Category: Culture
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Sheriff Israel, Tide Pods, and The Religion of Irresponsibility
These days, I don’t expect people to care. I don’t expect people to pay attention or comprehend a problem unless you rub their noses in it. Nevertheless, the level of apathy and negligence demonstrated by Broward County Sheriff’s Office shocked me.
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The Bleak Reality of Male Abuse Survivors
Over the past year, I’ve been writing a book called, Those Who Weep, which chronicles the spiritual recovery process of abuse survivors. As I continue to write and edit, I mostly draw upon my own personal experiences. However, I have also interviewed many fellow survivors in order to identify commonalities and key issues. To my…
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Here’s What It’s Like Witnessing Sex Abuse Scandals As A Child Abuse Survivor
As a child, it was weird watching the news and seeing the media abuzz with Bill Clinton’s sex scandals. I was probably about seven years old. I remember how my parents, staunch Republicans and conservative Christians, were disgusted by the parade of lurid accusations and shameless lies. “He’s an embarrassment,” they said. “He’s a sick…
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Mike Pence, Dining With Women, & Why Manners Matter
Christian author Katelyn Beaty recently published an opinion piece in The New York Times titled, A Christian Case Against the Pence Rule. In it, Katelyn critiques the gender-relations etiquette of Vice President Mike Pence. Pence prefers to avoid meeting one-on-one with women other than his wife. While I agree with Katelyn that this stance can…
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Elijah Wood, Child Abuse & The Huckleberry Finn Effect
When I was a child, one of my favorite movies was The Adventures of Huck Finn, starring Elijah Wood. I was only eight years old when the film came out, so I watched it before I’d ever read the book. I developed a kid-crush on the blue-eyed protagonist of the story, who was quick-witted and…
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The Outrage Epidemic & How To Love A Hater
Lately, outrage is everywhere. It seems that everybody is mad about something, and feeling “triggered” is practically considered a virtue. Even justifiable anger over real problems frequently seems blown-out-of-proportion and unnecessarily life-impacting. Just in the past week I’ve seen people seething over Donald Trump, gluten, home decor, sexism, Kevin Spacey, God, the cultural appropriation of…
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Why Anthony Rapp’s Account of Sexual Assault is Extremely Important
In an article published Sunday night on BuzzFeed, Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp has revealed that back when he was a budding 14-year-old Broadway star, Kevin Spacey attempted statutory rape. It all happened after a party at Spacey’s apartment. As the only kid in attendance, Anthony was bored. Not knowing anyone else there, he…
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Internet Proverbs: If Solomon Had Been A Millennial
Arguing with a fool on the internet is like wrestling a pig; you both get dirty, and the pig likes it. A wise woman considers her child’s health and nutrition, but posting about it on Facebook is like poking a thousand bears. The prudent person recognizes a troll and mutes them, but the simple keep…