tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82459660952469405362024-03-14T01:39:38.827-07:00God, Politics, and BaseballAn occasional blog exploring the intersection of religion, politics and society.Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.comBlogger885125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-34890492871693829702024-01-11T21:30:00.000-08:002024-01-21T09:31:07.293-08:00Our Month (August) in Hawaii (Including Lahaina)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJj7AcRUafB_a_VT18lDKnkZGHyx1jRPUCFaGHzToqcn1iibl-70o4FVyMlJkh1nJJVsKeltVCs0H7E0Era52qHxm6cKqjtuW-XfT4O8ZSLTSLrbuCZWXb-NKF7e_lnODllQzTq6_r_FAKxndF2VhToDi9zakDBTRik1ZjQnGD9zxLJugQzG4zdv-ej9o/s2732/IMG_6361.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1457" data-original-width="2732" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJj7AcRUafB_a_VT18lDKnkZGHyx1jRPUCFaGHzToqcn1iibl-70o4FVyMlJkh1nJJVsKeltVCs0H7E0Era52qHxm6cKqjtuW-XfT4O8ZSLTSLrbuCZWXb-NKF7e_lnODllQzTq6_r_FAKxndF2VhToDi9zakDBTRik1ZjQnGD9zxLJugQzG4zdv-ej9o/w400-h214/IMG_6361.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>For nearly a year, we had been planning to spend the month of August in Maui. Deanne was taking the entire month off; Sean would work part-time. We started by spending the first five days on the island of Kauai, taking advantage of a package deal at the Westin in Princeville that we had acquired almost two years before. We traveled to Kauai on the 3rd of August. On the 7th, the winds began picking up from Hurricane Ida, a few hundred miles south. They blew so hard we weren’t sure we could fly to Maui the next day.<div><br /></div>However, our flight wasn’t canceled, and we flew into Maui the day the fires broke out. Even though it was only a 30-minute flight, it was some of the worst turbulence we’ve experienced flying into Maui. We landed safely, and we thought the worst was over. Little did we know.<div><br /></div><div>We met some friends for lunch in Kihei (South Maui) before heading to our place in West Maui (north of Lahaina Town but still part of Lahaina). While there were fires not too far from Kihei in Maui’s upcountry, there was no news of any fire in West Maui at the time. However, we later learned that the power had been out there since 3 am, and there had been a fire earlier that morning.</div><div><br /></div><div>After lunch, we called an Uber, and at 3:48, we headed toward West Maui. Our Uber driver wasn’t aware of any current fires in the direction we were going and thought we could get through and past Lahaina Town if the wind didn’t give us too much trouble. As we turned the corner and headed north along the coast, almost immediately, we encountered winds at 65-80 miles an hour (with gusts perhaps as high as 110) and trees and power poles/lines toppling over in front of our very eyes. We drove over a downed power line (luckily, the power was out) and wound our way around fallen trees. The winds were so strong we thought they might pick our car up and blow it into the ocean.</div><div><br /></div><div>As we got closer, we started seeing smoke north of the new highway that “bypasses” downtown Lahaina. But turning around at that point and going back through what we had just experienced seemed more dangerous than forging ahead. So, our Uber driver suggested that we take the lower, old highway to “avoid the smoke.” As we inched closer to Lahaina Town on the old highway, a giant wall of black smoke suddenly appeared in front of us. Ironically, our driver asked if we had masks. We did, but we opted to turn around (luckily, Deanne insisted). Our ride back out of West Maui was relatively uneventful considering the circumstances, and we were so fortunate that traffic continued to move, as we later discovered we had turned into traffic with all the people who had barely escaped for their lives from a town fully enflamed. Several weeks later, when we saw where we’d driven, we were shocked to see that at least the last 1/2 mile of what we had driven had completely burned.</div><div><br /></div><div>We weren’t sure where to go at that point, especially without a car. We texted our friends we’d had lunch with, and they insisted we stay with them in Kihei. It wasn’t until much later that we learned how destructive the Lahaina fire was; in fact, we were more concerned about the upcountry fires that were much closer to Kihei.</div><div><br /></div><div>In any event, when we arrived in Kihei, we had about two hours of ignorant bliss. We sat by the pool, sipping drinks, and occasionally glancing over at West Maui (from a distance), not realizing that we were seeing smoke and not the island of Lanai, which lies west of Lahaina.</div><div><br /></div><div>As we were cooking dinner that night with our friends, we began to smell smoke, so we checked on the upcountry fires, which we could see from the balcony, and we could see that they were getting closer to us. That led us to turn on the news, and we learned how destructive the fires were. The upcountry fires were so close that north Kihei and the area east of the Pi’ilani Highway (where we had lunch earlier that day and less than 1/2 mile from where we were staying) had evacuated. Needless to say, we didn’t sleep much that night; we were sure we’d have to evacuate at any moment. Our bags were packed by the door, and we slept with our clothes on.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our friends were eager to get to the airport the next morning because they were scheduled to fly out that day. On the other hand, we had no idea what we would do. We thought we might be able to get to our place. It wasn’t until aerial pictures of downtown Lahaina were posted on the internet that we realized the extent of the devastation, and we were in shock. We began texting with one of the full-time residents in the complex where our condo is and learned that our place was okay. There was minor damage from the wind, the power was still out, and cell service was spotty. Still, it became clear that we would not be traveling to West Maui that day.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhOcxPaEw2-tYL9tOze8HTqAFv42IDaAx6BXvc8D1ZZ1qdAAC6h8FBCkFwU6tBYcZ3jjz3YLUNiREUCj-0XrySXihDVSk2sUTF3u0TSRs2LBMFgzNDpCWvsm38OXb5kdhQVNfb_6_kzNXn-T6xZtKaeZ4CiwbKYcfkv4SfjruSV8-Kpi4Xh1ne3JzvcTo/s4032/IMG_3046.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhOcxPaEw2-tYL9tOze8HTqAFv42IDaAx6BXvc8D1ZZ1qdAAC6h8FBCkFwU6tBYcZ3jjz3YLUNiREUCj-0XrySXihDVSk2sUTF3u0TSRs2LBMFgzNDpCWvsm38OXb5kdhQVNfb_6_kzNXn-T6xZtKaeZ4CiwbKYcfkv4SfjruSV8-Kpi4Xh1ne3JzvcTo/s320/IMG_3046.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>Just before our friends left for the airport, their condominium owner asked if they needed to extend their stay, given the situation. While they hoped to catch their regularly scheduled flight home, they offered to extend it for us so we’d at least have a place to stay for one more night. We still thought we might be able to get to our place the next day. That didn’t happen.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next few days were a blur as we tried to get our heads around what had happened and what we would do for the rest of the month. We struggled with how we fit into all this. We are owners but not residents. We’ve been to Hawaii enough that we don’t feel like tourists, but we certainly aren’t locals. The authorities had asked tourists to leave the island to ease recovery efforts. We didn’t know what to do. We came to terms with the fact that our vacation, as we had planned it, was scrapped, but we couldn’t bring ourselves to just walk away either.</div><div><br /></div><div>We decided to stay in Kihei for a few days while we, and the rest of the world, learned what had happened, although, for us, it was just around the corner between where we were staying and our unreachable condo in West Maui. We kept thinking they’d open the road, and we’d get to our place. But we also counted our blessings that we hadn’t made it over that first day. We would have been there without transportation (which we won’t do again), without food or any way to get it, and without power/internet.</div><div><br /></div><div>We wanted to help, and while relief efforts were popping up every which way, we found it difficult to plug in. We were able to purchase needed supplies that were being delivered to the west side of the island by boat. And we put our name on every volunteer list we came across.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VWQ9aJQ_K70Tdgr64-2DvlZKVlDPnmNu0jkVYYf3c_H4G5HddbjH104MM0Gnhkzw-88CnCUlGhNvcTG9o6lwTYiy7CTU97pVqWKCQDP62D6aGOkyvzfQ1Eq1sqq2Zrvkut2uOPyJweTrJvYoGKzGRmbt_rhHHMkkxbz0qOfqWjo1wbm8K5KlDOUwxZgH/s3681/IMG_6410.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3681" data-original-width="2757" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VWQ9aJQ_K70Tdgr64-2DvlZKVlDPnmNu0jkVYYf3c_H4G5HddbjH104MM0Gnhkzw-88CnCUlGhNvcTG9o6lwTYiy7CTU97pVqWKCQDP62D6aGOkyvzfQ1Eq1sqq2Zrvkut2uOPyJweTrJvYoGKzGRmbt_rhHHMkkxbz0qOfqWjo1wbm8K5KlDOUwxZgH/s320/IMG_6410.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>The following week, we met our daughter and one of her roommates in Kauai. They had planned to vacation with us in West Maui. However, when it became clear that wasn’t a good idea or even possible since the road was still closed, we diverted to Kauai (which the airlines made very easy) to try to get some distance from and clarity about what had happened.</div><div><br /></div><div>We flew to Kauai on the 14th and stayed until the 20th. While waiting at the Maui airport to catch our flight, we ran into the full-time residents we’d been texting with from our condo complex. They had a previously planned trip to Kauai for their anniversary, and it was just a coincidence that we were on the same plane! While the fire had stopped about 5 miles from our complex, they had been without power for nearly a week and had no internet or outside news service, which also meant no open stores for supplies. They’d been through their own trauma as well as survivor’s guilt; they were eager for the getaway but were clearly traumatized. They had driven around the impacted areas on their way to the airport (roads were only open one way/out at that time), which had undoubtedly contributed to their trauma.</div><div><br /></div><div>When we returned to Maui on the 20th, the airport was practically deserted, and there was little to no traffic on the roads. Sean can’t remember Maui ever being this quiet (and he’s been going there since 1970). And the road to West Maui and our place was now open! We were hesitant, unsure of how we would react when we saw the devastation. Despite being so eager to get there for the last two weeks, we kept making excuses to delay the drive over that day. We eventually did it, though, and could see some of the devastation while driving in. Still, we couldn’t see the worst of it because fences had already been erected, hiding it from curious onlookers and disaster tourists (yes, disaster tourists are real).</div><div><br /></div><div>When we arrived, we had power but no internet or cable. We also had cell service, but the authorities asked folks to keep calling to a minimum and text whenever possible. We were so relieved to get to our place, but now what? We wanted to at least check on it and ensure everything was okay. But we couldn’t exactly return to our originally planned vacation, even if we’d wanted to, given the signs of disaster on every corner.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nothing was open. One grocery store opened the day after we arrived. All the beach-side parks had turned into community-led distribution sites. Some of the restaurants were serving free meals to displaced families, if for no other reason than to use up what they had in stock before it went bad. Parking lots were completely empty. No one was at the beach. Hotel pools were shut down, and hotels were scarcely populated with displaced families. Hotel conference rooms were converted to information hubs for disaster relief.</div><div><br /></div><div>We decided that if we were going to stay, we had to help. After putting our name in the portal for volunteer opportunities the week of the fire, an opportunity popped up to work at a distribution hub—the next day. So, we decided we’d take it a day or two at a time. We’d volunteer one day, Sean would work the next, and so it continued. Before we knew it, our month was coming to an end.</div><div><br /></div><div>While our month in Hawaii was nothing like we anticipated, our experiences were life-changing. We’d never really come that close to fearing for our lives—more than once in one day. We were uncertain whether we’d have a bed to sleep in at night. And, of course, the fact that we were very blessed did not escape us compared to the fire survivors who had lost so, so much. We felt pulled to stay when all things logical (and our family on the mainline) were pointing us back home and off the island. The opportunities for helping, the privilege really, gave us something constructive to do and helped US start to heal.</div><div><br /></div><div>We hadn’t realized how much the experiences had impacted us until we had the opportunity to “talk story” with others in similar situations. So many good and decent people love Maui and her people, and they showed up to help.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWKWnLkkHhuo5oqcmMEAYXK0ByPtA4FxOeq_RY265tnU_CWM6VSpOz2-6imJhB6hKijZ-BNNdVZhTSKPoaAEZIle9p9LAqSqh2Uld1978ISESiaNPQgCR-WoNZzOSLVPidjEqWRUMLz2FKS9YUhQg-ubo6N1tOeWFaoLvW_vfOILhwavwInabbVwSp41q/s3960/IMG_3045%20(1).jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2674" data-original-width="3960" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWKWnLkkHhuo5oqcmMEAYXK0ByPtA4FxOeq_RY265tnU_CWM6VSpOz2-6imJhB6hKijZ-BNNdVZhTSKPoaAEZIle9p9LAqSqh2Uld1978ISESiaNPQgCR-WoNZzOSLVPidjEqWRUMLz2FKS9YUhQg-ubo6N1tOeWFaoLvW_vfOILhwavwInabbVwSp41q/s320/IMG_3045%20(1).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>The day before we returned home, we spent time working at the West Side Distribution site at Lahaina Gateway shopping center. This site was open three days a week (M, W, F) from 10-4, handing out water, perishable foods, fruits/vegetables, milk, eggs, diapers and formula, hygiene supplies — you name it. They would serve 600 cars in that 6-hour window. 100 cars an hour. No questions asked. 90-degree weather, 90+% humidity. That day we worked, we’re not sure we’ve ever worked that hard and been that hot for such an extended time. And we also never felt more satisfied.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A few volunteers had the role of distributing cold drinks or bringing cold, wet towels around for the volunteers to put on their necks to keep cool. A young volunteer came by where Deanne was working and asked her what kind of drink she’d like. She asked him which one he’d recommend. And he said, “Aunty, this one’s my favorite”— as he lifted up the pomegranate-flavored water. Deanne looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “Aunty” is a term of respect and belonging in Hawaii. In some ways, that made it all worth it.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Note:</b> Looking for ways to support Maui? Well, if you have plans to visit Maui, don't change your destination to another island. Maui is heavily dependent on the hospitality industry. If you do go, though, be mindful of the impact the fires have had upon the island and its full-time residents: Watch this video before you go: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SI7aexpT1154KFyvohqVkdodRBCzZuWQ/view?pli=1" target="_blank">Maui County's Message to Visitors</a>. And you can volunteer while you're there too. If you aren't traveling to the islands, you can still support businesses impacted by the fires by shopping online. Scan the QR code below for a list.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_j28vvHzDzAz79yHDhg0fMnkq_qklCG6b1wuDwsI5vwCwK6sZeeGxC1u8KaGTwN9tx8PZfZJo0U7qGTSmMSBmuUQAaWIqTl0M1Kg1AVBA1JQOdTmM9H1YouKEu0LikJQOIKANEqpzt3Z-ej45rWKD3jTD4i0Rl0rnabkg2-gv98ihHaeSiOaG6g_f0y-/s214/Support%20Maui%20Businesses.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="214" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_j28vvHzDzAz79yHDhg0fMnkq_qklCG6b1wuDwsI5vwCwK6sZeeGxC1u8KaGTwN9tx8PZfZJo0U7qGTSmMSBmuUQAaWIqTl0M1Kg1AVBA1JQOdTmM9H1YouKEu0LikJQOIKANEqpzt3Z-ej45rWKD3jTD4i0Rl0rnabkg2-gv98ihHaeSiOaG6g_f0y-/s1600/Support%20Maui%20Businesses.png" width="214" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-60610159711914212432023-12-14T18:46:00.000-08:002023-12-15T20:43:49.920-08:0025 (make that 26) Christmas Movies for the Holiday Season<p>Here's my annual post of Christmas movies worth watching this holiday season. Not all are technically "Christmas" movies, but in some way they're related to the Christmas season. As always, I've updated the list from last year.