaÂtive reportÂing in mulÂtiÂmeÂdia forÂmats. Above, we have Spilling Over, a piece of digÂiÂtal reportÂing that lays bare the emoÂtionÂal toll the BP Oil spill has takÂen on a Louisiana comÂmuÂniÂty. The eight minute video report was assemÂbled by a News21 team at the UniÂverÂsiÂty of North CarÂoliÂna. NPR has more on the News21 project, and the News21 webÂsite feaÂtures othÂer stuÂdent projects. H/T to Mike S. for anothÂer superb find…
David GerÂgen has served four difÂferÂent AmerÂiÂcan presÂiÂdents (Nixon, Ford, ReaÂgan, and ClinÂton), and he now heads the CenÂter for PubÂlic LeadÂerÂship at the HarÂvard Kennedy School. Last month GerÂgen, known for being a meaÂsured observÂer of polÂiÂtics, spoke before the ComÂmonÂwealth Club of CalÂiÂforÂnia and issued a very sober warnÂing: AmerÂiÂca faces monÂuÂmenÂtal probÂlems. But unforÂtuÂnateÂly our capacÂiÂty to address them has nevÂer been so diminÂished, and we’re this close to headÂing into a civÂiÂlizaÂtionÂal decline. Just what is limÂitÂing our abilÂiÂty to hanÂdle these probÂlems? If you cut to the chase, it’s a mediocre genÂerÂaÂtion of AmerÂiÂcans – politiÂcians, busiÂness leadÂers, media moguls, citÂiÂzens – habitÂuÂalÂly putting perÂsonÂal interÂests first and the greater good secÂond. It’s not a pretÂty picÂture, but GerÂgen sugÂgests a few ways out of the woods. (Hint: eduÂcaÂtion counts here.) You can stream the talk here, grab it on iTunes, or lisÂten below. And if you think there’s nothÂing you can perÂsonÂalÂly do to make this genÂerÂaÂtion a betÂter one, I sugÂgest you watch the last few minÂutes of this Robert SapolÂsky video.
AmerÂiÂca, as a nation, has some big fish to fry these days. But the enerÂgy is being focused right now on a symÂbolÂic quesÂtion. Can the nation tolÂerÂate the buildÂing of an IslamÂic culÂturÂal cenÂter and mosque near Ground Zero almost a decade after the 9/11 attacks? Or, more to the point, can AmerÂiÂca uphold one of its core valÂues – reliÂgious tolÂerÂance? The debate has smolÂdered on throughÂout the sumÂmer, and we’ve seen the hard right and left conÂdemn the CorÂdoÂba IniÂtiaÂtive and Islam more genÂerÂalÂly. On the right, Newt GinÂgrich has talked about how we’re facÂing an “Islamist culÂturÂal-politÂiÂcal offenÂsive designed to underÂmine and destroy our civÂiÂlizaÂtion.” And built into his thinkÂing is the assumpÂtion that when ChrisÂtians comÂmit abhorÂrent crimes, it’s a perÂverÂsion of the reliÂgion, not an indictÂment of its essence. But the same charÂiÂty doesÂn’t get extendÂed to the IslamÂic minorÂiÂty faith in the counÂtry. MeanÂwhile, Sam HarÂris on the secular/atheist left gets in bed with GinÂgrich when he says “there is much that is objectionable—and, frankly, terrifying—about the reliÂgion of Islam and about the state of disÂcourse among MusÂlims livÂing in the West.” If it matÂters, the main difÂferÂence between HarÂris and GinÂgrich is HarÂris’ conÂsisÂtenÂcy, which boils down to a conÂsisÂtent conÂtempt for reliÂgion. (ParÂtialÂly ExamÂined Life takes a much closÂer look at HarÂris’ arguÂments here).
All of this makes me wonÂder: What would someÂone who actuÂalÂly knows someÂthing about Islam say about the whole affair? So here you have it. Karen ArmÂstrong, one of the most well known thinkers in the field of comÂparÂaÂtive reliÂgion, a forÂmer Catholic nun, and the author most recentÂly of The Case for God, offerÂing her thoughts on the matÂter above.
Slavoj Zizek, one of today’s most influÂenÂtial philosophers/theorists, spoke earÂliÂer this year at the RoyÂal SociÂety of the Arts (RSA). And now RSA has postÂed the video online with their patentÂed aniÂmatÂed treatÂment. Like othÂer recent RSA speakÂers, Zizek makes modÂern capÂiÂtalÂism his focus. This time, we see how conÂtemÂpoÂrary capÂiÂtalÂism has essenÂtialÂly reworked Max Weber’s ProtesÂtant EthÂic, or that strange relaÂtionÂship between monÂey makÂing and perÂsonÂal redempÂtion. Zizek’s criÂtique isn’t utterÂly damnÂing. (No one will run to the barÂriÂcades.) Nor do I think he intends it to be. But the obserÂvaÂtions hold a cerÂtain amount of interÂest, espeÂcialÂly when placed alongÂside BarÂbara EhrenÂreÂich and David HarÂvey’s relatÂed RSA talks.
We have menÂtioned him here many times before. Michael Sandel teachÂes phiÂlosÂoÂphy at HarÂvard, includÂing the ever-popÂuÂlar course, “JusÂtice,” takÂen by some 14,000 stuÂdents durÂing the past two decades. (The legÂendary course is now freely availÂable online.) SpeakÂing at the Aspen InstiÂtute not too long ago, Sandel gave a very abbreÂviÂatÂed verÂsion of the course. Call it “JusÂtice in Under an Hour.” (My title, not his.) And, by the time he wrapped things up, he got down to a timeÂly quesÂtion in AmerÂiÂca. Is it just for the state to withÂhold the instiÂtuÂtion of marÂriage from same sex couÂples? What would ArisÂtoÂtle (who laid the founÂdaÂtion for westÂern thinkÂing about jusÂtice) have to say about this quesÂtion? And how do Sandel’s HarÂvard stuÂdents grapÂple with it? The full preÂsenÂtaÂtion is availÂable above; the parÂticÂuÂlar secÂtion on gay marÂriage is here.
LookÂing for free phiÂlosÂoÂphy coursÂes? Have a look through the PhiÂlosÂoÂphy secÂtion of our big colÂlecÂtion of Free Online CoursÂes.
No one debates quite as well as an Oxford proÂfesÂsor. And so today we feaÂture two Oxford profs – atheÂist biolÂoÂgist Richard Dawkins and ChrisÂtÂian mathÂeÂmatiÂcian John Lennox – debatÂing God and sciÂence in … of all places … BirmÂingÂham, AlabaÂma. The debate turns largeÂly on a quesÂtion raised in Dawkins’ 2006 bestÂseller, The God DeluÂsion: To what extent can reliÂgious belief and seriÂous sciÂenÂtifÂic disÂcovÂery go hand-in-hand? The debate is liveÂly, and the thought seriÂous. A good way to spend 90+ minÂutes. And BrazilÂian readÂers, you’re in luck. You get subÂtiÂtles. If you would like to purÂchase a copy of the debate, you can buy it through the Fixed Point FounÂdaÂtion, the ChrisÂtÂian orgaÂniÂzaÂtion that orgaÂnized the event. You can also watch a verÂsion of the debate on the Fixed Point web site here.
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