Author Archives: hessd

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About hessd

Here is all you need to know to follow this blog. I am an old man and I love to think about why we say the things we do. I've taught at the elementary, secondary, collegiate, and doctoral levels. I don't think one is easier than another. They are hard in different ways. I have taught political science for a long time and have practiced politics in and around the Oregon Legislature. I don't think one is easier than another. They are hard in different ways. You'll be seeing a lot about my favorite topics here. There will be religious reflections (I'm a Christian) and political reflections (I'm a Democrat) and a good deal of whimsy. I'm a dilettante.

A staff you can lean on

Posted on August 13, 2017 by hessd

Nobody ever accused President Jed Bartlet of being too candid as President over his seven years of presiding over The West Wing. On the contrary, the hits he took in public were about being too distant, too intellectual, too removed … Continue reading →

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Enjoy your meal

Posted on August 12, 2017 by hessd

That seems straightforward enough. It’s the kind of thing many waiters and waitresses say as they leave your table, having just served your meal. And if the alternative is not enjoying your meal, I think it is the best of … Continue reading →

Posted in Living My Life | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Political Lies and Political Liars

Posted on August 9, 2017 by hessd

Lord Alexander Chung-sik Finkle-McGraw is instructing John Percival Hackworth, a relatively new member of the New Victorians, on “hypocrisy.” Is hypocrisy a big deal, Finkle-McGraw wants to know, or is it the way it was back at the end of … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Political Psychology, Politics, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Boys and girls and emotionality

Posted on August 5, 2017 by hessd

“Why do we limit the emotional vocabulary of boys?” In this piece from the New York Times, Andrew Reiner collects some recent research about how infant boys and girls are treated differently. He cites quite a range of research and … Continue reading →

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The (pause) Lord’s (pause) Prayer (stop)

Posted on August 2, 2017 by hessd

So many kinds of things go on in a Protestant worship service. [1] Calling it “a worship service” is almost a courtesy, but I like the term because it expresses our highest hopes about what we are doing there. Or … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Old, Living My Life, Theology, Words | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Speaking facts to power

Posted on July 30, 2017 by hessd

That’s not a typo. If you were expecting “Speaking truth to power,” read on. In December, 2015, a blogger named Jade Greear, began a piece with the well-known expression “Speaking Truth to Power.” [1] Greear continued: Those four little words … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Psychology, Politics, ways of knowing, Words | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Weeding tares is way above your pay grade

Posted on July 28, 2017 by hessd

The story Jesus told to his disciples about the wheat and the “tares” (a plant now called Bearded Darnel, as I understand it) is one of the least satisfying stories of Jesus’s ministry. (This story and all the others I … Continue reading →

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Alyx Amber, Miss Portland 2017

Posted on July 22, 2017 by hessd

I want to reflect a little today on Alyx Amber, [1] who is currently Facility Services Coordinator at Holladay Park Plaza, where Bette and I live. She is also Miss Portland 2017. I put her name in the first sentence … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Old, Living My Life, sociability | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

He said, She said, and Russian Roulette

Posted on July 15, 2017 by hessd

Rape is always a bad idea. Let’s start with that. On the other hand, doing “whatever is necessary” to prevent rapes–stop for a moment to consider what actions that standard justifies– is also a bad idea. Where do we go … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Psychology, Politics, Society | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Am I (being) depressed?

Posted on July 14, 2017 by hessd

Today, I want to look at the kind of guidance our language gives us on depression, especially whether it can best be conceived of as active or passive. But before I do that, I have a very small admission to … Continue reading →

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