Daily Archives: April 29, 2021

Former President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the political correctness and lack of a host at the Oscars are reasons why the ratings for the awards ceremony plummeted.

"What used to be called The Academy Awards, and is now called the 'Oscars' - a far less important and elegant name - had the lowest Television Ratings in recorded history, even much lower than last year, which set another record low," Trump wrote in a statement. "Go back 15 years, look at the formula they then used, change the name back to THE ACADEMY AWARDS, don't be so political correct and boring, and do it right."

Trump's statement continued, "ALSO, BRING BACK A GREAT HOST. These television people spend all their time thinking about how to promote the Democrat Party, which is destroying our Country and cancel Conservatives and Republicans. That formula certainly hasn't worked very well for The Academy."

Trump's statement criticizing the Oscars comes shortly after the telecast received a record low number of viewers. According to Nielsen Live+Same Day preliminary national numbers, an average number of 9.85 million viewers tuned into the Oscars on Sunday which was a 58.3 percent decrease or 13.75 million viewer decrease from last year.

The Oscars also scored a 1.9 rating among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, which was a 64.2 percent decrease from 2020.

The award show rebranded itself as the Oscars in 2013 and during an interview with The Wrap at the time, Oscar show co-producer Neil Meron said, "We're not calling it 'the 85th annual Academy Awards,' which keeps it mired somewhat in a musty way. It's called 'the Oscars.'"

As Trump's statement noted, there was no host for this years Oscars and there has not been one since 2018 when the award show was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. Actor Kevin Hart was set to host the 2019 Oscars but stepped down amid controversy over his past jokes.

This is not the first time Trump has been critical of the Oscars as he made similar remarks in 2018 and 2019.

"Lowest rated Oscars in HISTORY," Trump wrote in a 2018 tweet. "Problem is, we don't have Stars anymore except your President (just kidding, of course)!"

Trump also spoke about the Oscars during a 2019 speech in Pittsburgh, where he said, "You know the Academy Awards is on hard times now, you know that right? Nobody wants to watch it. You know why? Because they started taking us on, everyone got tired of it."

"That used to be second after the Super Bowl, and then all of a sudden now it's just another show because people got tired of people getting up and making fools of themselves and disrespecting the people in this room and the people that won the election in 2016," Trump said during his speech.

Newsweek was directed to Trump's statement after reaching out to the former president for comment.

Newsweek reached out to former host Kimmel for comment through ABC but did not hear back in time for publication.

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Donald Trump Says Political Correctness, Lack of Oscars Host Are Reason Why Ratings Tanked - Newsweek

Former Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten took aim at woke politics this week, claiming that activists view themselves as special, but are actually selfish" and "divisive". He asked where this moral majority nonsense came from when theyre the ones doing all the wrong for being so bloody judgemental and vicious against anybody that doesnt go with the current popular opinion? And last year journalist Helen Lewis tried to answer that exact question, during a BBC Radio 4 special on The Roots of Woke Culture.

She spoke to American mathematician, author, and cultural critic James Lindsay who said: I am no fan of the right, in fact, Im very unhappy about the right.

But the reason I direct so much criticism at the left is because until the left gets its house in order the right will keep winning.

The attitudes which are downright snobbish in many cases, the browbeating that used to just be political correctness is now the woke movement that is driving people to the right.

It is driving particularly modest voters to vote for the right and stop it from spreading.

During the debate, Ms Lewis turned to Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford Selina Todd to dissect the origins of wokeness.

She stated: I think it comes out of post-modern ideas about the power of language.

I should say that the way post-modern ideas have been communicated and disseminated, including in universities, has been sometimes quite inaccurate.

Ms Lewis built on the comments.

She added: Selina believes some students, and some academics, are using these ideas to support modern forms of activism - such as no platform demanding that allegedly harmful speakers dont appear at events.

READ MORE:Barack Obamas blunt declaration of war on woke: Youre not going to get far!

It exists because various forces in society, and intellectuals, have made it exist.

There is very little interest in what is really going on at universities.

The discussion came after Dr Lindsay, Peter Boghossian and Helen Pluckrose submitted numerous bogus papers to academic journals on subjects of social injustice between 2017 and 2018.

It formed the grievance studies affair a project to highlight what was seen as poor scholarship and eroding criteria in several academic fields.

They did so to determine if they would pass their papers through peer review and be accepted for publication.

Several of these papers were subsequently published, which the authors cited in support of their contention, but they also received widespread criticism for allegedly exploiting the system.

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BBC woke war erupted over origins of political correctness: Its driving voters right - Express

Posted on Apr 29, 2021

A poll carried out by leading training provider RightTrack Learning has revealed that 51% of people associate the term Equality, Diversity and Inclusion with political correctness.

Out of the 1,242 people surveyed, only 49% believe the term holds positive associations and feel it represents an opportunity for change. In the context of the workplace, this data shows that in every team of ten, as many as half have not yet bought into the diversity and inclusion conversation.

