The Idea Clearing House: Part II

This post is part two in a three part series in which I clear out my backlog of blog post ideas and present them in a few short sentences. Here is part I.

7. Everywhere I look, I find more smart people who think the world is not actually getting worse, we just underestimate our past depravity. Here's Marilynne Robinson: "There has always been a basic human tendency toward a dubious notion of beauty. Think about cultures that rarify themselves into courts in which people paint themselves with lead paint and get dumber by the day, or women have ribs removed to have their waists cinched tighter. There's no question that we have our versions of that now. The most destructive thing we can do is act as though this is some sign of cultural, spiritual decay rather than humans just acting human, which is what we’re doing most of the time."

8. I am uncomfortable with the modern tendency towards churches which revolve around one personality. A friend of mine (theologian Matt Tapie) shared a fascinating essay with me by John Yoder, who argues that the very idea of a lead pastor or minister was unknown to the early church. You can check it out in chapter four of Yoder's Body Politics.

9. It may be that Obama did not allow American citizens to be indefinitely (and unconstitutionally) detained by signing the latest defense appropriations bill. It may be that the president already had this power since Congress gave it to President Bush in 2001. Regardless, how could he sign a bill affirming it? If he feels so bad about it, how could he not demand it be repealed? How could a former Constitutional law professor live with such a decision? And where are all those folks who were so livid about the Patriot Act? Where is their outrage now?

10. You really should be careful about protecting your hearing. One in five kids these days has hearing loss, possibly because of the rise of earbuds and personal music players. The volume of the average rock concert is enough to cause permanent hearing damage after thirty minutes. No music is worth that. Get yourself a pair of these and be careful out there.

11. It is possible for taxes to be used as a force for good. Here in DC, a five cent tax on plastic bags has made huge strides in decreasing the number of bags dumped in the Potomac River (our main source of drinking water). Personally, the tax has been very effective in motivating me not to use plastic bags unless I absolutely have to, when before I wouldn't have bothered. As far as I can tell no one has been hurt by the tax, except perhaps the plastic bag industry—but I think they're doing alright. Other things I would support taxing more: oil, gasoline, carbon, and cigarettes.

12. Let's face it: you're probably never gonna quit Facebook, no matter what crap they pull.

Image: quinn.anya