Practically Idealistic
blog The title for this blog originated with use of the term “practical idealist”
in this 1996 opinion piece, which asked: “To what kind of work should a practical idealist aspire?” A century and a half earlier, Emerson,
in his 1841 essay Circles, wrote: “There are degrees in idealism. We learn first to play with it academically.
. . . Then we see in the heyday of youth and poetry that it may be true, that it is true in gleams and fragments.
Then, its countenance waxes stern and grand, and we see that it must be true. It now shows itself ethical and practical.” John
Dewey and Mahatma Gandhi embraced practical idealism in the 20th century, as did UN Secretary General U Thant. Al Gore
invoked it in a 1998 speech. In the context of this blog, the term is meant to convey idealism tempered but not overwhelmed
by realism: a search for the ideal on a path guided by common sense.
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Saturday, September 20, 2014
Men, Domestic Violence, and Sexual AssaultAmid news of campus sexual assault and various NFL players’ abuse of women and children, President Obama announced “It’s On Us” – a campaign emphasizing men’s responsibility to address such problems on
campus and beyond. Twenty years after the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) became law in 1994,
let’s hope that a belated movement of men to seize this responsibility is finally underway. There
have been stirrings for decades, including undergraduates (mostly women, but some men, too) marching to “Take Back the
Night” from sexual violence, and efforts to inspire the majority of men actively to oppose such violence, rather than
to be mere bystanders as a small minority of men become serial abusers. On campus, I recall “Take
Back the Night” rallies from 2004 and earlier years. Regarding abuse by athletes among others,
“Domestic Violence No Game” was an October 2008 piece that discussed such organizations as the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation, Men Can Stop Rape, and Men Stopping Violence. There and elsewhere – such as in May 2013 (May 4) and August 2014 (August 2) posts – I’ve written of the “Coaching Boys into Men” initiative and “A Call
to Men.” We must insist that violence toward women and children (and men) be recognized
as a public issue to be confronted through law and prevention, not viewed as a private matter subject to shame and the whims of discretion. Confidentiality
is often important to victims and should be maintained where possible, to the fullest extent of the law. But
cover-ups and complacency must stop. It is on us.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
HistoryToday marks 200 years since Francis Scott Key wrote
“The Star-Spangled Banner,” tomorrow 51 years since four Birmingham girls were killed in a horrific church fire-bombing. Constitution Day is approaching September 17. The latest documentary film series by Ken Burns, on the Roosevelts, begins tonight. The New York
Times Magazine has a front-page article on Bill Gates and his enthusiasm for “Big History” (which evokes a Yale course, taught by geophysicist David
Bercovici, on the “Origins of Everything”). Earlier this
month in the Times, James Grossman of the American Historical Association wrote about the importance of historical study, with minimal interference from politics. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences publishes Humanities Indicators. I wrote a piece on history, civics, and balancing “STEM” with “STEAM.”
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Defending the Public LibraryAfter a critic used a single event to question the merits of funding the New Haven
Public Library, I wrote a brief response.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Literacy Coalition Board, Blog
8:27 am edt
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