Will Shetterly's Blog, page 160
February 21, 2013
Harry Hopkins of the W.P.A. on poverty in 1936
Harry Hopkins was the first director of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration in 1933, the Civil Works Administration, and then the Works Progress Administration in 1935.
Harry Hopkins, Address on federal relief, 1936:
Harry Hopkins, Address on federal relief, 1936:
I have never liked poverty. I have never believed that with our capitalistic system people have to be poor. I think it is an outrage that we should permit hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people to be ill clad, to live in miserable homes, not to have enough to eat; not...
February 20, 2013
Skinny Girls Don't Have OOMPH!
It takes those extra lbs. of solid flesh to "bring out" your natural curves.
From ADVENTURES INTO WEIRD WORLDS #25
via The Golden Age.
From ADVENTURES INTO WEIRD WORLDS #25
via The Golden Age.
February 19, 2013
a cowgirl, circa 1900
from The Pictorial Arts: Cowgirls. It's obviously a studio shot, so it's not significantly more authentic than any fake historical shot, but I love it anyway.
February 17, 2013
on choosing your beliefs and choosing your tactics
In the discussion at Orson Scott Card, DC Comics, and Censorship | The Dream Café, I said this about socialism, homosexuality, and choice:I don’t think anyone can choose to be a socialist. You can be taught to be a socialist, either by people or circumstances, but no one wakes up and says, “Why, today, I think I’ll be a socialist.” Or gay. Or racist. Or anything that’s at odds with their past. If you’ve been a certain type of person, something has to change to make you a different person...
February 16, 2013
Ty Templeton on Orson Scott Card writing Superman
I Can Read It By Myself Bun Toons! YAY! | Ty Templeton's ART LAND!!: "Right wing people well bend faster if we don’t alienate, demonize and and try to silence them so much. If we actually have the better path to a better society with equality for all, then we should educate the other side to this idea, enlighten the confused, and lift up people instead of shouting at them. You actually win some over that way. "
Click the link to read more, plus a cartoon.
Click the link to read more, plus a cartoon.
February 15, 2013
the politics of enlightenment vs repression
I realized yesterday that my commitment to free speech comes from my belief that it's morally and tactically better to enlighten people than repress them.
But too many people on the right and left love repression. McCarthyists and Maoists march in perfect step to its tune.
I believe enlightenment works best in the long run—revolutions with the best goals have failed when their leaders turned to repression. Good ideas are strong enough to bear critical buffeting. They grow stronger when they're...
But too many people on the right and left love repression. McCarthyists and Maoists march in perfect step to its tune.
I believe enlightenment works best in the long run—revolutions with the best goals have failed when their leaders turned to repression. Good ideas are strong enough to bear critical buffeting. They grow stronger when they're...
February 14, 2013
my best Valentine's Day advice
No matter how sure you are of your sweetheart's love, never stop trying to win it.
This has kept Emma and me together for more three decades.
Which is to say, yeah, Valentine's Day has been commercialized unbearably, but that's no reason not to do something a little special today for someone you care about.
Which applies to all the days that have not been commercialized, too.
Hmm. That reminds me of something wise atheists and theists have said: all days are holy days. For lovers, all days are Va...
This has kept Emma and me together for more three decades.
Which is to say, yeah, Valentine's Day has been commercialized unbearably, but that's no reason not to do something a little special today for someone you care about.
Which applies to all the days that have not been commercialized, too.
Hmm. That reminds me of something wise atheists and theists have said: all days are holy days. For lovers, all days are Va...
February 13, 2013
yes, free speech includes the right to oppose other people's speech, but.... (on Orson Scott Card and Superman)
Orson Scott Card's getting attention again for his opposition to gay marriage, and one manifestation of that is a petition to get him fired from writing Superman.
I've supported gay marriage for decades. I heard this song when I was in my teens and recognized my philosophy about the rights of adults:
I've also supported free speech since I was a boy in the '60s, when rightwingers were busily trying to silence their opponents, just as too many leftwingers do today.
In Orson Scott Card,...
I've supported gay marriage for decades. I heard this song when I was in my teens and recognized my philosophy about the rights of adults:
I've also supported free speech since I was a boy in the '60s, when rightwingers were busily trying to silence their opponents, just as too many leftwingers do today.
In Orson Scott Card,...
February 11, 2013
Captain America and the Nationalist Superhero
If the title of Captain America and the Nationalist Superhero interests you, buy it. Fair warning: Jason Dittmer wrote me while he was writing it and asked some smart questions about Captain Confederacy, so I'm undoubtedly a bit biased, but so what?
I found a curious review of the book at Captain Nowhere - Reason.com. Noah Berlatsky says:
I found a curious review of the book at Captain Nowhere - Reason.com. Noah Berlatsky says:
It's hard to square that thesis with the 2011 film Captain America: The First Avenger, where American identity ends up meaning s...
