| Why we must address both economics and values
From the 1970s through the mid-1990s, poverty policy was among the nastiest battlefields in the national culture war. Left and right slugged it out over why people were poor and how (or whether) to help them. Conservatives generally enjoyed the upper hand in these debates by focusing on individual-level causes of poverty, like family breakdown, drug addiction, and poor work habits -- pathologies said to be enabled by government largesse. This story line struck a chord with the American public, helping ensure the demise of the federal welfare entitlement and the introduction of strict work requirements in 1996. But since then, a structural understanding of poverty has come back in vogue, fueled by more awareness of globalization and dead-end jobs. Popular books like Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed and Beth Shulman's The Betrayal of Work have drawn a fresh picture of the poor -- as mostly hardworking Americans who can't make ends meet through no fault of their own.
Pop culture feeding on itself
It truly is incredible how pop culture feeds on itself. In the early '90s, when rap changed from an interesting genre to gangsta hip-hop, it was a shock to hear the "N-word." Especially years after the civil rights movement lost its leaders in a move to eradicate all derogatory statements made toward African-Americans and to promote equality. Now record labels glorify the music of thugs and convicts and promote them as music artists. Bill Cosby and other educated African Americans have noted that these greedy record producers have sent the civil rights movement back to the stone ages.
Unfortunately, the media gives the camera and radio to the worst possible role models. Where are Will Smith and Halle Berry when you need them to make a stand for a good cause?
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• IN THEORY: Lack of religious literacy is a problem • IN THEORY:
Boston University's religion department head Stephen Prothero's new book, "Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know — And Doesn't," reports that though most Americans say they are religious, they aren't very religiously literate. That is, according to Prothero, Americans lack critical knowledge about their own religions and of others.Surveys report that only half of adult Americans can name any of the four Gospels. And most Americans can't name the first book of the Bible. They also find that most Americans think Jesus was born in Jerusalem.Do you find this lack of religious literacy in the communities you live and work in? And what do you think it means?In my own church, I have not found the lack of religious literacy mentioned, but if Prothero's thesis is true for most Americans, I'm not all that surprised.
Popular culture conference
Dr. Marty Knepper, professor and chair of English at Morningside College; Stacy Baldus, a senior from Grand Meadow, Minn.; and Rachel N. Castillo, a senior from Sioux City, all presented papers at the national conference of the Popular Culture Association (PCA)/American Culture Association, April 4-7, in Boston." target="_blank"> | Small | Large
Dr. Marty Knepper, professor and chair of English at Morningside College; Stacy Baldus, a senior from Grand Meadow, Minn.; and Rachel N. Castillo, a senior from Sioux City, all presented papers at the national conference of the Popular Culture Association (PCA)/American Culture Association, April 4-7, in Boston.Knepper was chair of the session ''Mystery/Detective Fiction III: Debating the Ending of the Harry Potter Series.'' During the session, Knepper presented ''Reading Harry Potter: Making Predictions for Book 7,'' which included results of surveys conducted with readers, monitored internet chat rooms, and fan fiction as a means to discover predictions for the final book of J.
Rolling Stone’s State of the Union
The first of three 40th-anniversary issues of Rolling Stone is on newsstands now, and it is overflowing with the witty Q&A interviews that make the magazine frequently worthwhile. There's the requisite kissing of founder Jann S. Wenner's ring, as nearly every interview involves a moment when an artist describes how important a role the magazine played in wide cultural transformation. The next 40th-anniversary issue will focus on the Summer of Love, and I can imagine people discussing how many times a stray Rolling Stone on the coffee table helped them get laid. That would be in tune with how Rolling Stone's editors present themselves as keepers of the counterculture's flame. As indicated in "A Letter From the Editors," there's a culture war going on, and Rolling Stone knows which side it has chosen: Truly understanding the past means grappling with its complexities and contradictions.
GSN Orders New Series 'CAMOUFLAGE' From Disney's Buena Vista ...
GSN, the network for games, announced today that it has ordered 40 half-hour episodes of the new series, CAMOUFLAGE, an addictive hidden word puzzle and trivia game show from Disney's Buena Vista Productions. CAMOUFLAGE is the first collaboration between Buena Vista Productions and GSN. In making the announcement, Jamie Roberts, GSN's Senior Vice President of Programming, commented: "I couldn't be more thrilled than to be in business with Buena Vista Productions on this smart, playful, first-class game show. For viewers, CAMOUFLAGE is easy to follow and the type of show that pulls you in so that you can't help but play-along." Taping in Hollywood, CAMOUFLAGE is a fast-paced game show of hidden word puzzles with cross-word type clues ranging from general knowledge to pop culture.
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