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https://thepointmag.com/examined-life/behind-the-hood/

I've been thinking about the hoodie recently.

>>... no other garment is so charged, or so fraught, in this country as the hoodie. <<

My own dislike for the garment makes me uncomfortable. How much of my distaste springs from ugly prejudices about race, class, and age buried within me?

Then I start to wonder how much of my agonized reflection is not only an ultimately futile attempt to suppress my own aesthetic responses but also an unproductive focus on the individual psyche rather than on the structures of society.

Working with lots of young men in hoodies prompted these thoughts, as did...

#USCulture #Hoodie #Fashion #HistoryOfDress #Race #Class #Age

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/apr/10/pete-hegseth-christianity-iran-war-crusade?CMP=share_btn_url

Good overview by Julia Carrie Wong of the strain of Christianity animating Pete Hegseth.

Wong mentions that the "contemporary Christian nationalist movement in the US unites Christians from disparate denominations. Hegseth represents the Reformed/Calvinist wing, which is distinct from the charismatic evangelicalism practiced by figures such as the White House “faith office” adviser, Paula White-Cain. A third camp are Catholic Integralists, who want to integrate church and state; adherents include Steve Bannon and the Project 2025 architect Kevin Roberts."

I can't decide which of these three groups is the most dangerous. I do find all of them loathsome.

To obviate misunderstanding, I am aware that a large number of Christians from diverse traditions and denominations consider Christian nationalism to be a perversion of their religion.

Image: James Kerr/ Scorpion Dagger

#Christianity #PeteHegseth #ChristianNationalism #USPolitics #USCulture

https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/distinctly-catholic/mark-silk-history-term-judeo-christian

Excellent article telling how the term "Judeo-Christian" migrated from liberal inclusiveness to right wing bigotry.

Image: Social Welfare History Archives, University of Minnesota Libraries

#JudeoChristian #Religion #USHistory #USCulture #Christianity #Judaism #Islam #USPolitics #Politics #RightWing #NCCJ #NationalConferenceOfChristainsAndJews

Things France Does Better Than The US

Things France Does Better Than Th…
#dining #cooking #diet #food #Frenchmeals #bfdc-freelance #foodfb #francais #france #francethings #franceversusUS #freelance-bfdc #freelance-lifestyle #French #FrenchCulture #frenchfood #frenchmeals #frenchthings #frenchwine #livinginfrance #meals #paris #paristhings #sponcon-calling-all-travel-lovers #travel #travelinspiration #usculture #Wine
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2452212/things-france-does-better-than-the-us/

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/weapon-baby-names-trend_l_66fc3db0e4b0d70dca9f58f9

Yuk! Easy to guess how these people vote, what sort of vehicle they drive or aspire to drive, and so on...

#Names #Onomastics #WeaponNames #USCulture #Conservatism

Losing a loved one in the United States
It's commonly known that every aspect of the funeral industry in the US is highly expensive. A couple of positives I've learned:

1. All veterans are entitled to many free benefits if buried at a "national cemetery" (they are scattered all over).

2. Hospice is one of the best things in the US. Everything is free, including a year of bereavement counseling. I just received the kindest phone message informing me of that.

#mourning #death #USculture

I really appreciated this #KnittingCultLady video about Millennials who grew up religious and what we're doing now.

https://youtu.be/RMqs-hNnB44?si=f5-7Ujtd0nRQzJwG

My own experience is similar. James Dobson was on the radio in my childhood home. Most of the people I was friends with through college did not deprogram as of when we lost touch. Lots of people stay in that world and don't question it.

#religion #evangelicals #USculture #rightwing #deprogramming

In September, Masha Hamilton and her son, Cheney Orr, took a nearly-2,000-mile road trip along Interstate 95 — to connect with each other, and America. The pair chronicled their experiences for this Atavist longread. "The America I’ve met on the road is also far more recognizable, resilient, and generous than the noise of now would have us think," she concludes. "Online, we’re a nation of factions. In parking lots and at picnic tables, we’re a nation of encounters," writes Hamilton.

https://flip.it/NEHnac

#USA #America #Longreads #Essays #USPolitics #USCulture

Overheard in Texas:

At a bus stop: "Hispanic? That's amazing, you don't look at all Hispanic!"

In a library: "So I told them, we're not like that, we're not white, we're Mexican."

I've lived in Texas for years, but I still find ethnicity here hard to understand.

#USCulture #Texas #Ethnicity #Hispanics #LatinAmerican #MexicanAmerican #Mexican #Latino #Tejano