As a training provider specialising in the EDI arena, RightTrack Learning believes this survey shows there is still a long way to go to drive positive, long-lasting change.

Claudia Cooney, Lead Director at the company, comments: When people do or say the right thing to be politically correct, the outward behaviour may look good, but the motivation behind the words and actions can be less than desirable. The results imply that more than half of people display inclusive behaviour in the interests of toeing the line, rather than a true desire to contribute to an inclusive society.

The poll revealed another surprising statistic: 55% of people are too scared to talk about Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace for fear of saying the wrong thing.

When asked about the new data, Claudia says: It shows we are instilling the message that discriminatory behaviour is not ok and there will be consequences. But, we must be mindful of how we are driving change. To change stereotypes and broaden perspectives, open conversations are imperative. Fear of saying the wrong thing is a barrier we must dissolve. Its no good staying in our own bubbles and being too afraid to delve into uncomfortable topics; we must instead nurture a culture of curiosity.

Despite the results, they present valuable insight and a learning opportunity. Realising that some of the language around Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training triggers negative associations, RightTrack Learning has started to introduce new language such as Conscious Inclusion Training, which sounds fresh and engaging.

Claudia adds: There are so many ways we can change the conversation and encourage people more to be at ease with Diversity and Inclusion from taking advantage of national awareness days, to facilitating informal activities in team meetings, or investing in experiential training solutions that encourage open dialogue between peers.

The key to changing the narrative is consistency in our messages, in role modelling behaviours, and in keeping the conversation going.

You can find out more about RightTrack Learning here.

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More than half of people still think Diversity and Inclusion is just political correctness - HR News

Prosecutors

By Debra Cassens Weiss

April 28, 2021, 11:45 am CDT

In this 2018 file photo, guests mill around in front of Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. (Kyodo via AP Images)

The chief deputy district attorney in Clark County, Nevada, has been labeled a Disney Karen after he wrote a newspaper commentary criticizing Disney World for political correctness.

In a guest column for the Orlando Sentinel, Jonathan VanBoskerck said he loved Disney World, but he is strongly rethinking his commitment to the amusement park because of wokeness. The New York Times and the Las Vegas Review-Journal have coverage.

VanBoskerck was responding to changes made at Disney parks to be more inclusive. One change is a reimagining of Splash Mountain to eliminate references to Song of the South, a film that was panned by the NAACP for perpetuating a glorified picture of slavery. The new theme is based on The Princess and the Frog.

In another change, Disney removed a scene from its Pirates of the Caribbean ride that depicts women being sold by pirates at auction. Disney also removed Trader Sam, who sells shrunken heads, from its Jungle Cruise ride.

Disney World is also giving park employees more flexibility to reflect their cultures and individuality while working, including imposing fewer restrictions on haircuts and tattoos.

VanBoskerck complained that Disney cares more about politics than happy guests.

The next time I ride Jungle Cruise I will not be thinking about the gloriously entertaining puns of the skippers, VanBoskerck wrote. I will be thinking about Disneys political agenda. Thats a mood killer.

The parks are less fun because immersion and thus the joy is taking a back seat to politics, he said. Immersion should not be sacrificed on the altar of political correctness and appeasing the Twitter mob.

Above the Law posted some tweets criticizing VanBoskercks column and praising Disney.

I have the privilege of having Disney World in my district along with other world-class attractions, wrote Democratic U.S. Rep. Val Demings of Florida. I am proud to represent a community that is welcoming, tolerant and always evolving to offer the best possible experience.

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Chief deputy DA in Vegas writes column criticizing Disney wokeness and spurs Twitter backlash - ABA Journal

If youre a member of Generation X, or just a big fan of all things rad and 1980s, then the new Atlanta-based newsletter, The Fast Times, is right up your alley. Co-founded by Mark Putnam and Steve Denker, The Fast Times aims to connect the past and present with a shared love of nostalgia, music, and film along with reasserting Gen-X influence. Putnam, who works in brand marketing and social media for WarnerMedia, talked to us about about his tubular new project and shared a mega-playlist.

Q. The Fast Times newsletter is targeted toward Gen-Xers with all kinds of 80s and 90s references, throwbacks, and memories, but there also seems to be a clever way of incorporating new technology and more modern content into the mix to keep us older kids in the know. How do you select and curate the topics for each newsletter?A. Every issue of The Fast Times boasts a central theme based on historical precedents set by Xers, which we then compare to interesting parallels unfolding today: #CancelCulture and Political Correctness, livestream shopping and QVC, Twitch heroes and mall arcade legends. To boil it all down, we compare the life experiences and societal happenings of the 80s and 90s to todays trends. Turns out, theyre not so different.

