Dear Stacey: I’ve wanted to catch up with you for a while. Matter of fact you’ve been on my mind constantly. Now I have got to admit, I didn’t know much was going on with you till Gabby Union called you out, but even then I really didn’t know it had gotten as deep as it has. But when I saw that Anthony Anderson called you “Ann Coulter dipped in Butterscotch,” I was like ‘damn, Gina.’ I need you to... Read more
While everyone has the freedom of speech, no one has the freedom from the consequences of "dumb" speech. Read more
For all my bluster of critical scholar this and critical scholar that, I am a pretty normal American. The Star-Spangled Banner always moves me to tears; I watch the Olympics with a red,white, and blue bias; and not so long ago, I believed in the fundamental strength of my government to take care of its people in a time of trouble. Even 9/11 didn’t dent my childlike belief in Uncle Sam. Yeah, I knew we had our problems, I wasn’t that... Read more
“I do know this. It’s the things we run from that hurt us the most.” ― Norma Johnston I am beginning to crave Waffle House. It usually happens about 2 or 3 weeks in my time in London. I miss a lot of things about home, especially the cute red-head that shares my house. But when I got on that plane back in May, right after graduation, I knew one thing for certain: I wanted to get the hell... Read more
Today’s guest blogger is my colleague, SMU Assistant Professor, Dr. Stephanie (Sam) Martin. After a ‘warm’ conversation in my office, I invited her to share her thoughts in this blog post. Look for me to take my blog back over later this week…. enjoy! _________________________________________________________________________________ It is a strange contradiction: In a free society like the United States, free speech is sometimes one of the hardest things to defend. In part, I think this is because when it comes... Read more
To say that I have been surprised by the response to last week’s blog is an understatement. In my wildest dreams, I never imagined that it would spark the conversation and controversy that it did. While a number of readers from across the United States and around the world (still amazing) voiced their appreciation for my views–I did hear the voices of those who believed I totally missed the point (some of those letters were like getting my teaching evaluations... Read more
I am a college professor. It is an essential part of my identity. Yes, I research, publish (not as much as I should), and consult but nothing gives me greater joy than my interactions with my students. Teaching, particularly the motley crew of pre-adults known as the 18-21-year-old demographic, is the means of grace by which I offer myself to God and the world. Pre-adults. That’s who and what they are. When they enter our classrooms, many of them have... Read more
It was by all standards of oral communication, a magnificent performance. Passionate, clear, and responsive to the context of the moment, the President was truly in “the zone.” As he ticked off item after item, on his “Middle Class” political agenda, the collective “Amen” from the Democratic base grew from a whisper to an outright shout. Community College for all? That’s right! Affordable Child Care? You better work! Paid sick leave? Don’t hurt’em Hammer! By the end of his 6500... Read more
Though not blessed with any children of my own, I am the proud aunt of 5 red headed little boys and the reluctant one of a blond pre-teen. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of my nephews but my oldest nephew, Nathan and I have not seeing eye to eye for the last year. My two oldest nephews, Nathan, 12 and Zack, 10 are the sports fans of the group of 6. When I married into the family four... Read more
Dateline: October 19, 2014—Dallas, Texas As of now, I am happy to report that the Zombie apocalypse is controlled. You laugh (I hope), but after three weeks of living at “ground zero” for Ebola in the United States, you would have thought that the “Walking Dead” were parading down Interstate 35. Usually Dallas doesn’t get this worked up for anything other than a Cowboys victory in December, an impending ice storm, or the OU/Texas game. But Lord have mercy, the... Read more
The View from Dixon Hall
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In