Religion and politics organize power by means of narrative and of narrative’s embodiment in emplacements on the high and holy places. To be effective over time, a mobilizing narrative must be enacted and represented in concrete form. The importance of liturgy and symbol cannot be overemphasized; culture is not “soft materials poured in from the top.” Statues, monuments, churches, and temples have a function far beyond the ornamental. The destruction or removal of any of these amounts to a partial delegitimation of the narrative which they represent. Martin’s Religion and… Read more Religion, Fundamentalism, Gnosticism, BLM: Part III →
In The Day the Dam Broke, James Thurber recalls the panic of 1913 when the populace of Columbus Ohio became unaccountably and mistakenly persuaded that the dam had collapsed. His description of the disordered flight from town is perfect: although they were “as safe as kittens under a cookstove…some of the most dignified, staid, cynical, and clear-thinking men in town abandoned their wives, stenographers, homes, and offices and ran east” when “a loud mumble gradually crystallized into the dread word ‘dam.’” As is so often the case with stories of… Read more The Year the COVID Broke →
This post was originally a December 2018 letter to the Vinton Town Council. Vinton Town Council 311 S. Pollard St. Vinton, VA 24179 Re: Community Improvement Grant Dear Council: That… Read more The Slumlord’s Golden Egg →