occasional reflections on culture & politics
We frequently hear words like “structural” or “system.” What does that mean? What do scholars mean when they say these words? Please allow me some rough thoughts on the matter that may help to clarify some confusions. What is a “structure”? It is something that has been built, that has been created. Typically, many of… Continue reading #253: Some Thoughts on Structures and Systems
We have a new Dune again, or rather, part two of Villeneuve’s version. I withheld my judgement until I had time to see it, and had the opportunity to watch the Miniseries and the documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune to prepare, as well as Spicediver’s 3-hour unofficial version of Lynch’s Dune. By now, I must have seen… Continue reading #251: A Tale of Four Dunes
The original post already addressed the notion of sin, as well as some possibly religious approaches to wokeness. Here, I will expand on these. First, I would like to preface this with a caveat. I am neither a theologian nor a religious official. I grew up Catholic, and have since widened my scope and have… Continue reading #249: The Resistance Against Wokeness, Part II: Addressing Religious Objections
I have been agonizing about what the anti-wokeness complaints and critiques are all about. What about “woke” is offensive or problematic? To be “woke” means to be “awake” to the danger of racist discrimination, that is all. That is how the word has functioned since at least the 1920s, until it became more popularized in… Continue reading #248: The Resistance Against Wokeness, Part I
We are living in a world similar to that of Babylon 5, Season 5. Does this sound weird? You don’t know what Babylon 5 is? What does this have to do with politics and society? Let me explain, and I hope this will make sense. https://youtu.be/uToMlVTY7Jw I. Babylon 5 is a science fiction show that… Continue reading #243: Living in a Time of Frustration: Are We Living in Babylon 5, Season 5?
There's more to this blog - there's also the web site and the YouTube Channel. My energies lately had to be more focused on finishing some other projects: the recently finished longer poem "Qaddish / Sanctus / Bismillah", a meditation on divinity an increased effort to finish my longer poem "The Garden" (not about gardening,… Continue reading µ#11: More Content on philjohn.com
I've finally finished the first movement of Symphony 5: The Defiant. Demo music is available on Soundcloud. Movements 2-5 will follow throughout 2024, hopefully.
https://youtu.be/092P6yNrDSE (This is a bit different in style – it is an unscripted video transcript, so it reflects oral more than written speech.) Can we have hope? I was asked a question recently about what gives me hope. I don't know whether I have the right answer for this. I've tried to write about hope… Continue reading #240: Hope, Duty & the Future
Dmitri Peskov says that the rumors are wrong, Putin is not dead. Fascinating. When you have to deny a rumor like this, there is already a problem. If you feel that you have to respond to such a rumor at all, it means that there is a realistic chance that people are actually believing something… Continue reading #235: Rumors of Putin’s Death
People seem confused about equity. Some claim equity means the equality of outcomes, and are calling instead for an equality of opportunity. Others see the call for equity as a socialist plot meant to destroy society. Amongst those who profess ignorance on the issue are even people like Senator Bernie Sanders, who should know better.… Continue reading #233: On Equity and Equality of Opportunity
https://youtu.be/gLMeuYn0IQM Hamas has brutally attacked Israel. They've killed civilians indiscriminately, abducted people, all on a flimsy excuse that this had something to do with Jews on or near the Al-Aqsa Mosque. We know that that's not the reason. Israel had ended the occupation of Gaza in 2005, and as a result, Gaza has been dominated… Continue reading #228: Hamas Attacked Israel
We are living at a time where democracy is challenged on a variety of levels, domestically and internationally. There exist several attempts to actively discourage people from seeking democracy, to use internal contradictions within democratic countries in order to legitimatize democracy itself, or to even undermine and destroy democracy where it exists. We cannot be… Continue reading #226: We Must Not Give Up on Global Democracy
I. My Personal Journey I have a complicated relationship with religion. As far as I can tell, so probably has everyone else. But I believe it may be helpful to explain my specific complications, given that among my work are some poems, musical pieces and other writings that may create an overall confusing picture. It… Continue reading #225: Religion, Transcendence & Nature
on philjohn.com: Life Is A Wake
on philjohn.com: Qaddish. Pt 2.5
I am puzzled by the resistance against female protagonists in the science fiction and superhero genres. For years now, we have seen a welcome diversification in what used to be a rather male-dominated sphere. Sometimes, this has meant bringing known formats to the screen with much fanfare (such as Wonder Woman or She-Hulk), creating new… Continue reading #222: Science Fiction and Comics Have Always Been Woke, or: Of Course Women and Minorities Can Be Heroes!
There is a wide-spread and pernicious argument which has been circling for quite some time, saying that the Western World is in decline, that it is in crisis, and that new challengers have arisen to dethrone the West. Okay, let’s unpack this a bit. First, we need to ignore the real question within – what… Continue reading #218: The West Is Not in Decline
Diversity work - like any form of political speech - cannot just focus on what needs to be said, it must also take into account what people are able and willing to hear. Why is that? Should we really aim to speak in a way that may limit our own expression, tone or message? Is… Continue reading #215: Commonsense Diversity
I: Categories of Difference All too frequently we are thinking of human beings not as unique individuals but as members of a certain group or category. This seems to be typical human behavior, and as such is not necessarily unexpected. These categories are sometimes based on (more or less) self-chosen group memberships. These can be… Continue reading #214: “Race” as the Experience of Dehumanization
I recently re-watched an old Stargate SG-1 episode showing enemy spaceships en route to attacking Earth. Our human heroes – who are on one of those spaceships too because they were able to use the Stargate they had found on Earth – find unexpected help from an ally, who is convinced that Earth will send… Continue reading #212: We Need to Build the Future Now: Spaceflight is not Optional
Erratic Attempts 