We were truly thrilled to have the gracious and graceful Misty Copeland in #nerdland today, leaving us all dreaming of being ballet dancers. Your first homework assignment is to get Kristen Hall and Anne Kennedy’s "Ballerina Girl," and read it to a child -- whether they be your own, a niece, a neighbor, or kids at a local school, girl or boy.
Daniel Gross lit up #nerdland with his claim that America is actually better off today than in the past two decades. Read his provocative piece, "Myth Of Decline: U.S. Is Stronger and Faster Than Anywhere Else" and his similarly-themed new book, "Better, Stronger, Faster: The Myth of American Decline...and the Rise of a New Economy."
We highlighted the case of Florida mother Marissa Alexander, who faces 20 years in prison for (it seems) firing a bullet into the ceiling to stop an attack from her abusive husband. That led to a discussion about the laws affecting domestic violence survivors when they finally try to stand their ground. To learn more about the complex and difficult issues of violence and the law, read Sokoloff and Pratt’s edited volume, "Domestic Violence at the Margins: Readings on Race, Class, Gender, and Culture," and Silja Talvi’s heartbreaking stories in "Women Behind Bars: The Crisis of Women in the U.S. Prison System."
For my footnote I mounted a defense of race and ethnic studies programs. Read more about the complex history of these programs in Noliwe Rooks’ "White Money/Black Power: The Surprising History of African American Studies and the Crisis of Race and Higher Education."
And of course, don’t forget to visit "MHP" guest Kathleen Hall Jamieson’s new project, FlackCheck.org, a website that by its own description,
...uses parody and humor to debunk false political advertising, poke fun at extreme language, and hold the media accountable for their reporting on political campaigns.
Check out the site, and get your truth on! Happy reading, and I'll see you next week.
Leave a Comment:
Melissa,
I listened to your discussion about FlackCheck. There should not be such confusion about what is a lie and what is not; and there should be no confusion about the harm that every lie causes. A person can unintentionally misstate a fact and not be a liar; but, that person cannot misstate or distort a fact intentionally and not be a liar. What has happened to mainstream news media that they excuse the lies of politicians as being acceptable? Are not our governmental leaders (politicians) individuals that we must trust? There is no such condition as "truthiness." A person either tells the truth or that person lies; and it is up to us to question the values and integrity of any person who will look us in the eyes, smile in our faces, and intentionally seek to deceive us about who he is, what he stands for, and what he will do if elected. Is not truthfulness the basis for our trust? A lie happens everytime someone distorts the truth (facts) with the intent of deceiving self or someone else. When every conversation about him includes mention of some statement where he has lied about some fact and has done so in order to deceive potential voters, it is ludicrous for your guest to claim that Mitt Romney is "more" truthful than other Republicans. Most Americans claim to believe that truth, honesty, and integrity are American values on which we base our trust. Where do we pivot such that we teach our children and convince ourselves that lying is ok? How do we find it acceptable to minimize the harm that is done each time Mitt Romney smiles and intentionally lies, bears false witness, and openly aspires to steal an election through deceit? SuperPac for Mitt Romeny are for Mitt Romeny. If he allows these things to be done in his name and/or for his benefit, it is the same as if he does them himself. And, if voters still "trust" Mitt Romney after he has professed to be on both sides of practically every issue, then they do because the medium that he uses to communicate with voters allows these things to go unchallenged. It is simple: He is probably on neither side of the issues for which has both endorsed and expressed disapproval; and, even if he was truthful when taking one side, he then lied when he claimed to take the other side. For this reason, claiming that he is a"flip-flopper" is like claiming that he simply tells "little white lies." Of course, we all know that no such condition of lying exists. Thou shall not lie is an unequivocal commandment; otherwise, it would have ended with "except for little white ones."
Melissa, love your geeky show. The segment regarding fine arts inspired my pen.
To Maudee above, you have a beautiful "pen." I would add:
And Marian Anderson whose
voice lulled us into another dimension
freeing us for a moment from barriers.
My Lord, what a morning
Dear Melissa -- I love your show and its brisk, intelligent, lively conversation. One suggestion, if I may -- please leave the campaign flacks at home. Alice Stewart contributed almost nothing of substance to Sunday's show. Granted, I find her pro-Romney spin annoying at least partly for ideological reasons, but I'd be almost as dismayed by someone like James Carville appearing on your show. By all means please book conservatives and libertarians; but the campaign operatives generally just stick to the same tired, predictable partisan spin which really drags the show down. Thank you for bringing so much intelligence to TV.
Love the show! You have even managed to get my (soon to be 30) son interested in the conversations that you have! That is JUST Great! I live in a rural community, that to this day, does not teach diversity or tolerance.(there are few, very few, teachers that do). That is SAD considering many call themselves Christians....
Love your show. It's informative, engaging and quite entertaining. My only issue. Can you please invite guest that aren't just spewing out the usual party political taking point. Alice Stewart relentlessly spewed out one repugnant talking point after another. Can we please have people with more depth.