</p><div><span class="s1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YFDNNA94O5E/X8M_rDJrkWI/AAAAAAAAF7Y/a5xObNtxWikPth_0hbv-CLmNqKwb7kiggCLcBGAsYHQ/s720/unnamed.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="720" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YFDNNA94O5E/X8M_rDJrkWI/AAAAAAAAF7Y/a5xObNtxWikPth_0hbv-CLmNqKwb7kiggCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/unnamed.webp" width="320" /></a></div>1. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bishop's_Wife" target="_blank">The Bishop's Wife</a> (Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven)</span><div><br /></div><div>Dejected by his efforts to raise money to build a cathedral, Bishop Henry Brougham (David Niven) beseeches heaven for guidance, and is visited immediately by an angel Dudley (Cary Grant). Henry, as a good theological liberal, is skeptical and then becomes annoyed when Dudley wins the attentions of Henry's long-suffering wife, Julia (Loretta Young). Dudley falls for Julia, but in the end Julia tells him it's time for him to go. Dudley leaves, all memory of him is erased, and later that night at the Christmas Eve service when Henry delivers his sermon, Dudley watches from the street. If this plot sounds familiar, it was remade as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Preacher%27s_Wife" target="_blank">The Preacher's Wife</a> starring Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston in 1996. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="s2">2. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Charlie_Brown_Christmas">A Charlie Brown Christmas</a></span> (Charles Schultz)</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m0oPUfBjTfQ/XAzVtwYZNtI/AAAAAAAAFQo/1keuGewhOUUqnN_59-lmZYBiPsEAh-yZACLcBGAs/s1600/BahiDUGIgAAESAm.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="599" height="239" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m0oPUfBjTfQ/XAzVtwYZNtI/AAAAAAAAFQo/1keuGewhOUUqnN_59-lmZYBiPsEAh-yZACLcBGAs/s320/BahiDUGIgAAESAm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It's been over 50 years since "A Charlie Brown Christmas" first appeared on TV. It's probably the best of the Charlie Brown movies (although "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" is right up there) and is one of the few Christmas movies that refers to the biblical story. After Charlie Brown asks, "Can anyone tell me what Christmas is all about?," Linus quotes Luke 2:8-14:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.'"</blockquote><div class="p3">And then Linus concludes, "... and that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown." Amen.</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p4"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x7EHCu9y_pU/UqAhcOB5gMI/AAAAAAAAChg/_EYj-mU-R5c/s1600/Christmas+Carol.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x7EHCu9y_pU/UqAhcOB5gMI/AAAAAAAAChg/_EYj-mU-R5c/s1600/Christmas+Carol.jpeg" /></a></div>3. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol_(1984_film)"><span class="s3">A Christmas Carol</span></a> (George C. Scott, David Warner, Susannah York, Roger Rees)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">There are several great versions of Charles Dickens's "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol"><span class="s3">A Christmas Carol</span></a>," but this is my favorite. Scott is (was) such a great actor. When he (Ebenezer Scrooge) yells, "Mr. Cratchit!", there's little doubt that he holds poor Bob in contempt. And, the supporting cast is quite good. David Warner (who once upon a time played a reporter in "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Omen" target="_blank">The Omen</a>") is an excellent Bob Cratchit, as is Susannah York as Mrs. Cratchit (<b>Note</b>: two of York's children played two of the Cratchit children). And I really like Roger Rees as Scrooge's nephew, Fred. Finally, Angela Pleasence and Edward Woodward are excellent as the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present, respectively. There are, of course, several other versions are worth considering, such as the one with Alastair Sim as Scrooge ("<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrooge_(1951_film)"><span class="s3">A Christmas Carol</span></a>"). When I was kid, I was especially taken with "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Magoo%27s_Christmas_Carol"><span class="s3">Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol</span></a>." Jonathan Winters' reading of <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4225458"><span class="s3">Dickens's</span></a> book is also quite good.</div><div><br /></div><div class="p3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tjHXA2gIGu4/UqAhuKGMd6I/AAAAAAAACho/9htQ1rwso_A/s1600/movie_achristmasstory_645x360_121620110557.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tjHXA2gIGu4/UqAhuKGMd6I/AAAAAAAACho/9htQ1rwso_A/s320/movie_achristmasstory_645x360_121620110557.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>4. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Story">A Christmas Story</a> (Peter Billingsley, Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon)<br /><br />Adapted from a memoir by Jean Shepherd (who narrates the film), the movie is primarily about Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), a young boy living in Indiana in the 1940s who desperately wants a Red Rider BB gun for Christmas and tries to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that it's the perfect gift for him, while they counter that he'll shoot his eye out. In 2012, the film was selected for preservation in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Film_Registry">National Film Registry</a> by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Congress">Library of Congress</a> for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." I confess that it isn't one of my favorites, but I'm clearly in the minority.</div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="p3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ksrcwat_kqA/UqAiTa_iXkI/AAAAAAAACh0/x8KaVNyaByA/s1600/skipping.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ksrcwat_kqA/UqAiTa_iXkI/AAAAAAAACh0/x8KaVNyaByA/s1600/skipping.jpeg" /></a></div>5. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_with_the_Kranks">Christmas with the Kranks</a> (Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Akroyd)</div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div>It's too bad that the movie's producers didn't keep the title of John Grisham's book on which the movie is based: "Skipping Christmas" (see picture at right). The movie's title leads people to expect one kind of movie when in fact it's something quite different. It tells the story of a couple (Luther and Nora Krank) who, because their daughter (Blair) is going to be Peru for Christmas, working for the Peace Corps, decide to skip Christmas (i.e., don't buy a Christmas tree, hold their annual Christmas party, decorate their house, etc.), and use the money they save to go on a cruise. Their decision to skip Christmas sit poorly with their neighbors (especially Dan Akroyd), who pressure them to get into the holiday spirit. A battle, of sorts, plays out between the Kranks and their neighbors. Then Luther and Nora learn that Blair coming home for Christmas (with her fiancé), and they have less than 24 hours to prepare for their annual party. How the neighborhood comes together to pull this off and what Luther does with their cruise tickets speaks to the true meaning of Christmas.</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p5"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nk1MfO9Ofyk/UqAiitcS8LI/AAAAAAAACh8/2P3iRwnvhwk/s1600/Willis.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nk1MfO9Ofyk/UqAiitcS8LI/AAAAAAAACh8/2P3iRwnvhwk/s1600/Willis.jpeg" /></a></div>6. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Hard"><span class="s3">Die Hard</span></a> (Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">OK. Not your traditional Christmas movie. In fact, there's a debate as to whether it really is (see "<a href="https://www.economist.com/prospero/2019/12/06/is-die-hard-a-christmas-film" target="_blank">Is 'Die Hard' a Christmas Film?</a>"). I obviously fall on the side of those who think it it. It takes place on Christmas Eve, is a battle between good and evil, and includes some traditional (and not so traditional) Christmas songs. It stars Bruce Willis as NY city police detective John McClane, who flies to LA to reconcile with his wife. He meets her at her company's Christmas party, but while he's changing clothes in the men's room, the party's taken over by a terrorist group (headed by Hans Gruber -- played by Alan Rickman, who a few years later played Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies), which holds them hostage, all except for McClane, who sneaks away before they know he's there. The rest of the movie is the battle between McClane (good) and Gruber (evil) and includes a lot of classic lines ("Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs..."; Yippee ki-yay...").</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p5"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Bw6XsW__eQ/UqAiwjkxLxI/AAAAAAAACiE/-SgDLED925A/s1600/Elf-SoundTRAX-Header.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Bw6XsW__eQ/UqAiwjkxLxI/AAAAAAAACiE/-SgDLED925A/s200/Elf-SoundTRAX-Header.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>7. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf_(film)"><span class="s3">Elf</span></a> (Will Ferrell, Bob Newhart, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel)</div><div class="p3"><br />This movie is too fun. Will Ferrell is great as someone (Buddy) who thinks he's one of Santa's elves but is actually a human being who, through a twist of fate, was adopted by an elf (Bob Newhart) when just a baby. Unfortunately, he's not a very good at elf things (e.g., making toys), and once he learns that he's not an elf, he heads to New York where his biological father (James Caan) lives. There he falls in love with Jovie (Zooey Deschanel), helps NY recapture the Christmas spirit, and has a heck of a lot of fun along the way (well, most of the time). The movie is also educational. We learn, for instance, that the four main elvish food groups are candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup. There's also allusions to other Christmas classics like "Miracle on 34th Street" and "Rudolph, the Red Nose Reindeer" (see #18 and #20 below).</div><div class="p5"><br /></div><div class="p3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gz5x5uIXDPI/UqAi2hkCDuI/AAAAAAAACiM/2f8W9aSRTTc/s1600/Family+man.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gz5x5uIXDPI/UqAi2hkCDuI/AAAAAAAACiM/2f8W9aSRTTc/s200/Family+man.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>8. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_Man"><span class="s3">The Family Man</span></a> (Nicholas Cage, Tea Leoni, Don Cheadle)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">One of my favorites. It's is a cross between "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Carol." It tells the story of Jack Campbell (JC = Jesus Christ?; his boss/advisor is named Peter), played by Nicholas Cage, who chooses to spend the year after graduating from college in London as an investment banker rather remaining in New York with his girl friend (Tea Leoni). Unsurprisingly, the relationship doesn't survive, and when the movie begins (13 years later), Cage is a successful investment banker who loves money and fine things, but cares little for women or family. However, when he wakes up one Christmas morning, he's living the life he would've lived if he hadn't moved to London. He's married (to Tea Leoni), has two kids, and works as a car tire salesman (for his wife's father - Big Ed). Although he initially despises this life, he eventually comes to love it more than the one in which he drove fast cars, wore designer suits, and had his pick of women. The movie's climax occurs after he wakes up back in his old life, tracks down his old girlfriend, and convinces her not to leave for Paris to take a new job.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1cQQpCnjcow/XBaD8dPfIOI/AAAAAAAAFRY/Xkk6ZqfKzIUFRvmpSodClqRNEs5MLI4NQCLcBGAs/s1600/family%2Bstone.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1207" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1cQQpCnjcow/XBaD8dPfIOI/AAAAAAAAFRY/Xkk6ZqfKzIUFRvmpSodClqRNEs5MLI4NQCLcBGAs/s320/family%2Bstone.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>9. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_Stone">The Family Stone</a> (Claire Danes, Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Dermot Mulroney, Craig T. Nelson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Luke Wilson)<br /><br />This tells the story about a Christmas gathering of the Stone family when the eldest son (Dermot Mulroney) brings his very uptight girlfriend (Sarah Jessica Parker) home with him to introduce her to his family, as well as propose to her with his grandmother's wedding ring. Parker's reception by Mulroney's family -- played by Diane Keaton (mom, who is dying), Craig T. Nelson (dad), Rachel McAdams (younger sister), Elizabeth Reaser (older sister), Luke Wilson (younger brother), and Tyrone Giordano (youngest brother) - is chilly, to say the least. So chilly, in fact, that Parker begs her sister (Claire Danes) to join her. Mulroney ends up falling for Danes (and vice versa), Wilson for Parker (and vice versa), and McAdams for her ex-boyfriend (and vice versa) played by Paul Schneider. Chaos ensues, poignancy follows, and although it was greeted with mixed reviews, it has become a holiday favorite for many.</div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="p3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfv6Z3XTL_BBDpi4tvbiwihHRVvdBMAy2PSTr-KduIzr1OXwdXqrYS6-6yJxCtK_2GihhEvRt9JVtf6nrHIo4NhiIUEQF_wFkwnFg7IS4hAjVoypOV6qSDqeIqSZQl_FS_BnfxRpF4zBTOQeZJKT97d-vCEqyr_MRSd_rUF-XI9DyuXmhbTFH2T02E1g=s1822" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1822" data-original-width="1588" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfv6Z3XTL_BBDpi4tvbiwihHRVvdBMAy2PSTr-KduIzr1OXwdXqrYS6-6yJxCtK_2GihhEvRt9JVtf6nrHIo4NhiIUEQF_wFkwnFg7IS4hAjVoypOV6qSDqeIqSZQl_FS_BnfxRpF4zBTOQeZJKT97d-vCEqyr_MRSd_rUF-XI9DyuXmhbTFH2T02E1g=s320" width="279" /></a></div>10. <a href="http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/christmas" target="_blank">Hallmark Christmas Movies</a> (Various)<br /><br />There isn't one Hallmark Christmas movie, of course. New ones premier every week beginning in October, and almost without exception, they’re corny and predictable. <a href="https://youtu.be/uD9zZ3axifo?si=gTasdPRGhYWqa6xZ" target="_blank">Ted Lasso</a> may offer the best description of Hallmark Christmas movies:</div><blockquote><div class="p3">Hallmark Christmas movies are films that feature women from the big city falling in love with their childhood crushes. It’s usually some fella that owns a Christmas tree farm. Sometimes he’s also Santa Clause or a prince. They suck, but they’re great — but they also mostly suck, but they’re also kinda great… They’re good with the sound off.</div></blockquote><div class="p3">Moreover, you can pretty much count on couple breaking up with about 15 minutes to go (usually due to a lack of communication) and then getting back together with only a few seconds before the next movie starts. </div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="p3"><div class="p3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p31qD48uoxY/X8MhPSwtDMI/AAAAAAAAF6Q/If0zsWZae-EhPBk7IuOvHyad2zMIvl9sgCLcBGAsYHQ/s384/Happiest_Season_poster.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p31qD48uoxY/X8MhPSwtDMI/AAAAAAAAF6Q/If0zsWZae-EhPBk7IuOvHyad2zMIvl9sgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Happiest_Season_poster.png" /></a></div>11. