a review of religion and media
By Austin Dacey Opponents of hate speech laws contend that there is no evidence to suggest that the state can successfully bring about ethical behavior by the force of law. Bigotry is flourishing across Europe, for example, despite its robust hate speech laws. Continue Reading →
By Austin Dacey Opponents of hate speech laws contend that there is no evidence to suggest that the state can successfully bring about ethical behavior by the force of law. Bigotry is flourishing across Europe, for example, despite its robust hate speech laws. Continue Reading →
Amy Levin: They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well, that’s debatable. Due to a recent Israeli government-sponsored television ad campaign meant to persuade Israeli ex-pats living in America to return “home,” the geo-political sea between Jewish Americans and Israelis may be expanding, and Moses won’t be here to part it.
In response to the vitriolic condemnation of the ads which were said to offend both American Jews and Israelis, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu suspended the ads, which had circulated on Israeli television and American media outlets.
The ads were launched by Israel’s Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, featuring culturally salient themes – namely, that Israelis loose their Israeli identity in the assimilating nature of America. In one advertisement (watch here), a young Israeli woman returns to her apartment with her American (debatebly Jewish, more on this later) boyfriend who sees her Yom Hazikaron (Israel Remembrance Day) candle and embarrassingly (for his girlfriend, and me for that matter) misinterprets the candle as a “heated” gesture. Waw-wawww. Continue Reading →
Amy Levin: They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well, that’s debatable. Due to a recent Israeli government-sponsored television ad campaign meant to persuade Israeli ex-pats living in America to return “home,” the geo-political sea between Jewish Americans and Israelis may be expanding, and Moses won’t be here to part it.
In response to the vitriolic condemnation of the ads which were said to offend both American Jews and Israelis, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu suspended the ads, which had circulated on Israeli television and American media outlets.
The ads were launched by Israel’s Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, featuring culturally salient themes – namely, that Israelis loose their Israeli identity in the assimilating nature of America. In one advertisement (watch here), a young Israeli woman returns to her apartment with her American (debatebly Jewish, more on this later) boyfriend who sees her Yom Hazikaron (Israel Remembrance Day) candle and embarrassingly (for his girlfriend, and me for that matter) misinterprets the candle as a “heated” gesture. Waw-wawww. Continue Reading →
Angela Zito: Greta Christina gives us a list of the ten worst states to be an atheist. It’s really a list of: “Ten Worst States to Declare Publicly That You’re an Atheist.” A lot of the anger is actually about atheists daring to claim some part of the public discourse for their set of beliefs, be it parading on Veterans Day in Pennsylvania, putting up billboards announcing the existence of atheists, forming a high school group, running for office as an atheist, or objecting aloud to Christian media like banners in the work or school place. In short, it’s about contesting media monopoly for a narrow range of religious discussion and practice. To be sure, these fights are about theological nicety and content, but they are just as much about the power to speak out–which bleeds directly into political life, into questions of who owns the public sphere and who gets to dispose of public resources. Then it feels like “religion” carries, while hiding, a great weight of social responsibility and political power in its agenda-bag. Ouch? Oh, but it actually does, always, and here is where we find the proof. Continue Reading →
Angela Zito: Greta Christina gives us a list of the ten worst states to be an atheist. It’s really a list of: “Ten Worst States to Declare Publicly That You’re an Atheist.” A lot of the anger is actually about atheists daring to claim some part of the public discourse for their set of beliefs, be it parading on Veterans Day in Pennsylvania, putting up billboards announcing the existence of atheists, forming a high school group, running for office as an atheist, or objecting aloud to Christian media like banners in the work or school place. In short, it’s about contesting media monopoly for a narrow range of religious discussion and practice. To be sure, these fights are about theological nicety and content, but they are just as much about the power to speak out–which bleeds directly into political life, into questions of who owns the public sphere and who gets to dispose of public resources. Then it feels like “religion” carries, while hiding, a great weight of social responsibility and political power in its agenda-bag. Ouch? Oh, but it actually does, always, and here is where we find the proof. Continue Reading →
Angela Zito: Greta Christina gives us a list of the ten worst states to be an atheist. It’s really a list of: “Ten Worst States to Declare Publicly That You’re an Atheist.” A lot of the anger is actually about atheists daring to claim some part of the public discourse for their set of beliefs, be it parading on Veterans Day in Pennsylvania, putting up billboards announcing the existence of atheists, forming a high school group, running for office as an atheist, or objecting aloud to Christian media like banners in the work or school place. In short, it’s about contesting media monopoly for a narrow range of religious discussion and practice. To be sure, these fights are about theological nicety and content, but they are just as much about the power to speak out–which bleeds directly into political life, into questions of who owns the public sphere and who gets to dispose of public resources. Then it feels like “religion” carries, while hiding, a great weight of social responsibility and political power in its agenda-bag. Ouch? Oh, but it actually does, always, and here is where we find the proof. Continue Reading →