Category Archives: Political Psychology

American Catholics and African Catholics

Posted on March 8, 2013 by hessd

 Yesterday, the New York Times released a poll they conducted with CBS.  The goal was to ascertain the views of Roman Catholics in the United States.  I want to go further in this post, but here are some results that … Continue reading →

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It’s So Hard to Get Good Help These Days

Posted on March 3, 2013 by hessd

It is a truism among environmentalists that it is not possible to do just one thing.  I think it is true everywhere, but environmentalists have demonstrated it so clearly and so many times that I think they deserve to be … Continue reading →

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Smart and Poor

Posted on February 25, 2013 by hessd

This post is going to be about the working poor.  I say that first because it is going to take me a little bit to get there. In my line of work, which is political psychology, we make a good … Continue reading →

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Nonviolent Communication

Posted on November 22, 2012 by hessd

The cover story in a recent issue of The Christian Century is called “Beyond Anger and Blame.”  That sounds good to me.  The “beyond,” especially, sounds good to me.  I have no complaint at all about getting “beyond” anger and … Continue reading →

Posted in Living My Life, Political Psychology | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

No Tickee, No Shirtee

Posted on October 7, 2012 by hessd

This title represents a respected—I am fighting the urge to say “hallowed”—maxim in American life.  The phrasing is taken from the stereotypical “Chinaman” who did the laundry and gave you a ticket that would allow you to identify the laundry … Continue reading →

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Cheating

Posted on September 30, 2012 by hessd

I am a teacher, so “cheating” seems like a bad idea to me, however it is justified.  On the other hand, I am a teacher of political psychology, so the way a cheater explains why he is cheating is of … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Political Psychology | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Battle of Favorite Aunts

Posted on August 26, 2012 by hessd

David Brooks and Paul Krugman are at it again.  I’m not as surprised as I was the first time I noticed it. This is an odd kind of disagreement.  Imagine that you and your wife are visiting the home of … Continue reading →

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Walter Possum’s Apprenticeship

Posted on August 20, 2012 by hessd

If our fathers are around, we learn from them.  That’s pretty much how it goes.  We learn good things and bad things.  We learn character and settled habits and gestures and verbal tics the father himself doesn’t even know about. … Continue reading →

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The Mosque in Murfreesboro

Posted on August 15, 2012 by hessd

I tried to find a picture of Dan J. Qualls.  Here’s the way the New York Times described him Only one opponent of the mosque came to voice his concerns at the opening [of the local mosque], a former auto … Continue reading →

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Who Will Be Left Behind?

Posted on May 7, 2012 by hessd

I heard a new word this week: senilicide.  A lot of words that are based on the Latin senex, “old” are familiar to me.  I have taught about this root for many years, pointing out in the process that Senate and … Continue reading →

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