Academic Rants

Dishonest Conversations                         Every summer, as the 4 th of July approaches, we pause and measure the greatness of our nation. The 4 th is the best time for American historians because it illuminates so many topics. It also gets one’s juices flowing in anticipation of an exciting summer course. In preparation for my classes there is always a silent debate over what to teach and why? Should I say something different this term, and what in the universe is influencing this decision?   For weeks, I was fixated on the 50 th anniversary of the moon landing.   It seemed the Apollo missions of 1969 demanded my greatest attention. Many of the Apollo heroes are still alive and about six were born in New Jersey. That connection could be a great tie-in to give the class some relevancy. However, current events and not the past started t...

America Needs Cartoonists, Illustrators, Screenwriters and Actors Now By Alfred Johnson, Jr. Robert Mueller is scheduled to testify before Congress this week. Guest columnist Alfred Johnson offers his ideas on how to prepare the nation for his testimony by introducing people to the report which has been published but is receiving little attention outside of CNN, MSNBC, Democratic leaders, and the president's major critics.  Mueller, I get it. Testifying about 400- page plus report is a dreadful fate. The thought of nonsensical and nasty questions from a Republican congressperson does not give the warm and fuzzies. Likewise, Speaker Pelosi needs significant public support to begin a formal impeachment inquiry but only has an over 400 pages narrative document that most of America will not read. Hey, it’s not the Hunger Games, the Avengers or Harry Potter. Somehow, both Pelosi and Mueller want the public to generally support a report that most will not read. Could the public ge...

Is Archie Bunker’s Rich Cousin the President of the United States? All in the Family 1971-1979 was created by Norman Lear. It was part of a series of shows that examined a grittier side of the American portrait. Paired with Maude, The Jeffersons, Good Times, and Gloria , Lear’s shows openly dealt with confrontational issues that many believed were tearing the nation apart. In many respects, the comedy of All in the Family was about open bigotry. Archie Bunker, the main character, was the representative of the white working man. He lived in Queens, New York in what was once a segregated neighborhood. Archie often lamented the arrival of immigrants and detested a Civil Rights Movement which he felt left him outside of the American Dream. Yet, Archie was not outside of the Dream but a part of it. He lived comfortably in his own home, his wife did not work and he was able to support his daughter and her meagerly employed husband. In spite of his success, Archie was the ugly Amer...