Category Archives: Society

Truly Sorry

Posted on August 11, 2014 by hessd

We are all familiar, by now, with the “non-apology apology.”  I certainly want to apologize if anyone misunderstood what I was trying to say.  The guy stands up at the microphone and says all the words.  We try, of course, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Movies, Paying Attention, Society | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

They aren’t Puritans; they are Quakers

Posted on July 27, 2014 by hessd

There are narratives that are so powerful that it might feel, in the middle of one, that you are in the whitewater rapids of a swollen river.  The river (narrative) wants you to go here and you don’t want to … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Psychology, Society, Theology | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Do Women Talk more than Men?

Posted on July 24, 2014 by hessd

It is my goal in this essay is to argue that that is a silly question and to say why. If you are the one who is asking a question, it is tough, sometimes, when the response comes in the form … Continue reading →

Posted in Living My Life, Paying Attention, Political Psychology, Society, ways of knowing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Perils of Personhood

Posted on July 22, 2014 by hessd

Through our long and largely successful run as a species, we  have had to ask and answer a lot of questions.  We have not been asked to formulate and answer some questions that are coming to seem fundamental.  Obviously, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Old, Movies, Society, ways of knowing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Lust! Oh my!

Posted on July 18, 2014 by hessd

Marcel LeJeune seems to have the particular ministry of talking about sexual dilemmas to young hormone-addled Catholics.  Some days, that must feel like being the geek at the carnival, the guy who astounds the crowds by biting the heads off … Continue reading →

Posted in Living My Life, Society, ways of knowing, Words | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Stereotyping

Posted on June 28, 2014 by hessd

One of my favorite introductions to a topic comes from Tom Lehrer’s song, “Smut.”  “I do have a cause though,” he says,  “Smut…I’m for it.”  That little ellipsis gives you a chance to imagine why he hates smut so much … Continue reading →

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

Being “Beautiful”

Posted on June 18, 2014 by hessd

So I’m this old guy with a white beard.  What would I know about being “beautiful”? Quite a bit, actually.  I don’t know how it feels to be beautiful, having…you know…never been, but I do know how it feels to … Continue reading →

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Honoring the Elderly

Posted on May 8, 2014 by hessd

Respect for the elderly.  That was always a hard sell for me when I was young.  I think I was a more achievement-oriented than a traditional-values little kid.[1]  Now I’m old and it still seems mostly like a scam to … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Old, Society, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sex, Coffee, and the Law

Posted on March 8, 2014 by hessd

I’m not kidding about the Law, but it isn’t the law you were thinking of.  “In a short, sheer, baby-doll negligee and coordinated pink panties, Candice Law is dressed to work at a drive-through espresso stand in Tukwila, and she … Continue reading →

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