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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Jan. 27, 2005
/ 17 Shevat, 5765
Keeping Those Preconceptions Shiny and New
By
James Lileks
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Every week there's a news story that energizes the hard-core faithful, and it usually follows the same trajectory. First: proof of boundless perfidy on the other side. Stage two: muted reaction to a clarification, followed by stage three: "Yes, BUT!"
The last part insists the story is somehow true on a metaphysical level, and thus accurate. A famous minister may not have called Sponge Bob a g-dless proselytizing sodomite, but he probably doesn't like gays, so the story's sort of true. It's a means of keeping your preconceptions as shiny and new as the day you formed them.
This week's Fresh Screaming Outrage regards the decision of the University of Oregon to remove a "Support the Troops" magnet from a campus truck.
Imagine the scene! Hundreds of angry students rocking the truck, shouting DEATH TO AMERICA, no? Burning flags, the driver chased off campus by giant papier-mâché puppets of President Bush with blood dripping from his mouth, etc. Campus administrators, in this easily conjured scenario, caved quickly because they felt in their hearts that it would be wrong to let any expression of patriotism sully the Elysian fields of academia. Perfidy, you think. Just what you've come to expect.
Tempting, but alas, the truth is a little less thrilling. Now we have step two, the muted reaction to the clarification. Facts: One guy had the magnet on a state-owned truck. No riot. One person complained. One.
There are two ways an organization can respond:
A) "We will convene a committee to prepare a policy on the matter, as well as solicit an opinion from the philosophy and art departments on whether a metal magnet shaped like a fabric ribbon is inherently surreal and thus exempt from standing policy. The commission will also address whether left and right turn signals endorse Western notions of rigid dichotomies, and should be replaced with Chinese ideograms depicting the magnetic poles. The commission will also accept comments in an open forum which will inevitably be hijacked by that smelly grad student who has a thing about boycotting grapes; what is he, 50? So moved."
B) You're offended, you say? Well, life must be one continuous scrape of the ol' emery board on your gums, eh? Get a life. I hear they're expecting a big shipment sometime today. NEXT!
You can guess which one a university would choose. Nearly any modern organization curls up in a ball the moment someone pronounces himself offended as though everyone has the right to coast through life without snagging his sleeve on a contrary idea.
In this case, the University of Oregon released a statement saying it supported the troops honest, it did but state vehicles were no place for personal messages. Hard to argue, really. If anything, a university should have "How's My Driving?" with the phone number displayed in some complex algebraic equation. And nothing more.
Yes, BUT. It seems a bit disingenuous for the university to insist it scrupulously avoids mingling public money and private opinion. From art departments to visiting lecturers, universities provide a fecund and humid hothouse for personal opinion, and one can safely say that most would make William F. Buckley cock an eyebrow in distaste.
Universities regard themselves as the guarantors of free thought, keepers of the flame of civilization, but they are often remote from the societies they purport to serve, crimped by PC orthodoxies, and disinclined to understand the culture that sustains them. Town vs. Gown. Nothing new. But at least in the old days the distinctions were less severe Beethoven vs. Elvis, Picasso vs. Rockwell. Not Chomsky vs. Bush or Smart vs. Evil.
In the end, though, these overreactions teach us important lessons, just like an episode of Barney. You can be a Christian without being an anti-SpongeBob "homophobe." You can be a Democrat at a university and support the troops.
Next week's flame war topic: a high school biology teacher asks his class to consider the philosophical implications of the Big Bang.
Or, as the e-mail in your box will put it: Jesus-freak wingnut tells class the world was created in six days. To the barricades!
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in uplifting articles.
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JWR contributor James Lileks is a columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Comment by clicking here.
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© 2005, James Lileks
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