Apollonian Bacchanalia
-- an occasional column focusing on different cultural and artistic subjects in both non-fictional and fictional forms
A Preview of the Remaining Chapters in the Series, The Subjective Recollections of The American Artist in France:
58: The Subjective Recollections of The American Artist in France, Part 4: Annecy's Palais de l'Isle (27 July 2003)
The fourth installment, this one Annecy's photogenic Palais de l'Isle.
57: The Subjective Recollections of The American Artist in France, Part 3: Autour de lac d'Annecy (23 July 2003)
The third installment, this one travelling around le lac d'Annecy, including Le Château de Menthon and la cascade de Seythenex.
56: The Subjective Recollections of The American Artist in France, Part 2: Le Beaujolais (16 July 2003)
The second installment of a multi-part series on France, this one on the region famous for its wine of the same name.
55: The War in Retrospect (1 April 2003)
Just what it says on the box.
54: The Relationship Contract (11 April 2003)
A particularly fine and insightful essay about the state of sexual relationships in the West, advocating the use of legal contracts and the thinking thereof.
53: On the Liberation of Baghdad, 9 April 2003 (10 April 2003)
A moment in history.
52: The Stupidity -- and the Usefulness -- of "Free Mumia" (2 April 2003)
A brief essay about this liberal cult.
51: Thinking About the War (1 April 2003)
A second essay about the war on Iraq.
50: The Kids: A Political Fable (30 March 2003)
The third fictional column, this one a fable of a neighborhood where the cops don't come and the two brothers living under an abusive father.
49: Why I'm Cautiously for the War in Iraq (23 March 2003)
On the liberal reasons to support the present Iraq war, which really has far less of a case in terms of conservative or Republican values.
48: Outrage (21 February 2003)
A follow-up of sorts to "American Hegemony and the Three Great Warning Signs of its Collapse" (Apollonian Bacchanalia #35).
47: Against Gardner (18 February 2003)
An essay critiquing the theory of multiple intelligences, attributed to Howard Gardner.
46: In Protest of Present Protesting Mentality (9 February 2003)
On the present climate and rhetoric of protests.
45: Things Happen for a Reason (4 February 2003)
On that most offensive platitude.
COLLECTED IN
The Matriarchy
44: Domestic Violence and Sexism (3 February 2003)
On contemporary domestic violence and gender.
43: The Trent Lott Affair (3 February 2003)
On contemporary racism, public discourse, and American politics.
42: Understanding America (1 February 2003)
On the meaning of America the idea(l).
41: Columbia, 1 February 2003 (1 February 2003)
An immediate contemplation of the tragedy.
40: On Lord of the Rings (31 January 2003)
An uncertain condemnation.
39: New Imperialism (29 January 2003)
On U.S. foreign policy, the responsibilities of power, and the role of conscience in global affairs.
38: On Media Bias: Decoding the Liberal v. Conservative Dichotomy (6 January 2003)
Just what it says on the box.
37: Love the Good Women, Boys, Love the Good Women (2 January 2003)
On love and relationships.
36: Abortion (2 January 2003)
Yes, it had to happen eventually.
35: American Hegemony and the Three Great Warning Signs of its Collapse (29 December 2002)
A historical analysis of the lumbering, however admirable, behemoth.
34: The Tyranny of Equality (28 December 2002)
A splendid essay explicating equality, egalitarianism, hierarchy, and merit.
33: Dead Dogs (20 December 2002)
The title says it all.
32: The Subjective Recollections of The American Artist in France, Part 1: La France (15 December 2002)
The first part of a multi-part series on France, this one on France et les français in general.
31: Late-Night Dialogue, 1993 (31 October 2002)
The second fictional offering in this column, this one a dialogue on a number of matters, including the American Presidency. Appropriately offered on Halloween, given my donning of masks.
Collected in GENRE.
30: I Need a Secretary (28 October 2002)
On the film Secretary and its social and philosophical implications.
29: Crop Circles: An Insider Report (23 October 2002)
The first fictional Apollonian Bacchanalia, this one playing with the genre of exposés and conspiracy theories.
Collected in GENRE.
28: A Beautiful Man? (18 October 2002)
A very brief essay on the film A Beautiful Mind.
