Will Shetterly's Blog, page 115
January 17, 2015
Recommended: Trash Told Tales: An Anthology of White Trash Literature
This book is about half great and all interesting. It's not all successful, but in its way, that's a white trash thing—poor folk in general are quick to learn that "good enough" is sometimes better than perfect because you rarely have the time or money for perfect, and you're damn lucky if you have the time or money for good enough. So if I say this book is good enough to give four stars on
Recommended: New Grub Street by George Gissing
I've been reading New Grub Street in bits over the last months, and I can't explain why I'm giving it five of five stars at GoodReads, but I'll try.
The reasons I liked it:
I felt for the characters, even the ones I wouldn't have expected to.
I found the setting, London's literary world at the end of the 19th century, fascinating.
Gissing's a keen observer of human nature and how it's
The reasons I liked it:
I felt for the characters, even the ones I wouldn't have expected to.
I found the setting, London's literary world at the end of the 19th century, fascinating.
Gissing's a keen observer of human nature and how it's
January 16, 2015
The curious contradictions of censorial socialists, and a few comments about Charlie Hebdo
1
The history of dictatorship and the history of censorship are one. The dictator's name reveals it: dictators say who may speak. Euripedes understood the oppressive nature of censorship—in The Phoenician Woman, he wrote, “This is slavery, not to speak one’s thought.” Tacitus knew the sweetness of free speech—in the Histories, he wrote, “It is the rare fortune of these days that one may
The history of dictatorship and the history of censorship are one. The dictator's name reveals it: dictators say who may speak. Euripedes understood the oppressive nature of censorship—in The Phoenician Woman, he wrote, “This is slavery, not to speak one’s thought.” Tacitus knew the sweetness of free speech—in the Histories, he wrote, “It is the rare fortune of these days that one may
January 15, 2015
January 14, 2015
Three examples of the problem with children inheriting copyright
MLK family feud continues without judge's ruling | MSNBC: "...the Kings aren’t the only family with a civil rights legacy to have public squabbles. The daughters of human rights activist Malcolm Xpreviously sued to block a book deal, signed by one sister, to publish their father’s diary that documented his pilgrimage to Mecca and his travels across the Middle East and Africa. And a collection of
movie recommendation: Wild
Really, really liked Wild. It opens with a scene that may make you wince, and I didn't trust the filmmakers for the first ten or fifteen minutes. Then I realized it's a great little movie. Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern are great, and so's the scenery. It's consistently surprising—sometimes very funny, sometimes very sad, sometimes very sexual (but not sensuous, a distinction you probably will
January 12, 2015
An essentail bit from "Stereotyping White Working-Class Voters"
Stereotyping White Working-Class Voters | Working-Class Perspectives:
In2012middle-class whites gave President Obama 42% of their votes while working-class whites gave him only 36% — a six-point difference, which widened to seven points in2014 U.S. House races.
Even so, the gaps are typically much larger when we look at differences among white voters bygender(9 points in 2014);region(in
In2012middle-class whites gave President Obama 42% of their votes while working-class whites gave him only 36% — a six-point difference, which widened to seven points in2014 U.S. House races.
Even so, the gaps are typically much larger when we look at differences among white voters bygender(9 points in 2014);region(in
January 10, 2015
For anyone who thinks Charlie Hebdo is a racist magazine
AtCharlie Hebdo: The French satirical magazine is heroic. It is also racist., I left this comment:
How is it racist to mock rabbis, priests, and imams? Does racist now mean someone who opposes all religious authority? Anyone who thinks Charlie Hebdo is racist should read their Wikipedia entry and follow the links to their source.
That was inspired by Charb, the slain editor of Charlie Hebdo,
How is it racist to mock rabbis, priests, and imams? Does racist now mean someone who opposes all religious authority? Anyone who thinks Charlie Hebdo is racist should read their Wikipedia entry and follow the links to their source.
That was inspired by Charb, the slain editor of Charlie Hebdo,
January 9, 2015
Excluded by intersectionality: Autumn Mae Steele
Iowa cop reportedly tries to shoot dog, kills woman instead - The Washington Post
The article has links to other cases of cops shooting at dogs and killing people, including other cops. This is only the most recent I've seen.
The article has links to other cases of cops shooting at dogs and killing people, including other cops. This is only the most recent I've seen.
