| How Ice-T was a mensch “One of my happiest moments, in my years as a journalist, was when I got Ice-T to stop saying something homophobic and cruel in his live shows.” – Greg Sandow
Recent Listening In Brief: Yelena Eckemoff Yelena Eckemoff, Nocturnal Animals (L&H Productions)
Russian-born pianist and composer Eckemoff, long a New York resident, collaborates with a superb rhythm section of Scandinavian musicians. They are inspired by creatures that populate the world’s forests of the night. – Doug Ramsey
Beware Arrogance There exists in the hearts and minds of at least some in the nonprofit arts sector a sense that the work they present is superior to most or all popular culture — and that those who patronize such culture are inferior. This sets up a monumental barrier to connecting with new communities. And even if it is unconscious and unspoken, the attitude itself is easy for people to spot when it is directed at them. – Doug Borwick
Allan Bloom, Identity Politics, and “Closed Minds” After many years, I recently re-opened The Closing of the American Mind and discovered that Allan Bloom was prophetic. In effect, he prophesied identity politics and political rectitude – and closed minds and “impoverished souls.” – Joseph Horowitz
Not just subconscious, but DNA deep When we talk about organizations, or other forms of collective action by groups of people, we often speak as if we have dominantly conscious control. But evidence from a range of disciplines suggests that we’re not really in conscious control of much — individually or collectively. – Andrew Taylor
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