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Why the Internet isn’t afraid of the flu epidemic

Jan 3, 2015 | Health & Wellness (Physical), Internet Culture, mic, Science and Technology

Published: Daily Dot (January 3, 2015)

I don’t need to remind you about the so-called “epidemic” that reached America’s doorstep in 2014. From a ‘90s thriller to a Jesse Pinkman monologue, everyone knew about the dreaded Ebola virus before it reached our shores, but it wasn’t until last year that we became existentially afraid of it.... Read Original Article

Why Facebook makes you think the world is ending

Dec 29, 2014 | Internet Culture, mic, Science and Technology

Published: Daily Dot (December 29, 2014)

Back in October, a Fox News article on apocalyptic belief systems by Dr. Robert Jeffress observed that “47 percent of American Christians believe that the end of the world as described in the Bible will occur within the next 40 years.” Around the same time—but, notably, on the opposite side of the ideological spectrum—Roger Cohen of the New York Times proclaimed that “many people I talk to, and not only over dinner, have never previously felt so uneasy about the state of the world,” before closing that “the search is on for someone to dispel the foreboding and embody, again, the hope of the world.”... Read Original Article

‘The Interview’ Has A Smart Argument That Deserves Respect

Dec 28, 2014 | Conservativism, mic, Political Ideologies, Religion and Religious Issues

Published: Good Men Project (December 28, 2014), The Daily Dot (December 30, 2014)

The Interview has been getting a lot of sympathy but, from a critical standpoint, not a great deal of respect. After seeing the film twice, I find this attitude a tad dismaying.

For those who haven’t seen the movie and wish to watch it with a fresh set of eyes, there are two things you should know:

1) At its core, The Interview has a remarkably insightful thesis about human nature and politics—namely, that people respond more to theatricality, sensationalism, and emotional appeals than they do to facts and reason.... Read Original Article

The ‘War on Christmas’ isn’t real – but these 6 Yuletide controversies are

Dec 25, 2014 | Conservativism, mic, Political Ideologies, Religion and Religious Issues

Published: Daily Dot (December 25, 2014)

The nativity, whether on a church lawn or brazenly displayed at City Hall, is a fixture of American Christmases—as is, of course, controversy. While arguments over nativity scenes trend toward questions of the separation between church and state, nativity scenes gone wrong run the span from bizarre, to funny, to actively offensive.... Read Original Article