Q. What led to the creation of The Fast Times in the first place and its unique target market?A. Essentially, TFT came from a desire to create something truly awesome for Gen-X that wasnt just another AARP mailer. Heres where this gets weird: Im a core millennial by birthright, hence the & wannabes in our tagline. Be that as it may, Im a serious lover of Gen-X culture. And when friend, former colleague, real Xer, and TFT cofounder, Steve Denker, approached me with an idea to make something cool for Gen-X, I couldnt resist. We immediately dove into content films, TV series, music, commercials, everything, and dragged our families along for the ride as well. From there, I began developing the voice, tone, and visual identity and Steve hit his Rolodex hard to generate some interest. Gen-X is the first truly global demographic. As the pioneers of early internet, video games, telephones without cords, untethered music, MTV (the real thing), and so much more, its members also dealt with divisive political rhetoric, challenges to civil rights, the AIDS epidemic, the fall of the Berlin Wall, economic boom, bust, and boom again all similar aspects to what were collectively dealing with today. So drawing parallels, honestly, is the easy part. The bigger challenge is narrowing the focus since were a very small team with big aspirations but isnt that the name of the game?

Q. Youre obviously a big music and movie fan. How do you select the films and playlists to share each week?A. As an integral part of Atlanta-based TCMs [now-defunct] arthouse film streaming service, FilmStruck, I had the distinct pleasure of spending my former 9 to 5 immersed in indie cinephile culture. By employing a content strategy that showcased the more whimsical, deep-cut film offering, I got a firsthand deep-dive into films, filmmakers, and talent from over 50 countries throughout 100 years of cinema a joy we hope to share with the masses as streaming burnout becomes a bigger deal. Each issue, we curate a thematic watchlist to inspire readers to expand their cinematic palettes and, more importantly, to relive the joys of video store browsing theyre still around, people! The real music aficionado is my wife, Nicki. Not only is she the creative force behind much of The Mixtape, she curates The Fast Times weekly Spotify playlists by again focusing on diversity and the many genres of music that came from the period. Steves wife, Karen, is also intrinsically involved in the project, sourcing topics, leading social media outreach, acting as our Gen-X north-star.

Q. If youre a Gen-Xer, where are must visit places in Atlanta?A. Lets do one of those 24-hour whirlwind tours, shall we? Start the day with a comfy biscuit from Home Grown GA, because who can say aw, hell nah to a fried chicken biscuit smothered in sausage gravy? Then swing by Videodrome to grab a stack of DVDs to get you through the weekend . Then head over to Criminal Records to cop some rad vinyl. When youre done, peep the marquee at The Plaza Theatre to see what retrospective they have lined up either at the main hub, or at the pandemic drive-in in collaboration with Dads Garage. Be sure to stop for a drink at The Righteous Room next door after snagging your tickets. Next, hit up Richards Variety Store for some throwback swag, hilarious gags, and timeless treats. By now, that belly is probably rumblin, so be sure to stop by Glide Pizza for a giant, NY style slice the best in town, (dont skip the house-made ranch & peppers, either). Bonus: owner Rob always has dope beats bumpin from the kitchen. From there, you have a couple of options: do some late-night bowling at the retro-chic Midtown Bowl, find your inner arcade hero at Joystick Gamebar; or grab a nightcap and an unforgettable show at the iconic Clermont Lounge.

Q. If you could jump in a time machine and go back to the 80s, where would your destination be?A. David Hasselhoff live at the Berlin Wall? The Miracle on Ice? The early days of hip-hop in New York City? The MTV control room during the networks maiden broadcast? Probably not Chernobyl, the eruption of Mount St. Helens or Cape Canaveral during the Challenger crisis. The premiere of E.T.? The Cabbage Patch craze of 83? A random den with a TV dinner, a NES, and a case of New Coke? The Beijing student protests? Unlikely, but still interesting. Charles and Dianas star-studded wedding? So many society-defining events, innovations, successes, and flops to choose from, so little time.

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In the Mix: Mark Putnam takes Gen-Xers back to the future with The Fast Times newsletter - Atlanta Intown

Both the Biden administration and the European Union have announced unprecedented spending programs, $1.9 trillion and 1.8 trillion euros respectively, to fight Covid-19 and kickstart the green economy. There is no clear concept on how these funds will be spent or financed. But this kind of spending could serve as a pretext for a sharp tax increase in Washington. It appears that on both sides of the Atlantic, governments see the pandemic and the green economy as ideal excuses to keep overspending and increasing the role of the state and the administration.

This is alarming, given what took place in past societies and states that resorted to overspending and degrading the worth of their currency.

In ancient Rome, during the late years of the empire, internal turmoil had disturbed trade flows and the government had become bloated and inefficient. Rulers had to find ways to appease rising discontent. So they tried to buy off the population with gifts. To find the necessary funds, they increased taxes, implemented aggressive tax controls and began debasing silver coins by adding copper (a method strikingly reminiscent of todays quantitative easing).

