Sunday, December 29, 2013

Bellwether …

… ‘Duck Dynasty’ Mess Revealed That Not All Fundamentalists Live in the Bible Belt | TIME.com. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

You know what would be nice? If the people who make and shape culture — TV producers, journalists, activists and the like — would take this moment to reflect on how ignorant and intolerant they are of their own country, and the world beyond their cultural bubble. Here’s a reading assignment for them: The Moral Mind, a 2012 book by UVA research psychologist Jonathan Haidt.Haidt, a secular liberal, explores social science findings that educated, upper middle class Americans are the most extreme moral outliers in the world. That is, the moral framework they impose on human thought and behavior is radically alien to the moral perceptions of the overwhelming majority of humanity. This doesn’t make them wrong, but it does make them extremely unusual.

3 comments:

  1. Yes, Frank, that would be nice. Perhaps with the coming New Year, we can hope for such a sea-change in culture and media. Well, we can hope. BTW . . . Happy New Year to you and everyone at Books, Inq. (I never tire of your postings and commentary. Keep up the great work!)

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  2. I claim to be culturally illiterate all the time, and I enjoy being that. I watched 5 minutes of this show before all the hub bub, couldn't stomache it; but I was told it was wildly popular. I agree with you writers & producers need to know their audience and make sure they keep them happy. If they wouldn't have fired him, it would have blown over quickly.

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  3. I agree, David. Much in life is best ignored.

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