Writings: Opinions

Here I share some opinions, usually on current events, that have bothered me enough to cause me to put them in writing. If the title is clickable, then there is a web-friendly version available. PDF printer-friendly versions are also indicated, if available.

• What War Are We Fighting? (September 19, 2001) [pdf]
  American objectives in the aftermath of the 9-11-01 terrorist attacks reconsidered. Argues that what we are really fighting is the combination of economic distress and ideology that is used by small elites to whip up support for their unsuccessful and decaying causes.
• Ultraviolent Movies (February 17, 2003)
  This is a review of an eponymous book but it ended up as a reflection on violence in the movies. Not surprisingly to any reader of this site, I argue that we should not only strive to keep violence in the art, but that censoring it out would deprive our culture of the most potent role models.
• Men, Women, and Chain Saws (February 28, 2001)
  This also began as a book review but ended up as a very short essay on some of my views of horror films. I argue against (a) treating horror films as a marginal genre, and (b) treating them either as misogynist fetishes or homoerotic excursions into taboo sexuality.