Today, let’s look at one of the prime methods of baffling the masses. The power of positive thinking and the credulous ‘Positive Psychology’ that buttresses the fatuous assertions made by the followers of the cult of happiness. While not a exclusively in the domain in religious, the deluded (religious
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Dead Wild Roses: Empire of Illusion – On Postive “Psychology”
Dealing with positive psychology and its converts can be most irksome at times because, like religion, they don’t smell the bullshit they are peddling. Let’s look at the concise way Chris Hedges sums up this toxic phenomena in his book Empire of Illusion. “There is a dark, insidious quality
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Chris Hedges’ 2003 Rockford College Commencement Address – Speaking Truth to Power
Let us take a good look at how free speech and competing idea’s are treated at a American College. You wonder why so many people just roll their eyes when the words American and enlightened are mentioned in the same sentence. What gets me is that these are the supposed
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Chris Hedges on The Empire of Illusion
My summer vacation reading was a sunny little book by Nick Turse called Kill Anything That Moves. I finished the other book I was noshing on, the Age of American Unreason, just after returning from Kaslo and now I’ve started Chris Hedges book, the Empire of Illusion. Turse’s book
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Quote of the Day – Chris Hedges and the Empire of Illusion
“We now live in two Americas. One—now the minority—functions in a print-based, literate world that can cope with complexity and can separate illusion from truth. The other—the majority—is retreating from a reality-based world into one of false certainty and magic. To this majority—which crosses social class lines, though the
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Gendered Cheese!
*sigh* Like the gender binary needs more reinforcement… Thanks to Dr. Lisa Wade over at Sociological Images for the pic and commentary. “Dieting is for women. I mean we all know that dieting and women go together like peas and carrots. We know this — collectively and together, even if
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Spot the Problem?
Of course, it could just be me… Filed under: International Affairs, Social Science Tagged: Helpful Infographics, Public Sector, USA
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Inequality Begins at Home
For your quick hit of sociological fact, look no further. Inequality is bad for societies and also bad for families. In other breaking news global warming is a “go”, religious is still deceiving people and women are still being systematically discriminated against. Enjoy the video. 🙂 Filed under: Social Science
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Project Unbreakable – Pictures that say too much.
*TW for sexual violence. Project Unbreakable is about the survivors of sexual assault. It is a photoblog of survivors holding up signs with messages about their experiences and feelings. Powerful stuff. Abuse is epidemic in our societies, not thinking about it does not make it go away. Please link to and propagate Project Unbreakable’s message. […]
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Failures of Capitalism – Unquestioned Assumptions on Happiness
Did you ever wonder about economic growth? Take the time to question your assumptions on economic growth and how it effects you? Thomas Homer Dixon has and what he says is quite interesting. From The Upside of Down pages 192 – 193. “One might even say that we’re collectively fixated
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Prohibition is Still Failing. Portugal Shows That Decriminalization Works
When I was quite young and much more naive than I am today, I was talking to my dad about drugs. We were talking about all the negative health effects of smoking in school, so I told my dad that I thought that it would be a wonderful idea if
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: You are what you watch – Violence in the Media
I think one of the smartest things a parent can do is get rid of the TV if they have children. TV land is a violently misogynistic place that perpetuates the current ugly set of cultural norms we have here in North America. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: So you think you stuff is safe in public?
Urban living makes it difficult to break with the expected privacy norms…watch and see. Filed under: Science, Social Science Tagged: CIty Expectations, Safe in Public?, Sociolgy
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Racism is So Over…
When you tell someone they are being too sensitive…or they should just suck it up or you just dismiss what they are saying; you’re probably in the wrong. You and your privilege need to stand down, stop and think before you continue. Filed under: Social Science Tagged: Examine your
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Need Help? – Wear a tie. The Bystander Effect
We all think that we’ll help others in distress. Experimental evidence says otherwise… Filed under: Science, Social Science Tagged: Bystander Effect, Experimental Psychology, Science
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Religion – The Bad Parent
Theramin Trees is notable for his particularly pellucid discourse when it comes to the topics of religion and atheism. The relationships we have and maintain necessarily change over the course of our lives it is unfortunate that religion wants to put us back in the role of the needy, compliant
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: OWS and Social Conformity – The Fear of a Different Model
Reflect on how the people involved in the OWS are framed and then consider this lecture by Allan Watts. Filed under: Politics, Social Science Tagged: Counter-Culture, Normative Attitudes, OWS, Sociolgy
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Oh hey, Socialism good for business – Social Safety Nets and Business Start-Ups
Grabbed from Sociological Images – Again, more evidence that egalitarian policies are good not only for people, but for business. “George W. Bush did not really say, “The problem with the French is that they have no word for entrepreneur.” But that statement does fit with the American tendency to view our country as […]
Continue readingFive of Five: Hijacking Penn State
As if the tragedy at Penn State wasn’t bad enough in and of itself, people with unrelated axes to grind are now using it to get attention.
1. A spokesman for an anti-gay hate group blames gay men and homosexuality for the alleged sexual assault(s) a…
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