Likewise, Spain was once the dominating power in Europe. In the 16th century, its European territories included not only the Iberian peninsula, but also large parts of Italy and the Netherlands. Its overseas lands stretched from the southern tip of Tierra del Fuego up to modern-day Colorado and California in the Americas, and also included the Philippines in Asia and territories in Africa. But the Spanish state expanded so much that it required higher taxes, which in turn led to inflation. The defeat of the Armada around the British Isles was not the cause of this decline, but a symptom.

There are several such instances in history, as the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century and the ebb of British power in the late 19th and 20th centuries. And we could soon witness yet another example.

In the last 20 years, Western democracies have entered a similar phase of decay. So-called liberal democracies have become crippled by huge debts. Tax systems have become byzantine, opaque and contradictory, allowing arbitrary decision-making. Tax collection is increasingly aggressive. The right to personal privacy is undermined under the pretext of tax justice. The productive spheres of the economy decline while the administration and auditing sectors grow.

Under the pretext of political correctness, public debate is being narrowly restricted. Established politicians and NGOs, for the sake of redressing inequalities some of which are inevitable have created new forms of discrimination. It has become customary to ban words, rename streets, remove monuments, curb traditions and marginalize the role of the family, all for fear of offending. This results in heightened polarization, making citizens more vulnerable to propaganda and manipulation.

The best way to fight fraud would be to drastically simplify tax systems and limit the size of public administration. But there will always be those who answer that this is not realistic.

Lately, the spending spree to fight Covid-19 and climate change has gone into overdrive. All limitations on spending were removed. Quantitative easing, i.e. money printing, has reached unprecedented levels much like when Romans mixed copper with silver to keep the people happy. And like in ancient Rome and other empires, the liabilities resulting from this strategy will burden future generations.

Fighting Covid-19 and environmental damage are worthy causes. But there is no transparent plan to use the money that is now earmarked for these purposes. The only certainty is that the influence of the state and the size of the administration will grow. The quest for sustainability needs to include not only ecological concerns, but also economic and social ones.

The United States is in a situation similar to that of Europe. In order to allow additional spending, Washington is now sharply raising taxes and, like European countries, has joined the OECDs campaign for minimum tax rates worldwide. This would allow the creation of a global cartel that could impose excessive taxation at will. Within the G20, democratic countries are in agreement with authoritarian ones on this matter. Like in the Roman empire, the wrong incentives are applied and taxes are being used as a way to pursue equality. The real winner here is the privileged bureaucracy.

The control that parliaments exert over budgetary matters is being eroded even in liberal democracies. Most MPs are dependent on the state for employment, and loyally follow their party leaders who sit in government a vicious circle.

Looking at history and the present fiasco, we can conclude that real democracies are in danger. They are threatened not by the so-called populist movements, but rather by overspending and the disproportionate power given to administrations.

Liberal democracy is legitimized by individual freedom. And now the only way to restore it would be to radically reduce the size of the administration, simplify systems and return to a reasonable, pragmatic and equitable taxation by focusing on common sense and the long-term public good. In a functioning state, taxes are meant to cover the necessary expenses of the administration and are never used as a political tool.

If we believe that reducing the size of public administration and therefore expenses is impossible, then we also implicitly accept the end of true liberal democracies based on freedom and the rule of law.

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History shows the risks of burdening economies with high taxes GIS Reports - Geopolitical Intelligence Services AG

(Dreamstime/Leo Malsam)

The day after Donald Trump won the presidential election, Mike Boyle decided he was ready to become an Episcopalian.

A practicing Catholic all his life, Boyle was serious enough about his faith that he had spent three years as a member of a Dominican community, in the priestly formation track. But even prior to 2016, he was growing frustrated with the behavior of lay Catholics and clergy. With the initiation of the Fortnight for Freedom during the Obama administration, he began to be uncomfortable with the church leaders' obvious promotion of right-wing political ideologies.

Then Pope Francis was elected. Boyle initially hoped the new pope would bring about much-needed reform, but after a few years started to doubt whether Francis could really change things. He began to be drawn toward an Anglo-Catholic Episcopal parish.

"But I still held on," Boyle said. "With Trump, it was basically like watching a car crash in slow motion. Deep down, I knew that the hierarchy and all theusual suspects were going to jump on board the Trump train, but I still hoped that I was wrong, that I was being too cynical. But, of course, I wasn't being too cynical."

Mike Boyle (Courtesy of Mike Boyle)

According to Boyle, "it was not so much that MAGA Catholics (whether lay or clergy) pushed me out the door, so much as the embrace of MAGA cut the last strings that I was holding onto."

Boyle's departure from the Catholic Church is part of a broader trend, as church membership among Catholics has declined sharply in recent decades, especially over the past 10 years. Many who have left, like Boyle, cite their coreligionists' alliance with the MAGA "Make America Great Again" movement as a key factor in their decision.

