Peter Singer: The Milo of Philosophers

I’m not okay with #disability hate being confused with #science https://t.co/fgVSHyi3WC @Lollardfish @stevesilberman @RoseUnwin — Louise Kinross (@LouiseKinross) February 28, 2017 Thanks to Louise for alerting me to the Journal of Practical Ethics doing a glossy Q&A with Peter Singer. Singer is a bigot. Philosophy embraces him as a titan of the field, letting his ableism … Continue ReadingPeter Singer: The Milo of Philosophers

URGENT: Tell Education to Keep Publicizing Civil Rights Data

PLEASE RT: Go to @RegulationsGov to tell @usedgov & @BetsyDeVosED to keep collecting CIVIL RIGHTS DATA. By 2/28.https://t.co/gyjqdUIkMp pic.twitter.com/QQ3aezkbt7 — David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) February 26, 2017 The U.S. Department of Education collects and publicizes vitally important data on civil rights in U.S. Schools. It fuels both policy and journalism. Without good data, we can’t … Continue ReadingURGENT: Tell Education to Keep Publicizing Civil Rights Data

Unspeakable Acts: Annals of American Fascism

Americans have always been willing to put on uniforms and perform unspeakable acts. The Trail of Tears, those who hunted down slaves, internment, participation in lynching, ignoring lynching, policing minority communities, etc. Americans have always been willing. Hannah Arendt’s “banality of evil” is a useful way to consider these acts of evil, but we can’t … Continue ReadingUnspeakable Acts: Annals of American Fascism

There’s Nothing Medieval about Trump

Columnists keep wanting to distance us moderns from Trump, but he’s as modern as it gets.  GUEST POST by Eric Weiskott In an interview for The Guardian last week, philosopher Daniel Dennett was asked whether “deep thinking” is what’s needed in the current political climate. He responded: Yes. From everybody. The real danger that’s facing us … Continue ReadingThere’s Nothing Medieval about Trump

Right Wing Attacks on Academia Continue: Iowa Law Mandates Political Affiliation

Amidst all the furor over Milo and UC Berkeley, in which non-students staged an action to shut down a speech, the GOP keeps doing its thing – using money and access to power to try and overthrow public universities. I wrote about this most recently here for Pacific Standard and on the blog. Latest examples: Waiting excitedly … Continue ReadingRight Wing Attacks on Academia Continue: Iowa Law Mandates Political Affiliation

Disability and M. Night. Shyamalan (SPOILERS)

In the wake of Split, disability rights folks have been grumpy about the ways that the show depicts Dissociative Identity Disorder (aka Multiple Personality Disorder). It’s one of the most stigmatized, and broadly misunderstood, disabilities, especially in the context of creating fictional killers. But Kim Sauder, one of my favorite writers on disability and culture, … Continue ReadingDisability and M. Night. Shyamalan (SPOILERS)

Euphemisms Spread Stigma – Study on “Special Needs”

@LaurieBerkner we should talk someday about “special needs” vs “disabled.” 🙂 Though I admit most parents like the former. — David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) February 14, 2017 My son’s love of music is known across the multi-verse, specifically Hamilton and the band Flogging Molly (though yesterday he chose and danced to Alan Jackson’s, “5:00 somewhere”).  But … Continue ReadingEuphemisms Spread Stigma – Study on “Special Needs”