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happiest_Season" target="_blank">Happiest Season</a> (Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Dan Levy, Mary Holland, Victor Garber, and Mary Steenburgen)</div><div class="p3"><br /></div>Abby (Kristen Stewart) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis) are a couple who have been dating almost a year. Abby has disliked Christmas since her parents passed away, so on a whim Harper invites her to celebrate the holidays with Harper and her family in her hometown. Harper, however, hasn't to come out to her parents (or sisters) and thus tells them that Abby is her roommate. In the meantime, Abby plans to ask Harper to marry her and has already bought a ring. Complicating things: Harper's Dad (Victor Garber) is running for mayor, and she doesn't want to mess that up by coming out; one of her sisters (Mary Holland) is a bit wacky and has been writing a book for 10 years; her other sister's (Alison Brie) marriage isn't as happy as it appears; and her high school boy friend and (secret) girl friend tend to be around a lot. Daniel Levy of Schitt's Creek fame is also great as Abby's best friend, John. Of course, it is a Christmas movie, so things, for the most part, work out in the end.</div><div class="p3"><div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XVea8O7tnas/X8MiBMOQn7I/AAAAAAAAF6Y/z3xRy2vxiJU6GhbAlW_G-vbCX3aqjnwHACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/3f039e06c5ee3bf607403811e581462f.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="359" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XVea8O7tnas/X8MiBMOQn7I/AAAAAAAAF6Y/z3xRy2vxiJU6GhbAlW_G-vbCX3aqjnwHACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/3f039e06c5ee3bf607403811e581462f.jpg" /></a></div>12. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holiday"><span class="s3">The Holiday</span></a> (Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Eli Wallach)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">Definitely one our family's holiday favorites. This movie tells the story of two women (Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet) who, suffering from guy-problems, swap homes with each other (they don't know on another -- they "meet" through an on-line home exchange website) where they each meet someone and fall in love. Diaz's character (Amanda) lives in LA, is a producer of movie trailers, and breaks up with her boy friend after she discovers that he's cheated on her. Winslet (Iris) is a journalist working in London, who's in love with someone who wants to keep her around but doesn't want to commit. When she learns that he's engaged to another journalist, she becomes suicidal, but luckily chooses to spend the holidays in LA instead. A side story concerns elderly gentleman (Eli Wallach--the "Ugly" from "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good,_the_Bad_and_the_Ugly"><span class="s3">The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly</span></a>"), who lives near Amanda and whom Iris befriends. It turns out that Wallach is a widowed and retired screen writer whom the screen writer's guild wants to honor. He doesn't want to attend, but Iris talks him into it. I believe Wallach should've at least received a best supporting actor nomination for his role, but this isn't the type of movie that actors and actresses win awards for. One of the biggest surprises is the revelation that Jack Black actually can act. It's too bad he doesn't get more parts like this.</div><div class="p3"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsLZ0Mnjtk8/XBaBX4ZYHdI/AAAAAAAAFRM/VgKUiXkbWEYSfNNld0hSHN7qkjZo_35uACLcBGAs/s1600/Home_alone_poster.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsLZ0Mnjtk8/XBaBX4ZYHdI/AAAAAAAAFRM/VgKUiXkbWEYSfNNld0hSHN7qkjZo_35uACLcBGAs/s320/Home_alone_poster.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>13. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Alone">Home Alone</a> (Macaulay Culkin, John Heard, Catherine O'Hara, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Robert Blossom)<br /><br />When adjusted for inflation, Home Alone is the highest grossing Christmas movie of all time at the North American box office. It tells the story of Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), an 8-year-old boy who is accidentally left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation. Kevin initially relishes being home alone, but soon has to contend with two highly incompetent burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern), whom he continues to foil with numerous booby-traps. The rest of his family doesn't realize they left him behind until they are mid-flight to Paris and then struggle to find a flight back (all her booked). Kevin also ends up befriending Old Man Marley (Roberts Blossom), who is rumored to have murdered his family. Like many holiday favorites, it received a mixed reception from critics, but many consider it one of the best Christmas films of all time.<br /><br /></div><div class="p6"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KPAasI3s8Cc/UqAjqyTqULI/AAAAAAAACio/drv07ImBe2g/s1600/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-post1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KPAasI3s8Cc/UqAjqyTqULI/AAAAAAAACio/drv07ImBe2g/s320/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-post1.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>14. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_Grinch_Stole_Christmas!"><span class="s2">How the Grinch Stole Christmas</span></a> (Boris Karloff)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">One of the best holiday movies ever (the animated version, that is, not the one that Opie Taylor directed several years later). In it the Grinch, a cave-dwelling creature with a heart "two sizes too small," lives on Mount Crumpit, a steep mountain above Whoville, home of the Whos. His only companion is his faithful dog, Max. Every year from his perch atop Mount Crumpit, the Grinch hears the "clangy" noisy Christmas festivities that take place in Whoville. Annoyed and unable to understand why the Whos are so happy, he sneaks into town on Christmas Eve and takes all of their Christmas presents, decorations, and food in order to prevent Christmas from coming. However, when Christmas morning arrives, the Whos still celebrate Christmas even though all their presents and decorations have been stolen. Realizing that Christmas is more than gifts and presents, the Grinch's heart grows three times in size, and he returns all the presents and trimmings and joins the Whos for the Christmas feast. There are now three Grinch movies, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_Grinch_Stole_Christmas_(2000_film)" target="_blank">one with "real people" directed by Ron Howard and starring Jim Cary in 2000</a>, and a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grinch_(film)" target="_blank">2018 computer-animated version with Benedict Cumberbatch in the leading role</a>.</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p6"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fUzJZrZ-p6k/UqAkfcqBwAI/AAAAAAAACiw/kyyqMLYYmnE/s1600/its-a-wonderful-life-pottersville.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fUzJZrZ-p6k/UqAkfcqBwAI/AAAAAAAACiw/kyyqMLYYmnE/s320/its-a-wonderful-life-pottersville.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>15. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It's_a_Wonderful_Life"><span class="s3">It's a Wonderful Life</span></a> (Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Henry Travers, Lionel Barrymore)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">I'm not sure how much I need to say about this movie since it is so well known. Briefly, it stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a man who has repeatedly given up his dreams in order to help the dreams of others, and whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve (because of a financial disaster not of his own doing) brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers), who has yet to earn his wings (he's an angel second class). However, by showing what the world would have been like if George had never been born, Clarence keeps George from committing suicide (and thereby earning his wings). George sees that his life hasn't been a waste but has in fact touched (and improved) the lives of almost all those around him in Bedford Falls. He is, as his younger brother Harry puts it, "The richest man in town." Although the movie opened to mixed reviews, it has become a perennial Christmas classic that captures the true meaning of Christmas. There is a scene at the railroad station when George Bailey learns that his younger brother is not going to take over the family business so that George can go to college. For about 5 seconds, Stewart says nothing; his (i.e., George's) disappointment and frustration only shows in his facial expressions. It's a wonderful example of why Stewart was one of the greatest actors of all time. For more on the movie, see the following post ("<a href="http://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2012/12/its-wonderful-life.html">It's a Wonderful Life</a>").</div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="p3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNs31BZ8CNUhZ_H8ueGD3d71EdqyjLIu_YFAkJBUrW5Y5FpqD9Q3q31lgu8o9GWQt4EJlz-uE-dC8ZlV3g5qaynt9-pw9LaABenuiYlAF73AgAftfLZmAcuucwRcM5qlvvuqHYB_V8zOhWTEmJeW39pRh64Ou_zQ1iwCdVWr6ktEf6DVF2899nv5X_rIvL/s383/Klaus_poster.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNs31BZ8CNUhZ_H8ueGD3d71EdqyjLIu_YFAkJBUrW5Y5FpqD9Q3q31lgu8o9GWQt4EJlz-uE-dC8ZlV3g5qaynt9-pw9LaABenuiYlAF73AgAftfLZmAcuucwRcM5qlvvuqHYB_V8zOhWTEmJeW39pRh64Ou_zQ1iwCdVWr6ktEf6DVF2899nv5X_rIvL/s320/Klaus_poster.jpeg" width="216" /></a></div>16. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_(film)" target="_blank">Klaus</a> (J.K. Simmons, Jason Schwartzman, Norm McDonald, Joan Cusack) </div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="p3">Klaus is alternate origin story of Santa Claus. It revolves around a postman (Jesper) stationed on a frozen island above the Arctic Circle where the feuding locals rarely speak. Jesper comes close to giving up when he makes meets Klaus, a mysterious carpenter who lives alone in a cabin full of handmade toys. They deliver a toy "in the dead of night" in response to a letter written by one of town's children, and soon all the children start writing letters to "Klaus" for a toy. Jesper and Klaus's partnership slowly rekindles good feelings in the village and old feuds begin to fade (except for a few die hards). It isn't all smooth sailing, of course, but along the way, we learn why some children get lumps of coal, why reindeer began pulling Klaus's "sled" (and flying), Santa's naughty list, why Santa comes down chimneys, and so on. Jesper also falls in love with the local teacher, but in the tradition of a good Hallmark movie, they have a brief falling out toward the end of the movie. The movie was released in 2019 and won seven awards at the 47th Annie Awards (including Best Animated Feature) and the Best Animated Film award at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P_HfF-tT1RA/XeMtqfle_YI/AAAAAAAAFiA/5jq6WAUobhceKe0PTQo55vVw_KnY_RUngCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/MV5BY2Y3NTJjZmMtNGFjZi00MGQ5LTg0MjAtNmIxYjBhNmJjMDMyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ%2540%2540._V1_SX1777_CR0%252C0%252C1777%252C887_AL_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1600" height="159" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P_HfF-tT1RA/XeMtqfle_YI/AAAAAAAAFiA/5jq6WAUobhceKe0PTQo55vVw_KnY_RUngCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/MV5BY2Y3NTJjZmMtNGFjZi00MGQ5LTg0MjAtNmIxYjBhNmJjMDMyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ%2540%2540._V1_SX1777_CR0%252C0%252C1777%252C887_AL_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>17. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Christmas_(film)" target="_blank">Last Christmas</a> (Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Emma Thompson)<br /><br />Most critics disliked this 2019 movie, which is very loosely inspired by Wham's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8gmARGvPlI" target="_blank">song of the same name</a>, but it's light-hearted (so to speak) with a somewhat surprising twist at the end, which makes it a little different from the typical Christmas movie fare. Emilia Clarke plays Kate, who is a singer who supports herself working as an elf at a year-round Christmas shop. We also eventually learn that she recently received a heart transplant from which she hasn't mentally recovered. She, in fact, appears to be careening through life with something of a death wish. One day, while at work she notices Henry Golding (Tom) outside the shop, whom she gets eventually falls for, but it's never entirely clear whether he feels the same. Nevertheless, he has a positive affect on her, and she slowly gets her life back in order. She stops drinking, having one-night stands, and restores her ties with her mom (Emma Thompson), dad, and sister. Like most Christmas movies, it's ultimately a story about redemption, in this case, Kate's, and the effect this has others. Michelle Yeoh plays "Santa," the owner of the Christmas shop where Kate works (she also played Henry Golding's mother in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Rich_Asians_(film)" target="_blank">Crazy Rich Asians</a>, was a Bond girl (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomorrow_Never_Dies" target="_blank">Tomorrow Never Dies</a>), and starred in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crouching_Tiger,_Hidden_Dragon" target="_blank">Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon</a>).<div class="p3"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mFFEbO1hNPM/WFy5ZM6uWoI/AAAAAAAAEqc/VXmzSSny8uIXctEgvlHB-kT6pd0JgSauwCLcB/s1600/wezerek-loveactuallydataviz-1220-1-rkedits.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mFFEbO1hNPM/WFy5ZM6uWoI/AAAAAAAAEqc/VXmzSSny8uIXctEgvlHB-kT6pd0JgSauwCLcB/s320/wezerek-loveactuallydataviz-1220-1-rkedits.png" width="320" /></a></div>18. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Actually">Love Actually</a> (Too many to list)<br /><br />A 2003 British Christmas-themed romantic comedy explores several separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, whom we learn as the movie progresses are connected with one another. The movie begins five weeks before Christmas and plays out in a weekly countdown to Christmas, followed by an epilogue that takes place a month later. The movie includes numerous British stars, including Rowan Atkinson, Colin Firth, Martin Freeman, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Laura Linney, Martine McCutcheon, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Alan Rickman. You may be skeptical, but recently FiveThirtyEight called it the greatest Christmas movie of all time ("<a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-definitive-analysis-of-love-actually-the-greatest-christmas-movie-of-our-time/">The Definitive Analysis Of ‘Love Actually,’ The Greatest Christmas Movie Of Our Time</a>").</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p5"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UtdSEsHNlvY/UqAkk1wVW9I/AAAAAAAACi4/m3eMl27NrtY/s1600/34th.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UtdSEsHNlvY/UqAkk1wVW9I/AAAAAAAACi4/m3eMl27NrtY/s1600/34th.jpg" /></a></div>19. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_on_34th_Street"><span class="s3">Miracle on 34th Street</span></a> (Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, Natalie Wood)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">Although the 1994 remake of this movie, starring Sir Richard Attenborough (as Santa Claus), Dylan McDermott, and Elizabeth Perkins, is decent, it doesn't come close to the original with Maureen O'Hara and a very young Natalie Wood. The story takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day and focuses on the impact of the Santa Claus hired to work at the Macy's on 34th St. in NY City, who claims to be the real Santa and acts accordingly. For example, he some times he ignores instructions to steer parents to goods that Macy's sells like the time he directs one shopper to another store for a toy fire engine that Macy's doesn't have in stock. And he tells another mother that Macy's rival Gimbels has better skates for her daughter. The film won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Edmund Gwenn), Best Writing, Original Story (Valentine Davies) and Best Writing, Screenplay. It was also nominated for Best Picture but lost to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentleman's_Agreement">Gentleman's Agreement</a> with Gregory Peck.