H.L. Vogl came from a conservative background and converted enthusiastically to Catholicism as an adult. But in 2016, Vogl was dismayed to see their pastor becoming far more political and it got worse after Donald Trump was elected president. According to Vogl, their pastor was "explicitly citing Fox News in homilies, preaching on the obligation to respect those in authority in the government, and stoking fear of 'political correctness.' "

Vogl began fact-checking the pastor's homilies, and in the process also discovered falsehoods and misrepresentations that had previously been accepted without question, such as the misrepresentation of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute.

Vogl was also appalled by the church's lack of accountability, and the harshness with which the authorities silence anyone working for gender equality.

"I could no longer see the hierarchy's claims of God-given authority as anything more than an abusive power-grab," Vogl said. "In short, the political abuses destroyed my trust in the clergy and prompted me to rip my pious blinders off. Having taken in this broader perspective, I can never see the Catholic Church the same way again."

Others have been dismayed by the spectacle of prominent Catholics they once respected embracing Donald Trump's far-right nationalist ideology and substituting it for the traditional teachings of the church. This has been especially distressing for converts to witness, as they watch those who once influenced their conversion veer sharply to the right.

J.M. Jensen grew up evangelical, but his attraction to classicism in art and philosophy drew him to Catholicism. He converted in 2008.

J.M. Jensen (Courtesy of J.M. Jensen)

Then, in 2015, Trump announced his candidacy. Jensen was sure Christians and Catholics would reject him, but the opposite happened. Leaders and apologists whom he had trusted began not only to make excuses for Trump, but to enthuse over him even following the release of the "Access Hollywood" tapes that recorded Trump boasting about assaulting women.

"Over the course of the next four years, I saw almost every single Catholic leader who had been a voice for me in my formative years turn to Trump," Jensen said. Though other Catholic voices were outspoken against the MAGA movement, nevertheless Jensen found it depressing to see the change in those he had admired.

"People who once had decried 'cafeteria Catholics' and said that you must give your consent to the church's sexual teachings now said you had to ignore the pope when he talks about the environment or social justice. People who decried the moral relativism of the left now used the same tools when it suited them. All of the principle and character that they demanded of [Bill] Clinton were left at the wayside when a truly foul person came along. All for political power," he said.

Jensen is considering exploring other Christian faith communities once the pandemic has passed, and has been reading Buddhist and Taoist thought.

A recent Gallup report revealed that the United States is becoming less religious in general. The number of citizens who are members of a house of worship has dropped to below 50% for the first time in the 80 years since Gallup started keeping track. And people are not only leaving their church communities; they are cutting ties with institutional religion itself. It is noteworthy that the decline in the past three years has been especially steep.

While generational change is a factor, church membership is waning among older adults as well as millennials and Generation Z. The Gallup report notes that some of the numbers from 2020 may be due to the pandemic, and likely temporary, but this doesn't erase the reality that many are taking leave of their religious traditions permanently.

Adam Gabbatt, in a recent piece in The Guardian, cites studies indicating that a rise in extremism from the religious right is driving people away from religion itself. Gabbatt quotes David Campbell, chair of the department of political science at the University of Notre Dame:

"Many Americans especially young people see religion as bound up with political conservatism, and the Republican party specifically," Campbell said.

"Since that is not their party, or their politics, they do not want to identify as being religious. Young people are especially allergic to the perception that many but by no means all American religions are hostile to LGBTQ rights."

Writing for Business Insider, Kelsey Vlamis reported in November 2020 that young people were leaving their churches because of Trump. Vlamis spoke with Michael Wear, once a faith adviser to President Barack Obama, who had talked with many young Christians on college campuses. According to Wear, the "Access Hollywood" tape was a factor for many Christians re-assessing their place in their religious communities.

"Having been young during Clinton and seen the way evangelical leaders responded to him, and then to see these same leaders make excuses for Trump," he told Business Insider. "It just led them to think, some of these voices aren't trustworthy."

He also predicted Trump's impact could last long after his presidency, as many Christians who dislike the president will not forget the way so many churches embraced him.

Wear reported that Christians of all ages told him they could no longer enjoy some of the most basic aspects of their religious communities, like coffee after church and small-group discussions, because of the new divisions.

Kaya Oakes is the author of The Nones Are Alright: A New Generation of Believers, Seekers, and Those in Between (Orbis Books, 2015). While researching for the book, she encountered a number of former Catholics who reported having a "last straw" moment.

Kaya Oakes (CNS/Fordham University)

"Most often, it was some culture war issue that they finally had had enough of," Oakes said. "So while I don't have hard data on this, we have certainly heard plenty of anecdotal stories of this worsening under Trump," she said. "And then with the recent flare-up of QAnon Catholics, Catholics refusing to take the vaccine, bishops telling Catholics not to take the vaccineagainst the teaching of the pope,and so on, it's easy to imagine a person whose ties to the church were already fraying in the pandemic hitting that tipping point and deciding they have had enough."

