I’m sitting here working on this episode on July 4th, writing and getting ready to record in the next few days so I can post on Wednesday, and I admit I have some conflicted feelings. July the 4th has been one of my favorite days for many, many years. I have loved Independence Day for most of my life. That’s because, for all of its faults, I have been one of those people who deeply loved my country for all of my life. [Read More]
HamilFandom is Problematic and We’re Just Okay with It
It’s July 3rd and the big news is that Hamilton came out on Disney Plus this morning. It’s all over Twitter and social media so I’m not sure how you could have missed it.
Hamilton was one of the biggest cultural phenomenons in years. It seems everyone knew the words. We in the Kairoticast household included. But we need to acknowledge a few things – Hamilton, the musical and the man, is somewhat problematic. [Read More]
Episode Twelve – Law and Order, the Southern Strategy, and the Electoral College
In the last few days, the president has taken to just randomly tweeting out the words “LAW & ORDER” in all caps. He and Sean Hannity also discussed this in his interview/town hall on Thursday the 25th. He mentions “law & order” in just about every communication he has with the public. It is clear that “law & order” is going to be a big theme of his campaign. He is, as he did once before, going to position himself as a “law & order” candidate. But the context is different this time. [Read More]
Episode Eleven – Trump, Rallies, and Masculinity
On Saturday, June 20th, Trump had his first rally in months. It was a bit of a mess from the word go. The rally was held in Tulsa, Oklahoma and was originally scheduled on June 19th. This caused a great deal of controversy because Tulsa is the site of the worst incident of racial violence in American history. [Read More]
Episode Ten – Textualism and Civil Rights
On June 15, 2020 the Supreme Court released a decision that will have major historical significance and implications, and if we’re going to say that we are all about how rhetoric functions in the real world, this is as big as it gets. This is legal rhetoric making real, lasting change in people’s everyday life. So we want to take a few minutes to look at the arguments in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia and what they say and how they are built. Because this has real life implications for some dear friends of ours. Probably yours, too. [Read More]