Category Archives: Politics

A Different Kind of Diversity

Posted on April 8, 2022 by admin

Ketanji Brown Jackson’s ascent to the Supreme Court will mark the first time an African-American woman gets named to the highest court in the land. Whether you support her ideologies or not, it would be difficult not to admire her … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Politics | 21 Comments

Education’s Ends and Means

Posted on February 17, 2022 by admin

The cornerstone of this year’s legislative session, as far as Speaker of the House Phillip Gunn is concerned, involves repealing the income tax in Mississippi. He estimates that doing so would put about $1100 back into the budgets of typical … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Politics | 7 Comments

Guilty Pleasures

Posted on February 9, 2022 by admin

In the “Mansion” section of last Friday’s Wall Street Journal, the cover story described 400 feet of waterfront property in Miami listed for a modest $150 million. The two houses on the property total about 25,000 square feet. Their architectural … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 17 Comments

Intergenerational Confab

Posted on February 2, 2022 by admin

A couple of days ago, I found myself trying to explain trigger warnings to a slightly older person–straight, white, male, 60s, non-academic. You may not be surprised that he was skeptical of the need for them. “Sticks and stones,” he … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Politics, Pop Culture | 15 Comments

Ranking the Issues

Posted on January 26, 2022 by admin

Mississippi Today, a free internet news service, recently ranked the most important issues facing legislators during the current session. There are some doozies in the list. Some reflect short term interests; others will affect public policy for a decade or … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 11 Comments

Side by Side by Stereotype

Posted on November 29, 2021 by admin

Stephen Sondheim passed away last weekend. He wrote enduring and transformative Broadway musicals, including Sweeny Todd, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sunday in the Park with George, and Into the Woods. He also wrote lyrics … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts, Politics, Pop Culture | 14 Comments

Welcome to 2Q, Bloggers

Posted on October 20, 2021 by admin

Congratulations! You’ve made it through another challenging nine weeks at MSMS! Be proud. What you’re doing will prepare you for all kinds of success moving forward. Getting through the first nine weeks also means that you’re closer to one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Politics | 9 Comments

You Have the Right to Stay Silent

Posted on September 1, 2021 by admin

Last month, a tenured professor of English I know posted the following comment on the social media page of an elected official who wanted public input on Covid-19 vaccination policies. “At this point, as vicious as it sounds,” she wrote, … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Pop Culture, Science, Social Media | 22 Comments

Freedom To versus Freedom From

Posted on August 30, 2021 by admin

In “Two Concepts of Liberty,” British philosopher Isaiah Berlin defines positive freedom as “the ability to be one’s own master,” and negative freedom as the realm within which a person can “act unobstructed by others.” The former involves doing as … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Ethics, Politics | 12 Comments

Triage

Posted on August 24, 2021 by admin

The FDA’s formal approval of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine will facilitate making the vaccine a requirement to participate in public life. Some schools in other parts of the country have already decided to mandate that faculty get the vaccine; some … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Ethics, Politics | 12 Comments