Even for those who still identify as Catholic, their fellow Catholics' embrace of MAGA ideology has been disconcerting. One interviewee, who prefers to be anonymous because of his work with the public, shared how the 2016 election was a factor in his changed relationship with the church. Influential Catholics who had initially talked about how terrible Trump was began halfheartedly defending him, and finally enthusiastically promoting him and everything the MAGA movement represents.

"As their support for Trump grew, so did my disgust," he said. "To understand how this impacted me, remember these are the Catholics who influenced my conversion, Catholics I admired and trusted for information on faith. To find out their principles really just masked a loyalty to the Republican Party was devastating."

For this convert, the way some Catholics responded to the pandemic did not help. Neither did their response to racial justice issues.

"During the Black Lives Matter protests, the church sided against racial justice and were more worried about statues of saints than real people whose lives are not valued by our society. They refused to stand with the marginalized. The hierarchy seems incapable of looking beyond their self-interest," he said.

"The Bible says you'll know Jesus' followers by their fruits, and the fruits I'm seeing are so rotten I wouldn't touch them with a thousand-foot pole, let alone consume them," he said.

While he has not opted to leave the church, nevertheless he is tired. "I want a church that stands for justice. I did not sign up to join a GOP SuperPAC."

Where are they going, these tired and angry Catholics who are leaving? Are they giving up on religion itself? Not necessarily. According to Oakes, many of these people are "creating a more DIY, mix-and-match kind of faith practice."

And social media plays a significant role in this change, Oakes said. "What's interesting is that a lot of that individualized combining of religious practices ends up in people finding smaller communities of like-minded people via social media which in turn become more supportive, oftentimes, than anything they'd find at a Catholic parish."

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Support of Trump within church has driven some Catholics to the exits - National Catholic Reporter

Leave it to Milwaukee Chamber Theatre to awaken us to thewoke side of Thanksgiving and all of its over-the-top, comical trimmings withThe Thanksgiving Play.Written by Native American playwright Larissa FastHorse, TTP brimmeth over with political correctness gone astray and oh, what fun it is (regardless of the seasons). FastHorsess witty, incisive writing and the excellent cast of four make it all work to hilarious effect given the spot-on direction by Laura Gordon.

Logan (Kelsey Brennan) is an elementary school teacher whos received numerous grants to devise a play about the first Thanksgiving. Her street performer boyfriend, Jaxton (Eric Schabla), is along for the ride as well as older history teacher Caden (Torrey Hanson). The star of the show is Alicia (Hannah Shay) whos hired based on her supposed Native American heritage to guide the show and make it all the more authentic.

Problem is, shes not. Native American. She onlyactsthe part. And thats when the fun really kicks in.

So, were four white people making a culturally sensitive first Thanksgiving play for Native American Heritage Month? Logan exclaims in horror realizing her error. Oh, my goddess! But Alicia in her Valley Girl-ish speak simply responds, Whatever. Its theater.

And thats what makes TTP the kind of engaging theater that informs, entertains and keeps us watching the entire 90 minutes (no intermission) while smiling and smirking and nodding knowingly at all the attempts to overcompensate and overthink amid the overwokedness. This is, after all, theater.

Director Gordon has become a master of staging intimate dramas with few characters. And with TTP, she gets to spread her comedic wings, shepherding a cast that is as authentic in their roles as it could possibly get. Brennans Logan slowly evolves to see Shays Alicia as more than just an actress admired only for her surface beauty. Each helps the other to see look inside themselves for their own inherent worth and value. Theyre great roles for both women and they make the most of FastHorses sharp dialogue,allowing their characters to show depth and range.

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Ditto for Schablas yoga teaching boyfriend who tries hard to walk the woke talk but lets glimmers of his true self slip through. And Torrey Hanson delights in what hedoesntsay but expresses non-verbally, his comic timing impeccable. Its so nice to have you back where you belong, Torreyon a Milwaukee stage.

Good drama is, at its core, truth, explains Logan at the start of the rehearsal. The truth is, we can also add good comedy to that as well starting withThe Thanksgiving Play.

The Thanksgiving Playstreams through May 23. For more information and to register, visit the Milwaukee Chamber Theatrewebsite.

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Thanksgiving With all the Comical Trimmings - Shepherd Express

Morbidly obese theres not a precise sense of bucket-kicking in the term. But it sure seems that way. If your channel-surfing has introduced you to the freak-show panoply served up nightly by TLC, especially the long-running program My 600-lb Life, youll find it difficult to pooh-pooh the obvious: The shows super-morbidly obese subjects are eating themselves to death.

Poor things could that tug at your clogging heartstrings? Theyre counting on it, and its evident to me (having watched chunks and snippets from numerous episodes in recent years) that many of the shows featured subjects have spent their lifetimes perfecting the arts of victimology. But one mans statut de victime is another mans stark warning (in this case, a doctors): Every week, My 600-lb Life broadcasts deathly predictions, or something akin to them, from the droning but hypnotic voice of one Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, a.k.a. Dr. Now, the tough-talking, memes-instigating, Iranian-born obesity guru and bariatric surgeon who has seen it all, heard it all, and says no to it all. When the excuses come, Dr. Now refuses to (if youll pardon this) stomach them, or the lies and BS, or the whining and subterfuge that are part and parcel of the on-display, individual bulge battles that are reality shows Wednesday-night heaping main course.

