Trevor Noah and Offensive Comedy: Confirming or Undercutting Stereotypes

Like many people, I spent some time watching great video clips of Trevor Noah’s standup routines (compiled here by Vox) and laughing. I certainly enjoyed his first appearance on the Daily Show, which I happened to catch live (I don’t watch the show routinely, but like many people consume clips via the internet the next … Continue ReadingTrevor Noah and Offensive Comedy: Confirming or Undercutting Stereotypes

Being the Target of a Boycott – Indiana and Lessons from UIUC

A month or so ago, UIUC professor Susan Koshy wrote a piece on being the target of a boycott. She supports the candidacy of Steven Salaita. She’s angry at the administration for their conduct. She writes (behind the paywall. I will quote as extensively as seems reasonable): For someone like me, who is inside the … Continue ReadingBeing the Target of a Boycott – Indiana and Lessons from UIUC

Cult of Compliance: Boy with Down Syndrome Forced to Remove Letter Jacket

Principal forces student with Down syndrome to remove high school letter jacket: http://t.co/9dsd9hxZNC pic.twitter.com/WxLdUQjyaa — USA TODAY Sports (@USATODAYsports) March 27, 2015 USA Today Sports has a new piece on a boy with Down syndrome forced to remove a letter jacket. His mother had bought him the jacket, he loved it, but because he’s not … Continue ReadingCult of Compliance: Boy with Down Syndrome Forced to Remove Letter Jacket

Open Letter to Joshua Kim – Own up; Apologize; Try to do Better

Preamble: I make mistakes Sometimes, I make mistakes. Often, those mistakes emerge from my privilege – straight, white, tenured, able-bodied, neurotypical, married, etc. I say something or do something that is exclusionary, hurtful, or simply wrong. If I’m lucky, someone calls me on it. If I’m very lucky, after I apologize and try to make … Continue ReadingOpen Letter to Joshua Kim – Own up; Apologize; Try to do Better

The Rise of Neo-Primitivism

I’ve become increasingly interested in nostalgia, especially when used as political discourse (following the scholarship of my friend Matthew Gabriele (@prof_gabriele), a professor at Virginia Tech). It reminded me of this recent essay from Andrew Potter, the editor of Ottawa Citizen, on the “Rise of Neo-Primitivism.” Potter describes the “neo-primitives” imagined by speculative fiction author William … Continue ReadingThe Rise of Neo-Primitivism