</div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="p3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHanr3NzsqIuSRBc4RIHft0R7a42fAEI0jfPAcEKrp9D6Xu7utTV0jJ-B9jwZjn8z9sLbMB8Wn1QNJUP2r02Qe9CMWKi5e-oC-NRbuTsdZtdlwahP7TsM0nw-3K6Ldlsz-TujGfVUJ40bd-fnsGnHoyF0rAdxYQE0sw2ozfpSzduS3fGVN9CqnNBTBGZJn/s1500/MV5BNWE4OTNiM2ItMjY4Ni00ZTViLWFiZmEtZGEyNGY2ZmNlMzIyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDU5NDcxNw@@._V1_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHanr3NzsqIuSRBc4RIHft0R7a42fAEI0jfPAcEKrp9D6Xu7utTV0jJ-B9jwZjn8z9sLbMB8Wn1QNJUP2r02Qe9CMWKi5e-oC-NRbuTsdZtdlwahP7TsM0nw-3K6Ldlsz-TujGfVUJ40bd-fnsGnHoyF0rAdxYQE0sw2ozfpSzduS3fGVN9CqnNBTBGZJn/s320/MV5BNWE4OTNiM2ItMjY4Ni00ZTViLWFiZmEtZGEyNGY2ZmNlMzIyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDU5NDcxNw@@._V1_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>20. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nightmare_Before_Christmas" target="_blank">The Nightmare Before Christmas</a> (Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey)</div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="p3"><a name="_GoBack"></a>The movie tells the story of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of “Halloween Town,” which is populated by various monsters and beings associated with the holiday. Jack organizes the town’s annual Halloween celebrations. However, he has grown bored with the same yearly routine and wants to try something new, and when he stumbles upon “Christmas Town,” with its bright colors and upbeat atmosphere, he schemes to bring Christmas under his control by kidnapping Santa Claus and taking over the role. Things, however, don’t go as planned. It was released in 1993 and is regarded by many as one of the greatest animated films ever. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects but lost to Jurassic Park. In 2023, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”</div><div class="p3"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMOndWyVzxwskjItyAaG5lGoosoyi76fYU3vWTiv1PHpIzsF6LIkLTKxhNL-WReWFM0sjjT57lOeJ39PTqAatvnOMTMl8_ef5RJD9QMCNPHtmicgmzz4GwMl-xOMW5pWONtEVg4iAT9AtkiNZHBlTQzcpUM0O-gV0pagwmsuu6zxyagIJ07gYY_FEJPll/s650/November_Christmas.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="434" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMOndWyVzxwskjItyAaG5lGoosoyi76fYU3vWTiv1PHpIzsF6LIkLTKxhNL-WReWFM0sjjT57lOeJ39PTqAatvnOMTMl8_ef5RJD9QMCNPHtmicgmzz4GwMl-xOMW5pWONtEVg4iAT9AtkiNZHBlTQzcpUM0O-gV0pagwmsuu6zxyagIJ07gYY_FEJPll/s320/November_Christmas.png" width="214" /></a></div>21. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_Christmas" target="_blank">November Christmas</a> (Sam Elliot, Karen Allen, John Corbett, Sarah Paulson, and Emily Lynd)</div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="p3">A heartwarming story about a father who fears that his daughter, who has cancer, will not live through the end of the year. Determined to make the rest of her life as happy as possible, he arranges, with the help of his neighbors, to celebrate Halloween and Christmas months ahead of schedule so she can enjoy both holidays. Tracking down pumpkins and Christmas trees becomes something of a challenge. A Christmas movie from Hallmark, long before Hallmark Christmas movies became a phenomenon. In fact, November Christmas shouldn't be grouped with other Hallmark Christmas movies, as this was produced by "Hallmark Hall of Fame" and premiered on CBS. Some readers will remember, used to routinely produce high quality dramas.</div><div class="p3"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n0EtfNbjOH8/Xe7-LFCLMGI/AAAAAAAAFio/D2q9__ikXsA6i4Sxp8p7MZWcqvkZ-MFvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/51KY3A3Z0JL.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n0EtfNbjOH8/Xe7-LFCLMGI/AAAAAAAAFio/D2q9__ikXsA6i4Sxp8p7MZWcqvkZ-MFvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/51KY3A3Z0JL.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>22. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Her_Majesty%27s_Secret_Service_(film)" target="_blank">On Her Majesty's Secret Service</a> (George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, Gabriele Ferzetti, Ilse Steppat)<br /><br />"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (OHMSS) is a "Christmas film" of the way that "Die Hard" is (see above): It involves a battle between good and evil, it's set at Christmas (or quite a bit of it is), it includes Christmas songs, and it even throws in a little bit of redemption. It also involves a chase scene through a Swiss village celebrating the holiday and includes some of the skiing scenes ever. Recently, in an article in which <a href="https://www.economist.com/" target="_blank">The Economist</a> considers whether "Die Hard" is really a Christmas movie, the author makes the case for considering OHMSS as one ("<a href="https://www.economist.com/prospero/2019/12/06/is-die-hard-a-christmas-film" target="_blank">Is 'Die Hard' a Christmas Film?</a>"). OHMSS is, of course, the only movie in which George Lazenby plays James Bond. He was chosen after Sean Connery retired from the role after "You Only Live Twice," although Connery changed his mind and came back to play Bond in "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamonds_Are_Forever_(film)" target="_blank">Diamonds Are Forever</a>" (1971) and "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Say_Never_Again" target="_blank">Never Say Never Again</a>" (1983). Although OHMSS was a commercial success, its reception was mixed. The film's reputation has improved greatly over time, however. The director Christopher Nolan named it as his favorite Bond movie, and it has slowly moved its way up the "all-time Bond film lists" ("<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Her_Majesty%27s_Secret_Service_(film)#Retrospective_reviews" target="_blank">On Her Majesty's Secret Service</a>", "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/movies/on-her-majestys-secret-service-james-bond-lazenby.html" target="_blank">50 Years Later, This Bond Film Should Finally Get Its Due</a>"). It's no wonder. OHMSS contains some of the best action scenes of the series (which are similar to those of the more recent Bourne movies), Lazenby plays a capable Bond, Diana Rigg's excellent as his love interest and future (and only) wife, and Telly Savalas's "Blofeld" is by far the best of all the Bond films (although Christoph Waltz's portrayal in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectre_(2015_film)" target="_blank">Spectre</a> is a close second). It also follows the original novel much more closely than the other Bond films. It's definitely worth a watch.</div><div class="p3"><div class="p3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0dIUHoq2mzGa3nvgw18ZO5Dcgkb_m0BMWtqgesY35Id7oEZ1i-wNk2nAD0Mfl39y_j9MWGGu5KMB13NAgQ3ncX2UuBpMAH-1siARvHtKoJYW-QjSmhZY67Ge_rv_8QuOAtiwnj9Sexb0kZeTEL2sntbS_Xe2oZMgYGZuYD_goHn9_ES7JlyqBSxai_6P/s384/The_Polar_Express_(2004)_poster.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="260" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0dIUHoq2mzGa3nvgw18ZO5Dcgkb_m0BMWtqgesY35Id7oEZ1i-wNk2nAD0Mfl39y_j9MWGGu5KMB13NAgQ3ncX2UuBpMAH-1siARvHtKoJYW-QjSmhZY67Ge_rv_8QuOAtiwnj9Sexb0kZeTEL2sntbS_Xe2oZMgYGZuYD_goHn9_ES7JlyqBSxai_6P/s320/The_Polar_Express_(2004)_poster.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>23. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Polar_Express_(film)" target="_blank">The Polar Express</a> (Tom Hanks, Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, Eddie Deezen)</div><div class="p3"><br /></div>Set on Christmas Eve, <i>The Polar Express</i> tells the story of a young boy who sees a mysterious train bound for the North Pole stop outside his window. Invited aboard, he joins several other children as they travel to the North Pole to visit Santa Claus as he prepares for Christmas. The train ride is eventful, and their time at the North Pole is quite the experience. When Santa Claus offers the boy any gift he wants, the boy only asks for a bell from the harness of Santa's reindeer. On the way home, he loses the bell, but on Christmas morning, he finds it under the Christmas tree. The bell makes the most beautiful sound he's ever heard when he shakes it. His parents admire the bell but can't hear it because only true believers can hear it ring. The film features human characters animated using live action and motion capture computer animation. It stars Tom Hanks in multiple roles (the boy, the boy's father, the conductor, the hobo, Santa Claus, and the Ebenezer Scrooge puppet).</div><div class="p3"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nVgyt47bPyw/UqAkwvB8mdI/AAAAAAAACjI/sRpXwHYpvGg/s1600/Rudolph.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nVgyt47bPyw/UqAkwvB8mdI/AAAAAAAACjI/sRpXwHYpvGg/s1600/Rudolph.jpeg" /></a></div>24. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_the_Red-Nosed_Reindeer_(TV_special)">Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer</a> (Burl Ives)<br /><br />When I was a kid, I couldn't wait for this to come on TV. I only got to see it once a year, and it was a big deal when it came on. Not just for me, but for most of my friends. Now, of course, you can get it (and virtually any other Christmas movie) on DVD or Blue Ray, or download it from iTunes or Amazon, so it (and other Christmas movies) has lost its "specialness." Nevertheless, I still love watching this retelling of the original Robert L. May story ("<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_the_Red-Nosed_Reindeer">Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer</a>"), in which Rudolph's rejection by his peers (for his shiny nose) leads him to run away from home with by a similarly-outcast elf (Hermey) whose dreams of becoming a dentist. These two eventually join up with a prospector named Yukon Cornelius, and after a battle with the Abominable Snowman, they return home to the North Pole just in time for Rudolph to lead Santa's sleigh through a terrible snow storm, thus keeping Christmas from being cancelled.</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p5"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dwtn4Bo05jg/UqAkqnm0DAI/AAAAAAAACjE/kz4oQRKWa3c/s1600/santa+clause.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dwtn4Bo05jg/UqAkqnm0DAI/AAAAAAAACjE/kz4oQRKWa3c/s1600/santa+clause.jpeg" /></a></div>25. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Santa_Clause"><span class="s3">The Santa Clause</span></a> (Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Eric Lloyd, David Krumholtz)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">Tim Allen stars as Scott Calvin, a cynical, divorced, advertising executive for a toy company, who accidentally causes a guy dressed like Santa Claus to fall to his death from his roof on Christmas Eve. Scott and his son Charlie (who is spending Christmas Eve with Scott) discover a sleigh with eight reindeer on the roof, and they conclude that the man must have been Santa Claus. They also find a card in the Santa's suit, instructing that if something should happen to him, that whoever finds the clothes, should put them on and get in the sleigh. Charlie convinces Scott to follow these instructions, and the reindeer take Scott to children's houses around the world to finish Santa's deliveries. After this, the sleigh takes them to the North Pole where they learn that Scott is the new Santa (because of the clause in the instruction card they found -- that is, the "Santa Clause") and convince his former wife that he's the new Kris Kringle.</div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="p5"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7tl7SmciDyw/UqAlNy4mrVI/AAAAAAAACjQ/RSjCsopUqlU/s1600/white-christmas-560-2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7tl7SmciDyw/UqAlNy4mrVI/AAAAAAAACjQ/RSjCsopUqlU/s320/white-christmas-560-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>26. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Christmas_(film)"><span class="s3">White Christmas</span></a> (Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div>What more can you say about this one? It's got Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas" (not once, but twice); it has Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen dancing (several times); it has George Clooney's aunt singing and dancing; and it tells a nice, heart-warming story that some may think is a bit corny. But, to paraphrase Kate Winslet's character in <i>The Holiday</i> (see above), sometimes corny is just what the doctor ordered. The song, "Count Your Blessings" (written by Irving Berlin), was nominated for an Oscar (White Christmas won the Oscar 12 years before for the movie, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_Inn_(film)"><span class="s3">Holiday Inn</span></a>), but my favorite (aside from White Christmas) is <i>Snow</i>, sung by Crosby, Kaye, Clooney, and Vera-Ellen on the train from Miami to Vermont (pictured above).</div></div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-12209985176108837002023-12-07T17:14:00.000-08:002023-12-11T20:40:18.806-08:00 Homelessness is a Housing Supply Problem<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvByr4nlVBq4gXrc4PZW8RNTBKjEyXCKO_nxqpG7MEiWdNMfSS1wfmteTXRRJq5hG7R6wF9iCXrSm6cAI1lJUav673oDCXowiwXz0_EkUviZ6oegGjucQ3AneA7ANIaN2GHruuZjOScKtEeIR5BVgwOD9w0bhI3hU5e8h_XhpauBNfvIyGwoDgVqsOdCb/s2560/9780520383784.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1707" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvByr4nlVBq4gXrc4PZW8RNTBKjEyXCKO_nxqpG7MEiWdNMfSS1wfmteTXRRJq5hG7R6wF9iCXrSm6cAI1lJUav673oDCXowiwXz0_EkUviZ6oegGjucQ3AneA7ANIaN2GHruuZjOScKtEeIR5BVgwOD9w0bhI3hU5e8h_XhpauBNfvIyGwoDgVqsOdCb/s320/9780520383784.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div>Imagine two games of musical chairs. In both, half of the participants are wearing blindfolds. However, in one, only one chair is removed when the music stops, while in the second, five are. In both games, those wearing blindfolds are more likely to be left standing, but in the former game, at least four will locate a chair, while in the latter, it is possible that all five will not.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>Gregg Colburn and Clayton Page Aldern, authors of <a href="https://homelessnesshousingproblem.com" target="_blank">Homelessness Is a Housing Problem</a>, use musical chairs to illustrate two aspects of homelessness. One is that those who are suffering from a disability (i.e., blindfolded), such as mental illness, substance abuse, and poverty, are more likely to become homeless (i.e., left standing). The second is that how many individuals become homeless is a function of supply. If there are enough chairs (homes), then even the blindfolded (disabled) will find a seat.</div><div><br /></div><div>Colburn and Aldern show that cities and counties where the supply of housing keeps up with demand have much lower rates of homelessness than those that do not. Further, a lack of supply drives up the cost of housing, making “affordable” housing unaffordable for most.</div><div><br /></div><div>Where has the supply of housing kept up with demand? In cities like Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, and San Antonio, where it is relatively easy to construct homes and apartments. Other cities, such as Chicago, Detroit, and St. Louis, also enjoy low homelessness rates, not because it is “easy” to build there but because the demand for housing has fallen in recent years. Where hasn't supply kept up with demand? In cities like Los Angeles, New York, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle, where various constraints make the construction of housing slow and difficult. It is not a coincidence that it is this latter category of cities with the highest rates of homelessness.</div><div><br /></div><div>Numerous factors make the construction of homes and apartments difficult. Four of the more common are (1) geography (water and mountains), (2) long and expensive permitting processes, (3) low and no-growth policies, and (4) parking minimums. The first two are relatively intuitive. The supply of buildable land is greater in areas with few or no mountains, rivers, and oceans, so all else equal, the supply of housing will be greater while the cost will be lower. Similarly, the more difficult it is to acquire building permits, the longer it will take to respond to demand, and the more costly the resulting construction will be.