Disqus - Friends of aslevin

Re: You Can Not Win

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:25:14 -0000

"...a history long unwillingness to be absorbed into other religious cultures..."

This both is and isn't true. For example, many Jews in fin-de-siecle Vienna were completely assimilated, not even considering themselves Jews (for a wonderful exploration of this, you can read the biographical portion on Ludwig Wittgenstein's family in Wittgenstein's Poker). There is just as deep a thread of refusal to allow Jews to assimilate into broader "European Christian culture" (see: Jews, Sephardic).

Re: You Can Not Win

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:03:15 -0000

Thanks for the tip on the book!

Re: The Worst Thing About Marvel Comics

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:07:15 -0000

Isn't the Captain America movie based on The Ultimates, though?

Re: Layers Upon Layers Of Fail

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:17:18 -0000

Well, I don't know if it's official but I read The Martian Chronicles when I was ten and I was reading Asimov by the time I was eight, so I'm going to say somewhere between 1987 to 1989.

Re: Layers Upon Layers Of Fail

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:20:14 -0000

Having pre-written comments that just require you to fill in the blog authors' name does sort of utterly fail to encourage inquiring minds to visit his site, doesn't it?

Re: Obama And Father's Day

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:07:14 -0000

Hooray, a post I am professionally equipped to comment intelligently on!

Research shows that, on the balance, kids with more than one adult figure in their life do better. This statistic, as with so much social science, is actually useless in evaluating any single person’s situation, as it can never account for all the other factors at work on any individual. However, what studies do show us is that kids need two types of parenting: discipline (traditionally a “father’s” role) and a nurturer (traditionally a “mother’s” role). Now, the truth is that these traits can come from either parent, or from one truly kickass parent. But it’s easier with two (or more). Or an aunt. Or an interested teacher. Research shows that just one consistently interested adult is the single most significant resilience factor for a child’s development. But the absence of those influences can have a deleterious effect on development and resilience. Who they come from is far less important than their presence.

Fathers also provide models to children on how they interact with males, just as mothers do for females. The species has two genders, and the bottom line is that a member of that gender should be in a child’s life to provide them with necessary exposure, modeling, and experiences.

That said, a single parent is going to have a hell of a time providing even one side of that coin, through no fault of their own: being a single-earner in this country and raising a kid (or more than one!) is a Herculean task. Single-parent households with children have more expenses than two-earner households, without the added income. Additionally, single parents, on average, have lower-earning jobs (the most common position for single mothers in California is retail sales). A single parent, no matter how awesome they are, simply has less time and energy to provide the emotional and psychological resources that are so important.

In my experience, kids want to love their parents, even the most fucked up ones. When I was working emergency children’s services, most those kids were devoted to their parents, and would go to the mat for them. Two parent households work better, provide more resources, and ultimately make it easier to produce solid outcomes (which is not to say that they are necessary; two different things). And if you’re straight, that means a mom and a dad, one of who’s the nurturer and one of who’s the discipliner. If a two-parent household is not possible, having a consistently involved father-figure is still empirically and morally far better than not.

It really is as simple as telling young (and sometimes old!) men the truth: you’re biologically a father, so you better damn well act like one. You gave up the choice not to be when you stuck your pee-pee in some lady’s special place. Deal.

Re: Obama And Father's Day

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:11:53 -0000

Truly.

Re: Obsessed With The Accidental War For The Freedom Of Black People

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:17:20 -0000

I would judge that the South had one really good army commander during the war--Robert E. Lee--and two commanders who were superb at handling smaller forces: Nathan Bedford Forest and Stonewall Jackson.

Not to dispute your point, but more to quibble: What about Jeb Stuart and John Singleton Mosby? I know many consider Stuart to be overrated, and certainly by the end they weren't far wrong, but his reputation was earned by earlier performance. Mosby is quite the forgotten figure, though perhaps one of the greatest guerrilla leaders in American history.

Re: I'm Not Going To Get Offended Because A Transformer Can't Read

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:01:26 -0000

The original cartoon is, retrospectively, poo. That said, the cartoon Transformers: The Movie is frigging awesome on so many levels, and beats the live-action movies (though I don't hate on the first one). It was a brilliant reboot of the whole franchise. Similarly, the new G.I. Joe: Resolute cartoon movie that came out recently makes for an awesome revamping of the franchise that I really hope continues. It would appear that, for those of us who grew up in the '80s on cartoon awesomeness, we must rely upon cartoons again to save our nostalgia. Because those live-action mofos are screwing it up.

Re: I'm Not Going To Get Offended Because A Transformer Can't Read

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:52:28 -0000

You weren't stunned by the whole killing of beloved characters thing? The first 20 minutes are completely mind-blowing!

Re: Wait, I Still Function!

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:57:31 -0000

"Wanna bet?"

Fucking love Starscream, that backstabbing little weasel.

I'm frigging thirty years old and Optimus Prime's plowing through Decepticons to that corny "The Touch" song is still awesome.