If truth-telling and spade-calling that defy political correctness and that refuse to make concessions to victimhood are the stuff of modern conservative virtues, then Dr. Now the author of The Scale Does Not Lie, People Do is very much a conservative hero. He may seem like a glutton for punishment, but he is a man for these troubled times.

The people eating themselves to death? Well, some of them after the lying stops turn out to be heroes, too.

About the show: Since its 2012 launch, My 600-lb Life has featured more than 100 people seeking radical weight reduction via bariatric surgery (and then the removal of massive skin swaths). Their startling gargantuan presence is usually shocking some of the shows featurati have begun the process weighing in at over 900 pounds. Camera angles and close-ups highlight mattress-covering enormity and expose numerous ways in which the body adapts to extreme weight, accommodating it via de facto mass boulders and displacing bulges amid flaps of flesh. There is attending grotesque skin-related afflictions, as well as issues of immobility, questionable hygiene, and scenes of eating that seem unreal but arent.

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It can leave the viewer speechless. Or yelling, What the hell is . . . that?

The shows premise is simple: Participants confess and admit that something utterly catastrophic is happening, that drastic measures are required to avert death, and that they must follow, on-site, Dr. Nows Houston-based program, making a commitment to aggressive weight loss. The regime includes dieting (its all about the intake) and exercise, to meet Dr. Nows shocking (to those of us mildly obese) reduction targets. (A typical meme: You have one munt to lose tirty pounds.) If all goes well (or ends well, because on this show it never goes well), surgery can include lap-band systems, gastric bypass, vertical-sleeve gastrectomy, and other procedures.

Thats the first goal. Surgery is little more than the end of the beginning: It is only the engineered means by which people can achieve additional, significant weight loss. Some of Dr. Nows patients have lost over 500 pounds.

As a health matter, reaching the initial goal on My 600-lb Life merits a job-well-done response. And a job well done receives that plaudit. But . . . the entertainment aspect of this reality-television staple prompts more jeering than clapping.

Thats because My 600-lb Life is unsettling. How can it not be when the viewer finds himself immediately rooting against the weeks subject? Because theyre fat, and fat people deserve fat-shaming, as the status-holders contend? No: Contempt, or something approaching it, comes from watching the participants indulge in scapegoating, self-pitying, and rage at the denial of food. They toss tantrums when disappointment looms, brow-beat their indentured enablers, rationalize junk-food bonanzas, lie about commitment, lie about recent eating habits, and lie about sneaking pizzas into hospitals. To me, the most disturbing is that they sometimes force children into uncomfortable care-giving roles a teenage sons job is to clean between moms folds with a face cloth or scrubbing brush!

Could viewers contempt be intentionally elicited by tricks of the shows producers? Unlikely.

Still, goody-two-shoes do not make for good television. So drama reigns. My 600-lb Lifes weekly fare ranges from complete failure (the individual leaves the program, ignores Dr. Nows instructions, refuses counseling, etc.,) to success, reached via crooked and bumpy paths, journeys of the two-steps-forward and one-step-back variety. And the success is this: Dr. Now proclaims his satisfaction, announces his decision (his alone to offer or deny) to schedule surgery, and shares sought-for words: Im Proud of You.

Success does not come easy, though. It is achieved through the monotone hectoring of the 77-year-old surgeon, he of hunched posture, alarming dye-job combover, and clipped English that speaks truth to power and powdered doughnuts, a strange star in a visual medium, but a star nonetheless.

In an age of required pitying and babying when Americans fear to call the bare-faced liar a bare-faced liar, and instead sanctify contrived victimhood the empathetic but un-connable emigre understands that he is engaged in a deadly (literally) serious business. He understands that he cannot allow the portly patient to justify his 20-pound weight gain without a direct counterattack. Minus Dr. Nows bluntness, this patient, already on a path to an early grave, will arrive all the sooner.

This unwillingness to allow lies to go unchallenged should make conservatives smile: To shock the system, the fabulist must be told, directly, that he is lying, and that his excuse-mongering is not fooling the man who is trying to help save that life.

Does Dr. Now enjoy the position he must take? Probably not. But whether he knows it or not, he has emerged as a refreshing image of leadership, absent amid Americas cultural cave-ins. He is the sort of role model who is sorely missing among the woke-accommodating presidents of universities and corporate boards.

His words are blunt, direct, and necessary. (No you dont have to eat something! You have 800 pounds of food in you.) They are leveled at all who need the comeuppance of truth (You dont gain weight from thin air!), and when necessary, they can consist too of accusations, directed at anyone who runs errands and worsens the habits of his obese patient. When it comes to enabling, Dr. Now does not hesitate to employ the death-rhetoric card.