</div><div><br /></div><div>The impact of low and no-growth policies is also relatively intuitive. Growth limits keep the supply of available land low. What may not be apparent, however, is that these policies often limit how “high” buildings can go, and if builders can't go up, they will go out, eating up the supply of land and increasing the cost of housing. Notably, “building higher” is also good for the environment. People living in high-rises have a smaller carbon footprint than those who don't. This is documented in Edward Glaeser's book, <a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2013/12/why-skyscrapers-can-be-green.html" target="_blank">Triumph of the City</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, parking minimums limit how “high” buildings can go (see previous paragraph) and eat up land that could be used for housing. Researchers estimate there are three to eight parking places for every vehicle in the U.S. Henry Graber, author of <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/634461/paved-paradise-by-henry-grabar/" target="_blank">Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World</a>, notes, “<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/07/cars-parking-take-up-street-space-cities/674174/" target="_blank">More square footage is dedicated to parking each car than to housing each person</a>.” However, not only does all this excess parking drive up the cost of housing and contribute to the homelessness crisis, but it is also bad for the environment. All that extra asphalt makes cities hotter and contributes to global warming. Also, when parking spots are plentiful, people are more likely to drive from spot-to-spot rather than walk, bike, or use public transportation.</div><div><br /></div><div>The bottom line is that there are tradeoffs when addressing homelessness. High rises may not be as aesthetically pleasing as the alternatives, but they are better for the environment and can help reduce homelessness. Similarly, it’s nice when parking is convenient and free. But free parking comes with a cost: hotter cities, elevated home prices, and higher rates of homelessness. Take your pick. I vote for lower rates of homelessness.</div><div><br /></div><div>If I've piqued your interest, watch this short video (17 minutes) by Gregg Colburn: </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/acrOrhff5ng" width="320" youtube-src-id="acrOrhff5ng"></iframe></div><br /><div>Also, consider the following:</div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Gregg Colburn and Clayton Page Aldern, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Homelessness-Housing-Problem-Structural-Patterns/dp/0520383788/ref=sr_1_1?crid=EESOO9N7UOK0&keywords=homelessness+is+a+housing+problem+by+colburn&qid=1701997759&sprefix=homelessness+i%2Caps%2C148&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Homelessness is a Housing Problem</a> (University of California Press)</li><li>Edward Glaeser, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Triumph-City-Greatest-Invention-Healthier/dp/0143120549/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" target="_blank">Triumph of the City</a> (Penguin Books)</li><li>Henry Graber, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/634461/paved-paradise-by-henry-grabar/" target="_blank">Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World</a> (Penguin Press)</li><li>Dante Ramos, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/07/cars-parking-take-up-street-space-cities/674174/" target="_blank">How Parking Ruined Everything</a> (The Atlantic)</li><li>Donald Shoup, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/High-Cost-Free-Parking-Updated/dp/193236496X" target="_blank">The High Cost of Free Parking</a> (Routledge)</li></ul></div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-208953494898941942023-10-12T20:49:00.008-07:002023-10-17T14:40:15.619-07:00The 100-Win Teams Are Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9NcRUmu4H6b5aR639MPrI_WvxFVMboO_GpUpLK0KgLsT57WpnffdQooRxCSmPfOuoeB2elNp1L8dhmy-BqCwpTfKgO6l8eMJiBY9tK1jmK3vKFaygL5JkiVGZNbkLFc71jrHYLAaUUHwhkc2RdvJvTMyFzo0HU-5AAB6P7bll6KrAT4cXfqwF078aOQE/s320/41It8IwFxAL._SX336_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="217" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9NcRUmu4H6b5aR639MPrI_WvxFVMboO_GpUpLK0KgLsT57WpnffdQooRxCSmPfOuoeB2elNp1L8dhmy-BqCwpTfKgO6l8eMJiBY9tK1jmK3vKFaygL5JkiVGZNbkLFc71jrHYLAaUUHwhkc2RdvJvTMyFzo0HU-5AAB6P7bll6KrAT4cXfqwF078aOQE/s1600/41It8IwFxAL._SX336_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>Major League Baseball's top teams during the regular season - the Atlanta Braves (104 wins), the Baltimore Orioles (101 wins), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (100 wins) - were all eliminated in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Some will argue that it's because of their long layoff between the end of the regular season and the beginning of the 2nd round (all had 1st-round byes). But, that doesn't account for why the Houston Astros, which also had a 1st-round bye, did move on when they beat the Minnesota Twins or why the 99-win Tampa Bay Rays, which didn't have a 1st-round bye, lost in the 1st round.<br /><br />A more likely explanation is that when you have short series (3-game, 5-game), there are going to be upsets. Good hitting and pitching teams have slumps. I'm sure if one looked back over the regular season, we'd find stretches where the Braves, Orioles, and Dodgers didn't pitch or hit well (I fondly remember the Giants sweeping the Dodgers back in June, outscoring them 29-8 over 3 games). During the regular season, those slumps tend to even out (Dodgers made the playoffs; the Giants didn't). In the post season, however, they don't.<div><div><br /></div><div>Notably, even a 7-game series isn't long enough to guarantee that the best team will win. As statistician Leonard Mlodino has noted, if one team is expected beat the other 55 percent of the time, the weaker team will still win a 7-game series about 4 times out of 10. Or, if one team is expected to beat another team, on average, 2/3 of the time, the other team will still win a 7-game series about 20 percent of the time. In fact, in the latter case, teams would have to play a series consisting of at least 23 games to guarantee that the best team will win. And in the case of one team having "only" a 55–45 edge, the shortest series that would guarantee the best team won the series would be 269 games.<div><br /></div><div>That's a lot of games.</div></div></div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-2966680313098797242023-07-29T12:16:00.006-07:002023-07-29T12:18:07.658-07:00BIRGing (Basking in Reflected Glory): How Our Social Identities Affect Our Perceptions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV36M-ygUGcIutexvWjaGe7kZ0yVg1zVECkKcDzaLS_Frkejow7xMma6tVOibGXV3MFGKpVKgsvA_Gs5CFi4Cs-xm9wx17Cq__RtIv9gvQd7fZFu9g2zx-elrlQZ32JxfD-JJzWnkAnr9QMjS6WhIKIOL9Z7KLahTRBWx4Uz2qAa0_SAq3TStcMuAPj-s3/s800/ingroup-bias.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="800" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV36M-ygUGcIutexvWjaGe7kZ0yVg1zVECkKcDzaLS_Frkejow7xMma6tVOibGXV3MFGKpVKgsvA_Gs5CFi4Cs-xm9wx17Cq__RtIv9gvQd7fZFu9g2zx-elrlQZ32JxfD-JJzWnkAnr9QMjS6WhIKIOL9Z7KLahTRBWx4Uz2qAa0_SAq3TStcMuAPj-s3/w400-h254/ingroup-bias.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>In a study back in the 1970s, researchers found that people are more likely to wear team paraphernalia after “their” team wins than win it loses. Known as BIRGing (Basking in Reflected Glory), it is a benign and somewhat humorous example of how our social identities impact how we think of ourselves. Decades of research (see references below) has found that our sense of who we are and feelings of self-worth are due, in part, to our group and organizational affiliations. It isn’t only our accomplishments that drive our sense of self; it’s also the accomplishments of the groups with which we affiliate. Our membership in these groups impacts our perceived status in this world and our self-esteem.</div><br />Notably, researchers have found that we typically evaluate members of our group better than we do out-group members. Early studies focused on how this phenomenon impacted prejudice, but in recent years studies have examined how it drives political polarization (Mason, 2018; Bail, 2021) and lone-wolf terrorism (Sageman, 2017). Nationalism, or at least its more pernicious manifestations, can also reflect this (see the cartoon above).<br /><br />Which group membership is salient at a particular time depends on the situation. However, researchers have found it’s easy to “trigger” (activate) a social identity. Consider this quote from Lev Golinkin, a Ukrainian writer living in the U.S.:<br /><blockquote>President Vladimir Putin of Russia, who denies that Ukraine is a sovereign nation, is waging far more than a physical war: He, like his predecessors in the Kremlin, is working to erase the very concept of Ukraine from existence. With each new report of a Russian bombing, I find myself becoming more Ukrainian, seizing the identity that first the Soviet Union—and now Russia—has long fought to suppress.” (“<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/02/opinion/ukraine-putin-stalin-history.html" target="_blank">The Ukraine of My Childhood Is Being Erased</a>”)</blockquote>In my previous post on <a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2023/07/social-media-and-political-polarization.html" target="_blank">social media and political polarization</a>, I note that Chris Bail has found that social media offers us platforms that we can use to “enhance” our self-esteem, which we cannot obtain solely on our own. People who troll others on social media don’t do it to change the minds of others but to impress those within their online “communities,” regardless of how small or large they are.<br /><br />Documenting this phenomenon doesn’t solve problems such as prejudice, terrorism, or political polarization. However, the more we know about it, the less likely we will succumb to it mindlessly.<br /><br /><b>References</b><br /><br />Bail, Christopher A. 2021. <i>Breaking the Social Media Prisim: How to Make Our Platforms Less Polarizing</i>. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.<br /><br />Cialdini, Robert B., Richard J. Borden, Avril Thorne, Marcus Randall Walker, Stephen Freeman, and Lloyd Reynolds Sloan. 1976. “Basking in Reflected Glory: Three (Football) Field Studies.” <i>Journal of Personality and Social Psychology</i> 34:366-75. <br /><br />Mason, Lilliana. 2018. <i>Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity</i>. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press.<br /><br />Miller, Kevin P., Marilynn B. Brewer, and Nathan L. Arbuckle. 2009. “Social Identity Complexity: Its Correlates and Antecedents.” <i>Group Processes & Intergroup Relations</i> 12(1):79-94. doi: 10.1177/1368430208098778<br /><br />Sageman, Marc. 2017. <i>Misunderstanding Terrorism</i>. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.<br /><br />Sherif, Muzafer, O. J. Harvey, B. Jack White, William R. Hood, and Carolyn W. Sherif. 1988. <i>The Robbers Cave Experiment: Intergroup Conflict and Cooperation</i>. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press.<br /><br />Tajfel, Henri. 1970. “Experiments in Intergroup Discrimination.” <i>Scientific American</i> 223(5):96-103. <br /><br />Tajfel, Henri, and John C. Turner. 1982. “The Social Identity Theory of Intergroup Behavior.” Pp. 7-24 in <i>Psychology of Intergroup Relations</i>, edited by S. Worchel and W. G. Austin. Chicago, IL: Nelson-Hall.Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-74931504589239827642023-07-22T17:10:00.004-07:002024-03-05T18:02:03.020-08:00Social Media and Political Polarization<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-d8LCr6TmzN5wppFfiIC6Vw-8_5lj84kSzi-kATHhHHtkUmXpyMiMqh36Fbv30DHmoz0NkHWIIUif38bDxDNbLNzMfnLkQqgivpuqzVw7fGDI-Qpp5GDZRMi6mlpo_94d_Zk7UPtovlQ8re1aMB139ngxTHtGBEaLV7eol8FYme0KF4Jhl61g2XVoVji/s638/9780691203423.jpg.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-d8LCr6TmzN5wppFfiIC6Vw-8_5lj84kSzi-kATHhHHtkUmXpyMiMqh36Fbv30DHmoz0NkHWIIUif38bDxDNbLNzMfnLkQqgivpuqzVw7fGDI-Qpp5GDZRMi6mlpo_94d_Zk7UPtovlQ8re1aMB139ngxTHtGBEaLV7eol8FYme0KF4Jhl61g2XVoVji/s320/9780691203423.jpg.webp" width="206" /></a></div>In a recent paper about the QAnon conversation on Twitter (“<a href="https://sciendo.com/article/10.21307/joss-2022-002" target="_blank">A Network Analysis of Twitter’s Crackdown on the QAnon Conversation</a>”), Dan Cunningham and I concluded social media platform such as Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, etc. could adjust their algorithms to expose users to multiple points of view and potentially form ties with those who don’t share their opinions. As an illustration, we relate the story of Ashley Vanderbilt, who, after the November 2020 election, spent much of her time consuming QAnon-related social media. By “inauguration day, she was convinced that if… Joe Biden took office, the United States would literally turn into a communist country” (O’Sullivan 2021). This occurred because she kept clicking on videos suggested by TikTok:<div></div><blockquote><div>It’s there, she says, that she was first introduced to QAnon… She mostly followed entertainment accounts on the platform, but as the election neared she began interacting with pro-Trump and anti-Biden TikTok videos. Soon, she says, TikTok’s “For You” page, an algorithmically determined feed in the app that suggests videos a user might like, was showing her video after video of conspiracy theories. (O’Sullivan 2021)</div><div></div></blockquote><div>We assumed that many people who are active on social media have become “trapped” in echo chambers that reinforce and radicalize their views. Thus, exposing people to alternative viewpoints helps them step outside their echo chambers, which leads them to moderate their views.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our argument has an intuitive logic, but research by Chris Bail of Duke University and the head of the “<a href="https://www.polarizationlab.com" target="_blank">Polarization Lab</a>” challenges this line of thinking. Specifically, he and his collaborators have found that exposing people to alternative viewpoints has the opposite effect. When people step outside their echo chambers, they experience it as an “attack upon their identity” (“<a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691203423/breaking-the-social-media-prism" target="_blank">Breaking the Social Media Prism</a>,” p. 31). He tells the story of Patty, a moderate-to-progressive Democrat:</div><div><blockquote>Patty did not focus on the moderate messages retweeted by center-right Twitter accounts. Rather, she was captivated by the uncivil or ad hominem attacks on Democrats by several of the more extreme conservatives [that were] retweeted. The worst of these attacks were previously obscured by her echo chamber, but now Patty was experiencing the full scale of partisan warfare for the first time… Patty came to realize that there was a war going on, and she had to choose a side (pp. 31-32).</blockquote></div><div>Bail relates similar stories of political conservatives whose views became more radicalized when exposed to retweets from moderate and liberal Democrats. He notes, “For both types of people, stepping outside the echo chamber was not creating a better competition of ideas, but a vicious competition of identities” (p. 39).</div><div><br /></div><div>He contends social media platforms offer us an outlet that we can use to “enhance” our sense of who we are. <a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/social-identity-theory.html" target="_blank">Decades of research</a> has found that membership in social groups (e.g., political parties, faith communities) can enhance our self-esteem, which we cannot obtain solely on our own. This is “often driven by the process of drawing boundaries between ourselves and others we deem to be less capable, honest, or moral. The sense of superiority that we derive from categorizing people into groups of ‘us’ and ‘them’ fulfills our intrinsic need for status” (p. 49).</div><div><br /></div><div>Bail and his colleagues found that those who engage in extreme online behavior (i.e., “trolls”) don’t do it to change the minds of others, but to impress people within their online “communities,” regardless of how small or large they are. The people most likely to troll others are those who feel “marginalized, lonely, or disempowered in their off-line lives” (p. 66):</div><blockquote><div>Social media offer such social outcasts another path. Even if the fame extremists generate has little significance beyond small groups of other outcasts, the research my colleagues and I conducted suggests that social media give extremists a sense of purpose, community, and—most importantly—self-worth” (pp. 66-67)</div></blockquote><div>If you’re wondering, they document examples of this for people on both sides of the political spectrum—in other words, this isn’t just a conservative or liberal thing. Bail and his colleagues also found that</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Online extremism tends to drive moderates offline or convinces them the rewards of posting their opinions online are less than the cost. People who post right-of-center or left-of-center opinions are often attacked and/or harassed by extremists. And not all of these attacks come from people on the other side of the political spectrum. Moderates are often attacked by extremists from their own side for not being sufficiently conservative or liberal (p. 79).