Re: I'm Not Going To Get Offended Because A Transformer Can't Read

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:59:14 -0000

You forgot Leonard Nimoy as Galvatron and Judd Nelson as Hot Rod!

Re: I'm Not Going To Get Offended Because A Transformer Can't Read

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:02:16 -0000

Also, Orson Welles is not just "a character," but Unicron, a planet that frigging eats other planets! Some of the visuals used for Unicron are still used today. The opening sequence in the new Star Trek film, as the Romulan ship appears, is clearly an homage to Unicron devouring that planet in the beginning of Transformers.

Re: The Importance Of Being Ivy League

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:44:06 -0000

We live in a democratic republic, which is more accurately founded on the idea that the majority of us can choose the best people to make the right call.

Perhaps this is correct. It is certainly worthy of a far more in-depth exploration than I can give it here. The problem here, is that holding Palin as a "paragon" of the "democratic ideal" -- that anyone can help lead a state or nation -- is that she is still an elite in ways Douthat and other peddlers totally fail to acknowledge: She's white. In this country, that is a significant advantage. Thousands of municipal, state, and national leaders come from less-than-Ivy League backgrounds and go on to immense success. But implicit in that "democratic ideal" argument is what makes Palin an "everyman" to many people: her whiteness. Like me, as a white person, there are expectations and barriers she simply never had to face. I'll freely admit that, as a man, I've had less to struggle against than she -- no woman gets a free ride in this country. But Ta-Nehisi is right.

Re: The Importance Of Being Ivy League

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:51:46 -0000

I don't think this is at all right. The meritocratic ideal, at least as originally conceptualized, is the idea that talent and virtue pay off so that anyone of sufficient genius will rise to positions of success and leadership, regardless of origin. The democratic ideal is that anyone can rise to positions of success and leadership, regardless of origin. The latter is more appealing, because it can apply to anyone. The former, however, is more ideal. But neither is true.

Re: Obama And The Narrative Of "Hard Truths"

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:19:56 -0000

...I think the tone of the stories reflect a desire for white people to be off the hook. I don't know that for fact, but I believe it.

This, in my estimation as the privileged white male scion of privileged white males, is exactly right. Most discussions I have with white peers eventually devolve to "But things are so much better now than they were" or "We're past all that as a country." It's not true, but boy do a lot of people desperately want it to be.

Re: MSNBC's Resident Racist

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:42:07 -0000

They're magically delicious.

Oh, dude, so much win.

Re: And Now For Healthcare

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:33:03 -0000

Too much concern trolling. Do not want.

Re: Now I'm Not Racist...

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:34:40 -0000

"I'd say that way too high..."

Nah, it's right on, I'd bet. It's too high for the "Willing to be seen as..." segment, which is a subset often mistaken for the whole.

Re: Now I'm Not Racist...

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:46:54 -0000

I would just submit, that most white people, for most of this country's history, have underestimated racism.

I remember the day that this crystallized for me. I'd used cash to purchase some groceries at a big chain grocery store one evening after work and, while walking to my car, I chucked out the receipt. As I put my cash back in my wallet, I realized I'd been stiffed -- I'd handed the cashier a $20 and he'd thought it was a $10. In I went, walked up to the guy, and said, "Hey, you shorted me. I gave you a $20, not a $10." He opened the till, handed me my money without comment, and off I went. As I got into my car, it hit me: Were I not a white man dressed in khakis and a polo shirt, the odds of me getting that money back without a hassle or having to dig through that trash can were slim to none.

Re: Open Thread At Noon

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:09:21 -0000

I'd love to hear Ta-Nehisi's take on Ross Douthat's Times column today.

Re: Open Thread At Noon

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:47:09 -0000

I have a total and irrational love for dogs and, consequently, a visceral hatred for people who abuse them. So I must disagree, but acknowledge that there's no real rhyme or reason to it.

Re: Skip Gates Arrested For Breaking And Entering...

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:55:04 -0000

I want to know in what sane universe is "being loud and tumultuous" on your front lawn an arresting offense. Arresting someone for yelling at you -- whether other people can see/hear it or not -- is unconscionable. So much of police conduct and procedure is predicated around obtaining compliance and not actual safety, it's insane.

I've trained people in professional crisis and physical attack responses for seven years now. This sort of conduct pisses me off, ethically and professionally.

Re: Skip Gates Arrested For Breaking And Entering...

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:01:31 -0000

Taking the officers' reports at face-value, the arrest is still unwarranted and inexcusable. Understand, there is no excuse for using force -- including handcuffing -- on someone for something like non-compliance. Even if it went exactly as the police say it did, Gates should not have been arrested.

Re: Cops And Pension

Constitutionally Protected Jim — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:38:51 -0000

Where is this place you speak of where cops get mediocre pay? Everywhere I've lived in California, they make frigging bank. It's always fun to have the AA-in-psychology-toting 24 year old cop announce that he makes more than your graduate-degree possessing 30 year old ass, let me tell you. If I didn't find forensic clinical work so damn fun, I'd find a new line of clientele, just to avoid those dudes.