Theres righteous anger when needed. But Dr. Now armed with the facts of the scale that tell no fibs, his ears familiar with all the possible jargon and alibis that come with his trade is typically unflappable when the moment comes to ask the patient, So, how yall doing?

Prepare for a confrontation, at least from the perspective of the story-telling patient. To the physician, though, the ensuing ice bath is a requirement. There is a life to be saved here. Lies are a powerful enemy. They cannot be abided.

And Dr. Now does not abide them. There are as many examples of this as there are episodes. Picking one at random: Holly Hager fit the bill, and was over 650 pounds. Her initial compliance with Dr. Nows weight-loss demands produced minimal results. At her check-up meeting with the famous physician, Holly displayed a defense of ignorance and immaturity. Dr. Now called BS:

Holly, stop playing games and lying to me. You know exactly what youre doing when youre making your choices. Im not going to play along with this act. . . . You act like a child who doesnt understand, so everyone gives up on trying to get you to do what you should. Thats not going to work on me.

She confessed: She had nagging thoughts about chocolates. The thoughts prevailed. So, replied Dr. Now, chocolate is more important to you than living, apparently.

First and last, its all about life and death for the Houston surgeon. And its inspiring that on this one television show stuck amid TLCs other fare of hoarders and the quickly affianced, the too-close sisters and the too-many wives, the foot-mangled and the pimple-afflicted there is evidence that there is someone in our under-assault culture who will speak the truth, who will reject lies, who will call them as he sees them, who will resist the glorification of contrived victimhood, who truly wants whats best for people, even and especially those people who need help but inspire little sympathy.

His name is Younan Nowzaradan. He is stooped, has a funny accent, and needs a new barber. But for this right-winger, he is a conservative hero and an American one.

Read more:

Dr. Now, Conservative Hero - Yahoo News

Ive been part of a small group studying racism and its impact in our society for the past eight months. It has been a journey of discovery and self reflection as we have endeavored to better understand the experience of people of color in our culture.

Our Living Into Inclusivity group six church leaders and two community members approaches this issue with a shared conviction that everyone should be treated with respect and dignity and that our society has a long history of discrimination and exclusion.

Our most recent discussion focused on how actions we take or language that we might use in everyday conversations can reinforce feelings of exclusion or not belonging. While some folks might consider this political correctness, we took the view that it is a helpful practice to consider how language might be received.

Rufus Woods

Publisher emeritus

Personally, I believe in the value of trying to meet people where they are rather than expecting people to meet me where I am. You can check out our conversation about these micro-aggressions by searching YouTube for Living Into Inclusivity dialogue eight and see us wrestling with the issue.

For example, assuming a person of color is a service worker reinforces a notion of people of color being second-class citizens. Or, asking a person of color where they are from reinforces that the assumption that they dont belong.

We live in a society where the norm is assumed to be white and there is a long history of people of color are somehow less than.

We can have unconscious reactions that are built on these assumptions, as Cascade Unitarian Universalist pastor Laura Shennum acknowledged when she talked about moments in her past when she clutched her purse tightly while passing a group of African Americans on the street. These are the cultural messages that are deeply ingrained in our society.

Dave Haven, the pastor at Celebration Lutheran, talked about how his church has adopted a mindset of being color amazed rather than one of being color blind.

As weve discovered in our reading and conversations, the notion of color blindness may seem like a worthy ideal, but in reality it whitewashes or denies the experience of people of color, who face far different challenges in everyday life than those of us from the dominant culture.

As Francis Twiggs, the rector at St. Lukes Episcopal Church put it, Martin Luther King thought that we shouldnt judge people by the color of their skin. He didnt say we shouldnt notice the color of a persons skin.

Those of us from the dominant culture cannot truly understand the daily life experiences of people of color. What doesnt happen to us doesnt affect us. As John Coleman Campbell, senior pastor at First United Methodist Church put it, my first reaction if you are offended (by my language) is to justify myself rather than try to understand. This is the self awareness we are trying to develop to be more compassionate and aware human beings.

People who are different have experiences the rest of us cannot fully fathom. This is true of people of color, those in the LGBTQ community, individuals with intellectual disabilities and so on.

What emerged out of our discussion was a sense that we ought to do our best to understand the barriers and slights people are subjected to and do what we can to create a community where dignity and respect is extended to everyone.

For those who are interested in exploring this issue further, we are using the Racial Healing Handbook as a resource. Ive included a list of micro-aggressions and how those messages might be received at artofcommunity.com.

Rufus Woods is the publisher emeritus of The Wenatchee World. He may be reached at rwoods@wenatcheeworld.com or 509-665-1162.

Read more from the original source:

Opinion | Rufus Woods: When it comes to race, our choice of words and actions matter - wenatcheeworld.com