</li><li>Thus, while social media provides extremists “with a sense of status they lack in their everyday lives,” for moderates, “the opposite is often true.” Discussing politics online simply isn’t worth it (p. 77).</li><li>Most people online don’t discuss politics online. For example, “Across all tweets from U.S. adults, just 13% focused on national politics.” And those who do “are mostly extremists” (p. 82).</li><li>The relative absence of moderate views on online discussions has led to what is knowns as “false polarization,” which is “the tendency for people to overestimate the amount of ideological differences between themselves and people from other political parties” (p. 75).</li><li>The “partisan perception gap—that is, the extent to which people exaggerated the ideological extremism from the other party—was significantly greater among those who used social media to get their news” (p. 76).</li><li>Research has found that issue polarization is not as great as social polarization. That is, people are not as far apart on particular issues as many of us assume we are (e.g., see “<a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/U/bo27527354.html" target="_blank">Uncivil Agreement</a>” and “<a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/07/13/the-american-left-and-right-loathe-each-other-and-agree-on-a-lot" target="_blank">The American left and right loathe each other and agree on a lot</a>”).</li><li>Although stepping outside of our echo chambers (for those of us who are in them) can push us toward more extreme positions, how we respond to alternative views is a function of the “distance” between them and our preexisting ideas. If they are within “our latitude of acceptance (a range of attitudes about a given issue that an individual finds acceptable or reasonable even if they don’t agree with them a priori), then people will be more motivated to engage with the viewpoint and perhaps even move closer to it” (p. 108)</li></ul></div><div>Based on their findings, Bail and his colleagues argue that moderate voices are crucial for keeping online discussions more civil (less polarizing). After all, most Americans embrace moderate views, although, as we saw above, false polarization keeps most Americans from seeing this. Thus, they have concluded that we need social media platforms where moderates feel welcome, and extremists are not rewarded for their abusive behavior.<br /><br />To this end, they conducted an experiment to see if they could create a social media platform that encouraged less polarizing online discussions. They created a mobile app called DiscussIt, where two people could discuss issues anonymously. For the experiment, they recruited 1,200 Republicans and Democrats, who were assigned a particular topic to discuss and then (unbeknownst to them) matched with someone from the opposing party. Bail et al. were encouraged by the results:</div><div><blockquote>The results of the experiment make me cautiously optimistic about the power of anonymity. People who used DiscussIt exhibited significantly lower levels of polarization after using it for just a short time. Many people expressed fewer negative attitudes toward the other party or subscribed less strongly to stereotypes about them. Many others expressed more moderate views about the political issues they discussed or social policies designed to address them… Most surprising to me, however, is that an overwhelming majority of people told us they enjoyed using our social media platform, even though they had no incentive to do so… Several users even asked how much the app would cost when it is released to the public (p. 125).</blockquote><div>Presently, social media platforms like <i>DiscussIt</i> are unavailable, but we can still take constructive steps toward making social media less polarizing:</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Don’t attack, harass, or troll people who disagree with your views. We can’t control what others do, but we can control what we do. If you can’t say it civilly, don’t say it. You won’t change anyone’s mind behaving like a jerk.</li><li>Don’t “Like,” retweet, or even comment on extremist online comments. Most are posted by people seeking attention and status. Deny them that satisfaction.</li><li>Patronize social media platforms where polarizing discussions are few and far between. This could encourage other platforms to follow suit (clearly, a long-term strategy).</li><li>If you do engage in a political discussion with someone online, choose someone who appears to be within your “latitude of acceptance” (and vice versa). If you do, you might find yourself in the midst of a constructive (and civil) conversation.</li></ul><div>Finally, pay Chris Bail’s “<a href="https://www.polarizationlab.com" target="_blank">Polarization Lab</a>” a visit. Better yet, read his book. It includes a number of suggestions for making social media more constructive and civil. It isn’t cheap since it is published by an academic press (Princeton). However, used copies can be found, and your local library should be able to track down a copy.</div><div><br /></div><b>Articles and Books Cited</b>:<br /><br />Christopher A. Bail. 2021. <i><a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691203423/breaking-the-social-media-prism" target="_blank">Breaking the Social Media Prisim: How to Make Our Platforms Less Polarizing</a></i>. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.<br /><br /></div><div>Daniel Cunningham and Sean F. Everton. 2022. “<a href="https://sciendo.com/article/10.21307/joss-2022-002" target="_blank">A Network Analysis of Twitter’s Crackdown on the QAnon Conversation</a>.” <i>Journal of Social Structure</i> 23:4-27.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Economist. 2023. <i>The Economist</i>. “<a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/07/13/the-american-left-and-right-loathe-each-other-and-agree-on-a-lot" target="_blank">The American left and right loathe each other and agree on a lot</a>.”</div><div><br />Lilliana Mason. 2018. <i><a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/U/bo27527354.html" target="_blank">Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity</a></i>. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.</div><div><br /></div><div>Donie O’Sullivan. 2021. “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/03/tech/qanon-mom-former-believer/index.html" target="_blank">She Was Stunned by Biden’s Inauguration. How This South Carolina Mom Escaped QAnon</a>.” <i>CNN Business</i>.</div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-45314881591357310822022-11-26T10:51:00.002-08:002022-11-26T10:57:58.218-08:0025 Christmas Movies for the Holiday Season<p>Here's my annual post of Christmas movies worth watching this holiday season. Not all are technically "Christmas" movies, but in some way they're related to the Christmas season. As always, I've updated the list a bit from last year.</p><div><span class="s1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YFDNNA94O5E/X8M_rDJrkWI/AAAAAAAAF7Y/a5xObNtxWikPth_0hbv-CLmNqKwb7kiggCLcBGAsYHQ/s720/unnamed.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="720" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YFDNNA94O5E/X8M_rDJrkWI/AAAAAAAAF7Y/a5xObNtxWikPth_0hbv-CLmNqKwb7kiggCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/unnamed.webp" width="320" /></a></div>1. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bishop's_Wife" target="_blank">The Bishop's Wife</a> (Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven)</span><div><br /></div><div>Dejected by his efforts to raise money to build a cathedral, Bishop Henry Brougham (David Niven) beseeches heaven for guidance, and is visited immediately by an angel Dudley (Cary Grant). Henry, as a good theological liberal, is skeptical and then becomes annoyed when Dudley wins the attentions of Henry's long-suffering wife, Julia (Loretta Young). Dudley falls for Julia, but in the end Julia tells him it's time for him to go. Dudley leaves, all memory of him is erased, and later that night at the Christmas Eve service when Henry delivers his sermon, Dudley watches from the street. If this plot sounds familiar, it was remade as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Preacher%27s_Wife" target="_blank">The Preacher's Wife</a> starring Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston in 1996. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="s2">2. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Charlie_Brown_Christmas">A Charlie Brown Christmas</a></span> (Charles Schultz)</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m0oPUfBjTfQ/XAzVtwYZNtI/AAAAAAAAFQo/1keuGewhOUUqnN_59-lmZYBiPsEAh-yZACLcBGAs/s1600/BahiDUGIgAAESAm.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="599" height="239" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m0oPUfBjTfQ/XAzVtwYZNtI/AAAAAAAAFQo/1keuGewhOUUqnN_59-lmZYBiPsEAh-yZACLcBGAs/s320/BahiDUGIgAAESAm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It's been over 50 years since "A Charlie Brown Christmas" first appeared on TV. It's probably the best of the Charlie Brown movies (although "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" is right up there) and is one of the few Christmas movies that refers to the biblical story. After Charlie Brown asks, "Can anyone tell me what Christmas is all about?," Linus quotes Luke 2:8-14:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.'"</blockquote><div class="p3">And then Linus concludes, "... and that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown." Amen.</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p4"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x7EHCu9y_pU/UqAhcOB5gMI/AAAAAAAAChg/_EYj-mU-R5c/s1600/Christmas+Carol.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x7EHCu9y_pU/UqAhcOB5gMI/AAAAAAAAChg/_EYj-mU-R5c/s1600/Christmas+Carol.jpeg" /></a></div>3. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol_(1984_film)"><span class="s3">A Christmas Carol</span></a> (George C. Scott, David Warner, Susannah York, Roger Rees)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">There are several great versions of Charles Dickens's "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol"><span class="s3">A Christmas Carol</span></a>," but this is my favorite. Scott is (was) such a great actor. When he (Ebenezer Scrooge) yells, "Mr. Cratchit!", there's little doubt that he holds poor Bob in contempt. And, the supporting cast is quite good. David Warner (who once upon a time played a reporter in "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Omen" target="_blank">The Omen</a>") is an excellent Bob Cratchit, as is Susannah York as Mrs. Cratchit (<b>Note</b>: two of York's children played two of the Cratchit children). And I really like Roger Rees as Scrooge's nephew, Fred. Finally, Angela Pleasence and Edward Woodward are excellent as the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present, respectively. There are, of course, several other versions are worth considering, such as the one with Alastair Sim as Scrooge ("<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrooge_(1951_film)"><span class="s3">A Christmas Carol</span></a>"). When I was kid, I was especially taken with "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Magoo%27s_Christmas_Carol"><span class="s3">Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol</span></a>." Jonathan Winters' reading of <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4225458"><span class="s3">Dickens's</span></a> book is also quite good.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_Connecticut" target="_blank"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_Connecticut" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S3doPVe5gyI/X9BXUJ_5K2I/AAAAAAAAF74/wSFGfSQpBCIdr3uKx7N4naWkEgfEmzTHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/MV5BNTRmYzUyMjctMWM5ZS00NTExLTgzMjctN2MwZjA2OWJjMjIyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc0MzMzNjA%2540._V1_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S3doPVe5gyI/X9BXUJ_5K2I/AAAAAAAAF74/wSFGfSQpBCIdr3uKx7N4naWkEgfEmzTHgCLcBGAsYHQ/w213-h320/MV5BNTRmYzUyMjctMWM5ZS00NTExLTgzMjctN2MwZjA2OWJjMjIyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc0MzMzNjA%2540._V1_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>4. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_Connecticut" target="_blank">Christmas in Connecticut</a> (Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet)</div><div><br /></div><div>While recovering in a hospital, war hero Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan) grows familiar with the "Diary of a Housewife" column written by Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck). Jeff's nurse arranges with Elizabeth's publisher, Alexander Yardley (Sydney Greenstreet), for Jeff to spend the holiday at Elizabeth's Connecticut farm with her husband and child. However, the column's a sham. Facing a career-ending scandal, not only for herself but for her editor, Elizabeth is forced to comply. In desperation, she agrees to marry her friend, John, who has a farm in Connecticut. She also enlists the help of her uncle, a chef, who's been giving her the recipes for her column. Elizabeth and John plan to be married immediately by Judge Crowthers, but Jefferson arrives, interrupting the ceremony, and it's love at first sight between Elizabeth and Jefferson. To complicate things, Jefferson has a fiancée, but that isn't as straightforward as it seems either.</div><div><br /></div><div class="p3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tjHXA2gIGu4/UqAhuKGMd6I/AAAAAAAACho/9htQ1rwso_A/s1600/movie_achristmasstory_645x360_121620110557.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tjHXA2gIGu4/UqAhuKGMd6I/AAAAAAAACho/9htQ1rwso_A/s320/movie_achristmasstory_645x360_121620110557.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>5. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Story">A Christmas Story</a> (Peter Billingsley, Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon)<br /><br />Adapted from a memoir by Jean Shepherd (who narrates the film), the movie is primarily about Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), a young boy living in Indiana in the 1940s who desperately wants a Red Rider BB gun for Christmas and tries to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that it's the perfect gift for him, while they counter that he'll shoot his eye out. In 2012, the film was selected for preservation in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Film_Registry">National Film Registry</a> by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Congress">Library of Congress</a> for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." I confess that it isn't one of my favorites, but I'm clearly in the minority.</div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="p3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ksrcwat_kqA/UqAiTa_iXkI/AAAAAAAACh0/x8KaVNyaByA/s1600/skipping.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ksrcwat_kqA/UqAiTa_iXkI/AAAAAAAACh0/x8KaVNyaByA/s1600/skipping.jpeg" /></a></div>6. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_with_the_Kranks">Christmas with the Kranks</a> (Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Akroyd)</div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div>It's too bad that the movie's producers didn't keep the title of John Grisham's book on which the movie is based: "Skipping Christmas" (see picture at right). The movie's title leads people to expect one kind of movie when in fact it's something quite different. It tells the story of a couple (Luther and Nora Krank) who, because their daughter (Blair) is going to be Peru for Christmas, working for the Peace Corps, decide to skip Christmas (i.e., don't buy a Christmas tree, hold their annual Christmas party, decorate their house, etc.), and use the money they save to go on a cruise. Their decision to skip Christmas sit poorly with their neighbors (especially Dan Akroyd), who pressure them to get into the holiday spirit. A battle, of sorts, plays out between the Kranks and their neighbors. Then Luther and Nora learn that Blair coming home for Christmas (with her fiancé), and they have less than 24 hours to prepare for their annual party. How the neighborhood comes together to pull this off and what Luther does with their cruise tickets speaks to the true meaning of Christmas.