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Month: April 2022

To Wear or Bear

To Wear or Bear

We live in an age in which (as is usual with human beings), beliefs abound while convictions are in short supply—perhaps the shortest ever.  This generation delights in sharing personal information of all kinds, and with virtually everyone, but is especially fond of trumpeting its beliefs.  And for good or ill, this generation has a seemingly limitless array of options for communicating them. Traditional means of viewpoint dissemination, like television and motion pictures, music, books and magazines, billboards, posters, mailings, rallies, protests, activism,…

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Kindly RSVP

Kindly RSVP

The French phrase, répondez s’il vous plaît, meaning, “respond, if you please” or just, “please reply,” serves some very practical purposes.  When its abbreviation (RSVP) appears on an invitation, with or without a due date, etiquette demands a prompt answer as to whether the guest(s) will be in attendance at the designated function.  For the courtesy-challenged (those who lack the necessary consideration to timely declare their intentions), this custom may be worth a quick review. Though regarded as a bit formal and or antiquated…

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The Joys Of Small-Mindedness

The Joys Of Small-Mindedness

We live in a world in which credulity (a pre-disposition to believe without substantive evidence) has become a virtue, and uncritical acceptance a sign of intelligence.  It is a world in which naivete is a mark of noble character, and gullibility is morally superior to critical thinking (whatever that was).  Full disclosure: this is not a world in which I feel comfortable or into which I readily fit.  I blame my parents first and foremost. Let’s face it—they were not particularly broad-minded people.  To start with,…

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