Culture
Democracy Can Quell Fake Conspiracy Theories
We live in an uncertain era. Uncertainty breeds a quest for security, a sense of control and meaning in life. That makes all of us marks for people on the make looking for someone to con. The media and internet are filled with all sorts of messages that play to specific vulnerabilities of certain groups of people. There is money to be made and power to be garnered. One of the main techniques is to spawn fake conspiracy theories. How can we tell when we are being subjected to a conspiracy theory? Is it possible to tell what is a real conspiracy and what is a fake ...
Refugees in Search for the Promised Land
Saturday afternoon, the first one this month, we sat in Whitewater hall and listened to some of Central Wisconsin's latest arrivals speak about their personal journeys. Refugees from Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nicaragua, each happy to be here, safe, and feeling welcome, they all agreed. Missing terribly, and worried about loved ones left behind was another thought held in common. Stories of violence, and threats of violence, too, sewed their stories together. A couple of the men, one an Afghan, another from a refugee camp in Tanzania had ...
Great Local Authors
Local reads are the best reads.
Starting with Gina Ramsey's "Burnt Gloveboxes: Embracing Life When it Goes up in Flames." This is a book of misguided adventures and blunders. Trust me I worked with Gina for a short time, the girl is hilarious. Her book has hit the Amazon best seller list. Give it a read, you won't be disappointed!
Nick Vander Puy recently gave a book talk at the Eagle River Library. Having visited the H.E.L.P. Campaign for the Penokees years ago and learning so much from there, I had to see what more I could learn through the book talk. I asked ...
Reflections on Earth Day
How do you joyously celebrate Earth Day even as the natural world we so rely on, and come together to honor, is in such decline? That question rose to the surface again and again a couple of weeks ago on April 22nd, the fifty third anniversary of the first Earth Day. Our own Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson inaugurated this special day in 1970, hoping to draw attention to the environmental mess we were already making of things. That year twenty million Americans marched in support. Earth Day was then, and has been ever since, both a celebration of this unique, ...
Living in Fear
“There is something deeply hypocritical about praying for a problem you are unwilling to resolve.” Miroslav Volf, theologian and author.
“No amount of words can express the loss our community feels for the fallen heroes of the Village of Cameron Police Department and Chetek Police Department. My prayers continue to go out to the families and loved ones...” Rep. Tom Tiffany on the two police officers recently killed in NW Wisconsin in a traffic stop shootout.
Tiffany has been a strong opponent of all efforts to pass sensible gun control ...
Confirmation Bias
American society is suffering from a bad case of “confirmation bias.” What is “confirmation bias”? That is where one selects evidence that agrees with one’s own opinions. That is bad enough, but in our digital world, increasingly, the selection of evidence is being done by media corporate giants. When we “like” some post on Facebook, that “like” goes into an algorithm that creates an individual profile of our purchasing, political, social and racial tendencies. Decisions based on what sources will be directed toward one’s inbox will be a ...
Fools Rush In…
Fools Rush In...
“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread” is a line from a famous love song. As with romantic relationships, foolish behavior is common to Homo sapiens. It is universal across societies and history. But Americans – who frequently are told our nation is “exceptional” and God's chosen people – are exceptionally easy to fool and exceptionally prone to engage in foolish behavior.
This national trait is more then fools and their money being soon parted. Our foolishness is ubiquitous across a broad range of behaviors, ...