</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p5"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nk1MfO9Ofyk/UqAiitcS8LI/AAAAAAAACh8/2P3iRwnvhwk/s1600/Willis.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nk1MfO9Ofyk/UqAiitcS8LI/AAAAAAAACh8/2P3iRwnvhwk/s1600/Willis.jpeg" /></a></div>7. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Hard"><span class="s3">Die Hard</span></a> (Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">OK. Not your traditional Christmas movie. In fact, there's a debate as to whether it really is (see "<a href="https://www.economist.com/prospero/2019/12/06/is-die-hard-a-christmas-film" target="_blank">Is 'Die Hard' a Christmas Film?</a>"). I obviously fall on the side of those who think it it. It takes place on Christmas Eve, is a battle between good and evil, and includes some traditional (and not so traditional) Christmas songs. It stars Bruce Willis as NY city police detective John McClane, who flies to LA to reconcile with his wife. He meets her at her company's Christmas party, but while he's changing clothes in the men's room, the party's taken over by a terrorist group (headed by Hans Gruber -- played by Alan Rickman, who a few years later played Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies), which holds them hostage, all except for McClane, who sneaks away before they know he's there. The rest of the movie is the battle between McClane (good) and Gruber (evil) and includes a lot of classic lines ("Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs..."; Yippee ki-yay...").</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p5"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Bw6XsW__eQ/UqAiwjkxLxI/AAAAAAAACiE/-SgDLED925A/s1600/Elf-SoundTRAX-Header.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Bw6XsW__eQ/UqAiwjkxLxI/AAAAAAAACiE/-SgDLED925A/s200/Elf-SoundTRAX-Header.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>8. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf_(film)"><span class="s3">Elf</span></a> (Will Ferrell, Bob Newhart, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel)</div><div class="p3"><br />This movie is too fun. Will Ferrell is great as someone (Buddy) who thinks he's one of Santa's elves but is actually a human being who, through a twist of fate, was adopted by an elf (Bob Newhart) when just a baby. Unfortunately, he's not a very good at elf things (e.g., making toys), and once he learns that he's not an elf, he heads to New York where his biological father (James Caan) lives. There he falls in love with Jovie (Zooey Deschanel), helps NY recapture the Christmas spirit, and has a heck of a lot of fun along the way (well, most of the time). The movie is also educational. We learn, for instance, that the four main elvish food groups are candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup. There's also allusions to other Christmas classics like "Miracle on 34th Street" and "Rudolph, the Red Nose Reindeer" (see #18 and #20 below).</div><div class="p5"><br /></div><div class="p3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gz5x5uIXDPI/UqAi2hkCDuI/AAAAAAAACiM/2f8W9aSRTTc/s1600/Family+man.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gz5x5uIXDPI/UqAi2hkCDuI/AAAAAAAACiM/2f8W9aSRTTc/s200/Family+man.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>9. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_Man"><span class="s3">The Family Man</span></a> (Nicholas Cage, Tea Leoni, Don Cheadle)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">One of my favorites. It's is a cross between "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Carol." It tells the story of Jack Campbell (JC = Jesus Christ?; his boss/advisor is named Peter), played by Nicholas Cage, who chooses to spend the year after graduating from college in London as an investment banker rather remaining in New York with his girl friend (Tea Leoni). Unsurprisingly, the relationship doesn't survive, and when the movie begins (13 years later), Cage is a successful investment banker who loves money and fine things, but cares little for women or family. However, when he wakes up one Christmas morning, he's living the life he would've lived if he hadn't moved to London. He's married (to Tea Leoni), has two kids, and works as a car tire salesman (for his wife's father - Big Ed). Although he initially despises this life, he eventually comes to love it more than the one in which he drove fast cars, wore designer suits, and had his pick of women. The movie's climax occurs after he wakes up back in his old life, tracks down his old girlfriend, and convinces her not to leave for Paris to take a new job.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1cQQpCnjcow/XBaD8dPfIOI/AAAAAAAAFRY/Xkk6ZqfKzIUFRvmpSodClqRNEs5MLI4NQCLcBGAs/s1600/family%2Bstone.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1207" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1cQQpCnjcow/XBaD8dPfIOI/AAAAAAAAFRY/Xkk6ZqfKzIUFRvmpSodClqRNEs5MLI4NQCLcBGAs/s320/family%2Bstone.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>10. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_Stone">The Family Stone</a> (Claire Danes, Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Dermot Mulroney, Craig T. Nelson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Luke Wilson)<br /><br />This tells the story about a Christmas gathering of the Stone family when the eldest son (Dermot Mulroney) brings his very uptight girlfriend (Sarah Jessica Parker) home with him to introduce her to his family, as well as propose to her with his grandmother's wedding ring. Parker's reception by Mulroney's family -- played by Diane Keaton (mom, who is dying), Craig T. Nelson (dad), Rachel McAdams (younger sister), Elizabeth Reaser (older sister), Luke Wilson (younger brother), and Tyrone Giordano (youngest brother) - is chilly, to say the least. So chilly, in fact, that Parker begs her sister (Claire Danes) to join her. Mulroney ends up falling for Danes (and vice versa), Wilson for Parker (and vice versa), and McAdams for her ex-boyfriend (and vice versa) played by Paul Schneider. Chaos ensues, poignancy follows, and although it was greeted with mixed reviews, it has become a holiday favorite for many.</div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="p3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfv6Z3XTL_BBDpi4tvbiwihHRVvdBMAy2PSTr-KduIzr1OXwdXqrYS6-6yJxCtK_2GihhEvRt9JVtf6nrHIo4NhiIUEQF_wFkwnFg7IS4hAjVoypOV6qSDqeIqSZQl_FS_BnfxRpF4zBTOQeZJKT97d-vCEqyr_MRSd_rUF-XI9DyuXmhbTFH2T02E1g=s1822" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1822" data-original-width="1588" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfv6Z3XTL_BBDpi4tvbiwihHRVvdBMAy2PSTr-KduIzr1OXwdXqrYS6-6yJxCtK_2GihhEvRt9JVtf6nrHIo4NhiIUEQF_wFkwnFg7IS4hAjVoypOV6qSDqeIqSZQl_FS_BnfxRpF4zBTOQeZJKT97d-vCEqyr_MRSd_rUF-XI9DyuXmhbTFH2T02E1g=s320" width="279" /></a></div>11. <a href="http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/christmas" target="_blank">Hallmark Christmas Movies</a> (Various)<br /><br />There isn't one Hallmark Christmas movie, of course. There are hundreds. A new one premiers every weekend beginning in October. And almost without exception, they're corny and predictable. They're almost always a love story, and one or other of the (future) couple has sworn off Christmas because of some bad experience (e.g., divorce, death in the family). Moreover, you can pretty much count on them breaking up with about 15 minutes to go (usually due to some sort of lack of communication) and then getting back together with only a few seconds left on the clock (before the next movie starts). However, in a world that seems hell-bent on becoming more polarized, I (and evidently several others) can do with a corny (cue the next movie on the list...).<div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XVea8O7tnas/X8MiBMOQn7I/AAAAAAAAF6Y/z3xRy2vxiJU6GhbAlW_G-vbCX3aqjnwHACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/3f039e06c5ee3bf607403811e581462f.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="359" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XVea8O7tnas/X8MiBMOQn7I/AAAAAAAAF6Y/z3xRy2vxiJU6GhbAlW_G-vbCX3aqjnwHACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/3f039e06c5ee3bf607403811e581462f.jpg" /></a></div>12. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holiday"><span class="s3">The Holiday</span></a> (Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Eli Wallach)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">Definitely one our family's holiday favorites. This movie tells the story of two women (Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet) who, suffering from guy-problems, swap homes with each other (they don't know on another -- they "meet" through an on-line home exchange website) where they each meet someone and fall in love. Diaz's character (Amanda) lives in LA, is a producer of movie trailers, and breaks up with her boy friend after she discovers that he's cheated on her. Winslet (Iris) is a journalist working in London, who's in love with someone who wants to keep her around but doesn't want to commit. When she learns that he's engaged to another journalist, she becomes suicidal, but luckily chooses to spend the holidays in LA instead. A side story concerns elderly gentleman (Eli Wallach--the "Ugly" from "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good,_the_Bad_and_the_Ugly"><span class="s3">The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly</span></a>"), who lives near Amanda and whom Iris befriends. It turns out that Wallach is a widowed and retired screen writer whom the screen writer's guild wants to honor. He doesn't want to attend, but Iris talks him into it. I believe Wallach should've at least received a best supporting actor nomination for his role, but this isn't the type of movie that actors and actresses win awards for. One of the biggest surprises is the revelation that Jack Black actually can act. It's too bad he doesn't get more parts like this.</div><div class="p3"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsLZ0Mnjtk8/XBaBX4ZYHdI/AAAAAAAAFRM/VgKUiXkbWEYSfNNld0hSHN7qkjZo_35uACLcBGAs/s1600/Home_alone_poster.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsLZ0Mnjtk8/XBaBX4ZYHdI/AAAAAAAAFRM/VgKUiXkbWEYSfNNld0hSHN7qkjZo_35uACLcBGAs/s320/Home_alone_poster.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>13. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Alone">Home Alone</a> (Macaulay Culkin, John Heard, Catherine O'Hara, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Robert Blossom)<br /><br />When adjusted for inflation, Home Alone is the highest grossing Christmas movie of all time at the North American box office. It tells the story of Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), an 8-year-old boy who is accidentally left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation. Kevin initially relishes being home alone, but soon has to contend with two highly incompetent burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern), whom he continues to foil with numerous booby-traps. The rest of his family doesn't realize they left him behind until they are mid-flight to Paris and then struggle to find a flight back (all her booked). Kevin also ends up befriending Old Man Marley (Roberts Blossom), who is rumored to have murdered his family. Like many holiday favorites, it received a mixed reception from critics, but many consider it one of the best Christmas films of all time.<br /><br /></div><div class="p6"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KPAasI3s8Cc/UqAjqyTqULI/AAAAAAAACio/drv07ImBe2g/s1600/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-post1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KPAasI3s8Cc/UqAjqyTqULI/AAAAAAAACio/drv07ImBe2g/s320/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-post1.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>14. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_Grinch_Stole_Christmas!"><span class="s2">How the Grinch Stole Christmas</span></a> (Boris Karloff)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">One of the best holiday movies ever (the animated version, that is, not the one that Opie Taylor directed several years later). In it the Grinch, a cave-dwelling creature with a heart "two sizes too small," lives on Mount Crumpit, a steep mountain above Whoville, home of the Whos. His only companion is his faithful dog, Max. Every year from his perch atop Mount Crumpit, the Grinch hears the "clangy" noisy Christmas festivities that take place in Whoville. Annoyed and unable to understand why the Whos are so happy, he sneaks into town on Christmas Eve and takes all of their Christmas presents, decorations, and food in order to prevent Christmas from coming. However, when Christmas morning arrives, the Whos still celebrate Christmas even though all their presents and decorations have been stolen. Realizing that Christmas is more than gifts and presents, the Grinch's heart grows three times in size, and he returns all the presents and trimmings and joins the Whos for the Christmas feast. There are now three Grinch movies, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_Grinch_Stole_Christmas_(2000_film)" target="_blank">one with "real people" directed by Ron Howard and starring Jim Cary in 2000</a>, and a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grinch_(film)" target="_blank">2018 computer-animated version with Benedict Cumberbatch in the leading role</a>.</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p6"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fUzJZrZ-p6k/UqAkfcqBwAI/AAAAAAAACiw/kyyqMLYYmnE/s1600/its-a-wonderful-life-pottersville.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fUzJZrZ-p6k/UqAkfcqBwAI/AAAAAAAACiw/kyyqMLYYmnE/s320/its-a-wonderful-life-pottersville.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>15. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It's_a_Wonderful_Life"><span class="s3">It's a Wonderful Life</span></a> (Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Henry Travers, Lionel Barrymore)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">I'm not sure how much I need to say about this movie since it is so well known. Briefly, it stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a man who has repeatedly given up his dreams in order to help the dreams of others, and whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve (because of a financial disaster not of his own doing) brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers), who has yet to earn his wings (he's an angel second class). However, by showing what the world would have been like if George had never been born, Clarence keeps George from committing suicide (and thereby earning his wings). George sees that his life hasn't been a waste but has in fact touched (and improved) the lives of almost all those around him in Bedford Falls. He is, as his younger brother Harry puts it, "The richest man in town." Although the movie opened to mixed reviews, it has become a perennial Christmas classic that captures the true meaning of Christmas. There is a scene at the railroad station when George Bailey learns that his younger brother is not going to take over the family business so that George can go to college. For about 5 seconds, Stewart says nothing; his (i.e., George's) disappointment and frustration only shows in his facial expressions. It's a wonderful example of why Stewart was one of the greatest actors of all time. For more on the movie, see the following post ("<a href="http://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2012/12/its-wonderful-life.html">It's a Wonderful Life</a>").</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P_HfF-tT1RA/XeMtqfle_YI/AAAAAAAAFiA/5jq6WAUobhceKe0PTQo55vVw_KnY_RUngCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/MV5BY2Y3NTJjZmMtNGFjZi00MGQ5LTg0MjAtNmIxYjBhNmJjMDMyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ%2540%2540._V1_SX1777_CR0%252C0%252C1777%252C887_AL_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1600" height="159" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P_HfF-tT1RA/XeMtqfle_YI/AAAAAAAAFiA/5jq6WAUobhceKe0PTQo55vVw_KnY_RUngCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/MV5BY2Y3NTJjZmMtNGFjZi00MGQ5LTg0MjAtNmIxYjBhNmJjMDMyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ%2540%2540._V1_SX1777_CR0%252C0%252C1777%252C887_AL_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>16. