The linguist Geoff Nunberg has a fascinating post at NPR on the linguistic vacuity of the Pledge of Allegiance. Nunberg does a nice job of explaining some key bits of historical context pertaining to the origins (and evolution) of the Pledge, and showing how the Pledge is little more than a ritual lacking a real [...]
Archive for March, 2010
Why “inshallah” might more properly belong in the Pledge of Allegiance than “under God”
Posted in book learnin', diversion, don't want to be an American idiot, tagged God, language, pledge of allegiance on 30 March 2010 | 1 Comment »
Tea Party for dummies
Posted in diversion, don't want to be an American idiot, fun with conservatives, ridiculing the NYT for sport, scumbags, tagged free market, illogic, lunacy, Tea Party on 27 March 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Now, I know the NYT isn’t necessarily going to produce the most insightful reporting on the Tea Party movement, and articles with headlines like “With No Job, Time for Tea Party” smack of elitist smugness. Still, it’s hard not to think that this air of condescension isn’t warranted, when you read about some of the [...]
Getting my mojo back
Posted in acamademia, book learnin', course development, tagged academic blues, coping, job market, life, teaching on 11 March 2010 | 1 Comment »
I’ve been kind of down on academia the past couple of months. In large measure this is a function of having absolutely zero success on the job markket — I’ve failed to generate any response from a single search committee other than the standard form letters and rejection notices, much less a measly interview. It’s [...]
Pyongyang on the Danube
Posted in don't want to be an American idiot, fun with conservatives, news, possible homes in exile, scumbags, send in the Slavs, tagged blind patriotism, nationalism, Slovakia on 6 March 2010 | 1 Comment »
There’s nothing that raises hackles like some stupid nationalistic law trying to compel patriotism. This week it happened in Slovakia, where the ruling left-wing/nationalist coalition passed a “law on patriotism” that requires students at all state schools and universities to sing the national hymn at the beginning of each week, as well as promoting the [...]