COLLECTED IN
The Matriarchy
27: The Matriarchy, Part 2 (14 October 2002)
Beginning here, the world is no longer the same. This section addresses the present state of gender in American society.
COLLECTED IN
The Matriarchy
26: The Matriarchy, Part 1 (8 October 2002)
The first part in a world-altering essay (no shit), beginning with "The Case of David Gilmore" and his Manhood in the Making.
25: I.A. for the World's Policemen (3 October 2002)
On the U.S.A. as imperialist power in light of the present admistration's push for a new war on Iraq.
24: A Hope in Hell (16 September 2002)
A philosophical essay on the hope and absence.
COLLECTED IN
The Matriarchy
23: Whores, Strippers, Gazing, and Me (29 August 2002)
On a whore I saw, recollections of a strip club, and on the dynamics of such encounters.
22: Jack and Explosive Play in Fast Food Americana (17 August 2002)
On Jack in the Box and other fast food recollections.
21: On Writing, Mine and Others' (16 August 2002)
On writing, mine and others'.
20: And When We Long, We are All as Gatsby (16 August 2002)
This essay could be titled "Appreciating" or "Understanding The Great Gatsby" -- though with a singular loss of poetic appeal.
Collected in A Fistful of Essays.
19: The Yuais (16 August 2002)
A reminiscence about an "organization" to which I belonged while an undergraduate at college.
18: Smoke (16 August 2002)
On smoking.
17: Let Them Fail (10 August 2002)
On the problems within Academia caused by the "no child gets left behind" philosophy (or lack thereof) -- and a very simple, but ultimately loving, solution.
16: Fuck the Economy (3 August 2002)
On the same topic as ever: cutting through the bullshit. This time in terms of popular economic rhetoric.
COLLECTED IN
Sequential Culture, Volume 1
15: Superman 2002 (30 July 2002)
On the present state, and history of, the icon that is (or was) Superman.
14: Jeffrey Dahmer in Heaven (13 June 2002)
On contemporary Christianity and its paradoxes.
COLLECTED IN
The Matriarchy
13: We Have Whores for This (27 May 2002)
On the strange post-modern Western embracing of female promiscuity.
Woody Allen
12: The Spectre of Soon-Yi Previn (25 May 2002)
On Woody Allen's scandal and its implications.
11: The Sad State of American TV Sitcoms: Friends and Malcolm in the Middle (20 May 2002)
On stupidity and its viewership.
COLLECTED IN
Sequential Culture, Volume 1
10: Against Silver Age Marvel, The Cult of Stan Lee, and Fantastic Four (Annual) #1 / For Comic Books as Literary Art (13 May 2002)
On Stan Lee and the sad dominance of stupidity in the perception, within the industry and among the general population, of comic books.
9: On Molesting Dolphins (8 May 2002)
Remarkably, this essay's subject is just what the title suggests. Or is it?
COLLECTED IN
Sequential Culture, Volume 1
8: Comic Book Morality (6 May 2002)
This essay looks at the morality of super-heroes and their moral influence, arguing that the simple moral vision they present is actually superior to most people's morality.
7: Palestine (30 April 2002)
A collection of thoughts and observations on the timely issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
COLLECTED IN
The Matriarchy
6: The Medium and the Message, Bio-psycho-sexually Speaking: Biological Undermining of Feminism, the Abuse of Praying Mantes, Prognostic Cheating, and a Call to Sanity (28 April 2002)
A long (in fact, it was the longest for quite some time), challenging, and controversial essay on sex, gender, and relationships. This essay should be classified as a necessary read for most people.
5: On College Tuition and Direction (21 April 2002)
An essay on how students, in particular, should respond to changes in their colleges' directions -- including raises in tuition.
4: Academia (8 April 2002)
An essay on appreciating, and understanding, the Academy.
COLLECTED IN
The Matriarchy
3: Female Circumcision, Double Standards, and Culturally-Programmed Hypocrisy: An Essay of Radical Intellectualism (28 March 2002)
The longest and most controversial column at the time. Well worth reading if you're willing to be enlightened -- or wanting to be pissed off.
2: Darius Sings the Blues about The News -- The Daily Show, The News Hour, and Politically Incorrect (20 March 2002)
Guess the topic.
1: ElimiDATE (14 March 2002)
The premiere of my weekly column, this one on the TV show ElimiDATE.