Tag Archives: culture

Arthur as outcome

Posted on May 17, 2019 by David S. Meyer

I was surprised and delighted to see that Mr. Ratburn, a demanding and very caring third grade teacher in the cartoon town of Ellwood City, has found love and gotten married. Mr. Ratburn is mostly a supporting character in PBS’s … Continue reading →

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#MeToo, Brett Kavanaugh, and the influence of social movements

Posted on September 18, 2018 by David S. Meyer

Teenagers do stupid things, particularly under the influence of alcohol; for boys, sometimes those stupid things are criminal or violent. Often, offenses are unreported, unprosecuted, or otherwise concealed, and teens get second, third, and sixth chances to grow up. Affluent … Continue reading →

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Passover 2014; telling the story

Posted on April 14, 2014 by David S. Meyer

It’s Passover; the first seder is tonight, and I thought it was worth writing something about story-telling and ritual.  I learned that I already had (pasted below). The stories we tell about the past affect how we see the present … Continue reading →

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Cesar Chavez Day, 2014

Posted on March 28, 2014 by David S. Meyer

The parking lot is deserted at the University of California, Irvine today; it’s a holiday to commemorate Cesar Chavez, and really, the farmworkers movement and Latinos in California.  I’m reposting my Cesar Chavez blog below. There’s one additional wrinkle this … Continue reading →

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Occupy at the Rose Bowl

Posted on December 31, 2011 by David S. Meyer

A march looks a lot like a parade with demands. Occupy the Rose Parade will present a presence–with floats–at the 123rd Tournament of Roses Parade on Monday morning in Pasadena. The parade, patriotic and explicitly non-political, allows cause groups to … Continue reading →

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MILEY! Music!

Posted on November 29, 2011 by David S. Meyer

Surely one of the one percent, Miley Cyrus has released a remixed video of “It’s a Liberty Walk,” dedicated to “the thousands of people who are standing up for what they believe in.”  While the dedication praises sincerity and commitment … Continue reading →

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How movements work: David Letterman

Posted on October 18, 2011 by David S. Meyer

Social movements succeed by raising issues and giving other people the opportunity to address them.  We call this agenda setting, but it’s not just the agenda in Congress or a state legislature; it’s also what people talk about. Bill Clinton … Continue reading →

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A movement is a market

Posted on June 24, 2011 by David S. Meyer

Every year when I do my taxes I go through my credit card receipts looking for deductions for work and charitable contributions.  In the past few years, I’ve found a disturbing number of payments for “Justice.”  The payments are disturbing … Continue reading →

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Passover Politics

Posted on April 20, 2011 by David S. Meyer

We’re two days into Passover, a major Jewish holiday.  The highlight is always two nights of services at the dinner table with families and friends, with varying shares of food, prayer, stories, and discussion.  This service, the seder, varies tremendously … Continue reading →

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The Culture/Politics Thing (again)

Posted on November 18, 2010 by David S. Meyer

I thought that I was done writing about either Bristol Palin or Dancing with the Stars.  Dancing voters, however, sent her along to the show’s final round, at the expense of singer, Brandy, a somewhat older single mother.  The decision … Continue reading →

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