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.

Heroes

Posted on April 9, 2015 by hessd

Everyone who has served in the Armed Forces of the United States is a hero. Have you heard that? First I heard it as part of the ads for the armed services. Now it is commonplace in the patter of … Continue reading →

Posted in Society, Words | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Clean and Sober

Posted on April 6, 2015 by hessd

I look at it as a goal. It’s the thirteenth step of my 12 Step Program. In the expression “clean and sober,” clean is supposed to refer to the absence of drugs in your system and sober to the absence … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Studies | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Draft Day

Posted on March 31, 2015 by hessd

I’d like to tell you about the movie Draft Day.  I liked it a lot.  I don’t think anyone else did.  The critics didn’t, for sure.  Rotten Tomatoes said, “It’s a … dull-witted movie.”  Roger Ebert’s site says, “Both too … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Sexism still sells cars

Posted on March 29, 2015 by hessd

I’d like to spend some of your valuable time today thinking about a topic nearly everyone would call “sexism.” I’m not quite sure what to call it, myself, but when you look at this Buick ad, you will know exactly … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Society, Uncategorized, ways of knowing, Words | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Spoiler Alert!

Posted on March 25, 2015 by hessd

Every word we use has an infrastructure of meaning. That’s why it “means” something. It takes the word’s history and its current uses and the present context all for granted and then it just “means something.”When we accept the word, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Movies | 2 Comments

Cypher’s Sex Life

Posted on March 25, 2015 by hessd

One of the commonest and most satisfying events of my life is the sudden realization that X is really a lot like Y if you look at it in just the right way.  That happened to me (again) last week … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Political Psychology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

There must be 50 ways to beat your lover

Posted on March 20, 2015 by hessd

It took me a long time to get interested in 50 Shades of Gray. I have not yet made it so far as to be interested in reading the books or seeing the movie, but the responses to the movie … Continue reading →

Posted in Living My Life, Movies, Society, Words | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

There are no “social genes”

Posted on March 15, 2015 by hessd

Well…there are and there aren’t.  If I had seen this title written by someone else, I would have reached into my very large store of “yes, buts” and started replying.  In this particular case, I wrote it myself and I … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Psychology, Politics, Society | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Loser Edit

Posted on March 12, 2015 by hessd

I am not a fan of “reality shows.” Shows about realty are another matter, but those shows raise the question of what is real. The question of the difference between the two was raised to prominence yesterday in the March … Continue reading →

Posted in Theology, ways of knowing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What does “moral fact” mean?

Posted on March 6, 2015 by hessd

One of the great advantages of writing a blog is that you get to decide what the title of a blog is. That is a luxury not shared by people who publish in newspapers, so I don’t really know who … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Society, Theology, Words | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments