We won’t always have a Friday Miscellany, but this week I just have too many items that deserve your attention. Such as. . .
Young men are now more religious than young women. Portlandia is replacing its entire government. And the EPA is reconsidering adding fluoride to the water.
Young Men Are Now More Religious Than Young Women
Women tend to be more religious than men. This has held true for every country, culture, and religion, to the point that it has become almost an axiom of the sociology of religion.
But now, to the experts’ surprise, an anomaly has arisen. Among Americans in Generation Z, those in their teens and twenties, young men are more religious than young women.
According to an article in the New York Times, drawing on research from the American Enterprise Institute, 40% of Gen Z women say that they have no religious affiliation. That compares to 34% of Gen Z men.
Why the discrepancy? Some are saying that women are rising up against sexism in the church. Others are saying that church is one of the few places these days that affirm masculinity.
At any rate, though the percentage difference is not huge, more men in church would bode well for American Christianity. For one thing, other studies have shown that if the father goes to church, even when the mother doesn’t, 44% of his children will become regular churchgoers. So let’s hope these religious young men become fathers.
Portlandia Is Replacing Its Entire Government
Portland, Oregon, has long been a haven for lifestyle progressives, as lampooned in the Portlandia TV show (2011-2018). (For samples, go here. Remember the one about the diners in the restaurant ordering Colin the chicken?)
But now, Portland has become a case study in what happens when progressivism is taken too far. In the wake of the George Floyd riots, the defund the police movement, Antifa violence, the decriminalization of drugs, and the embrace of homelessness, the once beautiful city of Portland is now being described as “Little Beirut.” For 100 straight days, rioters burned, smashed, and looted the downtown. Violent crime, including murder, has skyrocketed. Homeless camps are everywhere. Drug addicts–and often their dead bodies–lie on the sidewalks. According to Democratic congressman Earl Blumenauer, parts of downtown look “like Dresden in World War II.”
But now, in the words of the title of a Politico article by Natalie Fertig, This proud liberal city is throwing out its entire government.
Portland residents replaced their de-fund-the-police politicians with those tougher on crime, put limits on public camping, pushed the state to recriminalize drugs, and passed a referendum that completely restructures city government. Virtually all office holders are now up for election and have lots of competition.
The new government will probably still be on the liberal side, but it surely won’t be so far left this time that it falls off the cliff. Hopefully, it will make Portlandia amusing again.
EPA is Reconsidering Fluordation of Water
From my childhood long ago, those who opposed adding fluoride to the drinking water water were ridiculed as being the silliest of conspiracy theorists. “Fluoride helps prevent cavities in our teeth!” the sane people said. “You fluoride deniers are paranoid and delusional!”
But now, the Environmental Protection Agency, no less, is taking a second look at fluoride after numerous studies have suggested that the chemical, which most cities routinely add to their water systems, may indeed be harmful to a child’s developing brain.
Today 75% of Americans drink fluoridated water. But almost no other country, including European nations, add fluoride to their drinking water.
This may be another case in which what was condemned as “misinformation” turns out to be truth after all.
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