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Christmas_(film)" target="_blank">Last Christmas</a> (Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Emma Thompson)<br /><br />Most critics disliked this 2019 movie, which is very loosely inspired by Wham's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8gmARGvPlI" target="_blank">song of the same name</a>, but it's light-hearted (so to speak) with a somewhat surprising twist at the end, which makes it a little different from the typical Christmas movie fare. Emilia Clarke plays Kate, who is a singer who supports herself working as an elf at a year-round Christmas shop. We also eventually learn that she recently received a heart transplant from which she hasn't mentally recovered. She, in fact, appears to be careening through life with something of a death wish. One day, while at work she notices Henry Golding (Tom) outside the shop, whom she gets eventually falls for, but it's never entirely clear whether he feels the same. Nevertheless, he has a positive affect on her, and she slowly gets her life back in order. She stops drinking, having one-night stands, and restores her ties with her mom (Emma Thompson), dad, and sister. Like most Christmas movies, it's ultimately a story about redemption, in this case, Kate's, and the effect this has others. Michelle Yeoh plays "Santa," the owner of the Christmas shop where Kate works (she also played Henry Golding's mother in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Rich_Asians_(film)" target="_blank">Crazy Rich Asians</a>, was a Bond girl (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomorrow_Never_Dies" target="_blank">Tomorrow Never Dies</a>), and starred in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crouching_Tiger,_Hidden_Dragon" target="_blank">Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon</a>).<div class="p3"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mFFEbO1hNPM/WFy5ZM6uWoI/AAAAAAAAEqc/VXmzSSny8uIXctEgvlHB-kT6pd0JgSauwCLcB/s1600/wezerek-loveactuallydataviz-1220-1-rkedits.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mFFEbO1hNPM/WFy5ZM6uWoI/AAAAAAAAEqc/VXmzSSny8uIXctEgvlHB-kT6pd0JgSauwCLcB/s320/wezerek-loveactuallydataviz-1220-1-rkedits.png" width="320" /></a></div>17. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Actually">Love Actually</a> (Numerous)<br /><br />A 2003 British Christmas-themed romantic comedy explores several separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, whom we learn as the movie progresses are connected with one another. The movie begins five weeks before Christmas and plays out in a weekly countdown to Christmas, followed by an epilogue that takes place a month later. The movie includes numerous British stars, including Rowan Atkinson, Colin Firth, Martin Freeman, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Laura Linney, Martine McCutcheon, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Alan Rickman. You may be skeptical, but recently FiveThirtyEight called it the greatest Christmas movie of all time ("<a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-definitive-analysis-of-love-actually-the-greatest-christmas-movie-of-our-time/">The Definitive Analysis Of ‘Love Actually,’ The Greatest Christmas Movie Of Our Time</a>").</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p5"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UtdSEsHNlvY/UqAkk1wVW9I/AAAAAAAACi4/m3eMl27NrtY/s1600/34th.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UtdSEsHNlvY/UqAkk1wVW9I/AAAAAAAACi4/m3eMl27NrtY/s1600/34th.jpg" /></a></div>18. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_on_34th_Street"><span class="s3">Miracle on 34th Street</span></a> (Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, Natalie Wood)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">Although the 1994 remake of this movie, starring Sir Richard Attenborough (as Santa Claus), Dylan McDermott, and Elizabeth Perkins, is decent, it doesn't come close to the original with Maureen O'Hara and a very young Natalie Wood. The story takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day and focuses on the impact of the Santa Claus hired to work at the Macy's on 34th St. in NY City, who claims to be the real Santa and acts accordingly. For example, he some times he ignores instructions to steer parents to goods that Macy's sells like the time he directs one shopper to another store for a toy fire engine that Macy's doesn't have in stock. And he tells another mother that Macy's rival Gimbels has better skates for her daughter. The film won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Edmund Gwenn), Best Writing, Original Story (Valentine Davies) and Best Writing, Screenplay. It was also nominated for Best Picture but lost to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentleman's_Agreement">Gentleman's Agreement</a> with Gregory Peck.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n0EtfNbjOH8/Xe7-LFCLMGI/AAAAAAAAFio/D2q9__ikXsA6i4Sxp8p7MZWcqvkZ-MFvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/51KY3A3Z0JL.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n0EtfNbjOH8/Xe7-LFCLMGI/AAAAAAAAFio/D2q9__ikXsA6i4Sxp8p7MZWcqvkZ-MFvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/51KY3A3Z0JL.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>19. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Her_Majesty%27s_Secret_Service_(film)" target="_blank">On Her Majesty's Secret Service</a> (George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, Gabriele Ferzetti, Ilse Steppat)<br /><br />"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (OHMSS) is a "Christmas film" of the way that "Die Hard" is (see above): It involves a battle between good and evil, it's set at Christmas (or quite a bit of it is), it includes Christmas songs, and it even throws in a little bit of redemption. It also involves a chase scene through a Swiss village celebrating the holiday and includes some of the skiing scenes ever. Recently, in an article in which <a href="https://www.economist.com/" target="_blank">The Economist</a> considers whether "Die Hard" is really a Christmas movie, the author makes the case for considering OHMSS as one ("<a href="https://www.economist.com/prospero/2019/12/06/is-die-hard-a-christmas-film" target="_blank">Is 'Die Hard' a Christmas Film?</a>"). OHMSS is, of course, the only movie in which George Lazenby plays James Bond. He was chosen after Sean Connery retired from the role after "You Only Live Twice," although Connery changed his mind and came back to play Bond in "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamonds_Are_Forever_(film)" target="_blank">Diamonds Are Forever</a>" (1971) and "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Say_Never_Again" target="_blank">Never Say Never Again</a>" (1983). Although OHMSS was a commercial success, its reception was mixed. The film's reputation has improved greatly over time, however. The director Christopher Nolan named it as his favorite Bond movie, and it has slowly moved its way up the "all-time Bond film lists" ("<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Her_Majesty%27s_Secret_Service_(film)#Retrospective_reviews" target="_blank">On Her Majesty's Secret Service</a>", "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/movies/on-her-majestys-secret-service-james-bond-lazenby.html" target="_blank">50 Years Later, This Bond Film Should Finally Get Its Due</a>"). It's no wonder. OHMSS contains some of the best action scenes of the series (which are similar to those of the more recent Bourne movies), Lazenby plays a capable Bond, Diana Rigg's excellent as his love interest and future (and only) wife, and Telly Savalas's "Blofeld" is by far the best of all the Bond films (although Christoph Waltz's portrayal in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectre_(2015_film)" target="_blank">Spectre</a> is a close second). It also follows the original novel much more closely than the other Bond films. It's definitely worth a watch.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nVgyt47bPyw/UqAkwvB8mdI/AAAAAAAACjI/sRpXwHYpvGg/s1600/Rudolph.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nVgyt47bPyw/UqAkwvB8mdI/AAAAAAAACjI/sRpXwHYpvGg/s1600/Rudolph.jpeg" /></a></div>20. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_the_Red-Nosed_Reindeer_(TV_special)">Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer</a> (Burl Ives)<br /><br />When I was a kid, I couldn't wait for this to come on TV. I only got to see it once a year, and it was a big deal when it came on. Not just for me, but for most of my friends. Now, of course, you can get it (and virtually any other Christmas movie) on DVD or Blue Ray, or download it from iTunes or Amazon, so it (and other Christmas movies) has lost its "specialness." Nevertheless, I still love watching this retelling of the original Robert L. May story ("<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_the_Red-Nosed_Reindeer">Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer</a>"), in which Rudolph's rejection by his peers (for his shiny nose) leads him to run away from home with by a similarly-outcast elf (Hermey) whose dreams of becoming a dentist. These two eventually join up with a prospector named Yukon Cornelius, and after a battle with the Abominable Snowman, they return home to the North Pole just in time for Rudolph to lead Santa's sleigh through a terrible snow storm, thus keeping Christmas from being cancelled.</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p5"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dwtn4Bo05jg/UqAkqnm0DAI/AAAAAAAACjE/kz4oQRKWa3c/s1600/santa+clause.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dwtn4Bo05jg/UqAkqnm0DAI/AAAAAAAACjE/kz4oQRKWa3c/s1600/santa+clause.jpeg" /></a></div>21. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Santa_Clause"><span class="s3">The Santa Clause</span></a> (Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Eric Lloyd, David Krumholtz)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">Tim Allen stars as Scott Calvin, a cynical, divorced, advertising executive for a toy company, who accidentally causes a guy dressed like Santa Claus to fall to his death from his roof on Christmas Eve. Scott and his son Charlie (who is spending Christmas Eve with Scott) discover a sleigh with eight reindeer on the roof, and they conclude that the man must have been Santa Claus. They also find a card in the Santa's suit, instructing that if something should happen to him, that whoever finds the clothes, should put them on and get in the sleigh. Charlie convinces Scott to follow these instructions, and the reindeer take Scott to children's houses around the world to finish Santa's deliveries. After this, the sleigh takes them to the North Pole where they learn that Scott is the new Santa (because of the clause in the instruction card they found -- that is, the "Santa Clause") and convince his former wife that he's the new Kris Kringle.</div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="p3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJOyWhxSWNvazbQ-Xg9loCByk-RKeg90rKECWe6lHv7Z8UcsjccblPSUR5nUvqF7tFJ_Wi-m3gOtzlR_GQdCTxeOw7605cfuHRv9FX4Pm07LnoZLax5wMSTd3DQF3MJdZjbGaSiBznun_Eam3upKMWRoD9S_YZra0SOWbh-JblB2uUxTiIxwB8m6iyA/s360/Spirited_poster.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJOyWhxSWNvazbQ-Xg9loCByk-RKeg90rKECWe6lHv7Z8UcsjccblPSUR5nUvqF7tFJ_Wi-m3gOtzlR_GQdCTxeOw7605cfuHRv9FX4Pm07LnoZLax5wMSTd3DQF3MJdZjbGaSiBznun_Eam3upKMWRoD9S_YZra0SOWbh-JblB2uUxTiIxwB8m6iyA/s320/Spirited_poster.png" width="213" /></a></div>22. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirited_(film)" target="_blank">Spirited</a> (Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer, Sunita </div><div class="p3">Mani, Tracy Morgan, Patrick Page)</div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="p3">A retelling, of sorts, of Charles Dickens's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol" target="_blank">A Christmas Carol</a>. Will Ferrell plays the Ghost of Christmas Present, Sunita Mani the Ghost of Christmas Past, and Tracy Morgan the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come. Patrick Page plays Jacob Marley, their leader. Along with a team of afterlife spirits, the foursome seeks to find and redeem one new human soul every Christmas. This year's target is Clint Briggs, an "unredeemable" soul, who is played by Ryan Reynolds; Octavia Spencer is his assistant, who excels at oppo-research. It is a musical (Marley hates it when Ferrell or anyone else breaks into song), and while Ferrell and Reynolds won't win any awards for their singing, there are a few numbers performed by the cast ("Good Afternoon!") that are actually quite fun.</div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="p5"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7tl7SmciDyw/UqAlNy4mrVI/AAAAAAAACjQ/RSjCsopUqlU/s1600/white-christmas-560-2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7tl7SmciDyw/UqAlNy4mrVI/AAAAAAAACjQ/RSjCsopUqlU/s320/white-christmas-560-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>23. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Christmas_(film)"><span class="s3">White Christmas</span></a> (Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div>What more can you say about this one? It's got Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas" (not once, but twice); it has Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen dancing (several times); it has George Clooney's aunt singing and dancing; and it tells a nice, heart-warming story that some may think is a bit corny. But, to paraphrase Kate Winslet's character in <i>The Holiday</i> (see above), sometimes corny is just what the doctor ordered. The song, "Count Your Blessings" (written by Irving Berlin), was nominated for an Oscar (White Christmas won the Oscar 12 years before for the movie, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_Inn_(film)"><span class="s3">Holiday Inn</span></a>), but my favorite (aside from White Christmas) is <i>Snow</i>, sung by Crosby, Kaye, Clooney, and Vera-Ellen on the train from Miami to Vermont (pictured above).<div><br /></div><div>And here's a couple more that appear on several lists:</div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_(1938_film)" target="_blank"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_(1938_film)" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WtprZAGKf1c/X9BbOPjh7NI/AAAAAAAAF8E/sfWOwurxUZUA6QSmdAj-JCn3FkRB89HpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/holiday-3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1215" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WtprZAGKf1c/X9BbOPjh7NI/AAAAAAAAF8E/sfWOwurxUZUA6QSmdAj-JCn3FkRB89HpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/holiday-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>24. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_(1938_film)" target="_blank">Holiday</a> (Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant)</div><div><br /></div><div>Holiday is a 1938 American romantic comedy that is a remake of the 1930 film of the same name. It tells the story of Jonathan "Johnny" Case (Cary Grant), a self-made man who's worked all his life and is about to marry Julia Seton (Doris Nolan), whom he met while on holiday in Lake Placid. He actually knows very little about her and is surprised to learn she's from an extremely wealthy family, the youngest daughter of banker Edward Seton (Henry Kolker). Assured that Johnny is a worthy suitor, Edward approves of the pairing. But, as Johnny's wanderlust surfaces -- he is more interested in traveling than in business -- Edward starts to have doubts. Johnny also begins to wonder if he might not be a better match for Linda (Katharine Hepburn), Julia's outspoken younger sister, with whom he has much more in common.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_Affair" target="_blank"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_Affair" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t411FTPDLyc/X9BbzxKAB4I/AAAAAAAAF8M/nS2QrS7HuHo2pxb9IjdWLodEAiZ6jNfVACLcBGAsYHQ/s1138/MV5BZWNmNzJiNGYtNzk1Zi00YjkwLTgyNTctN2FlMDE4MTk0ZGZmL2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjE5MjUyOTM%2540._V1_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="746" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t411FTPDLyc/X9BbzxKAB4I/AAAAAAAAF8M/nS2QrS7HuHo2pxb9IjdWLodEAiZ6jNfVACLcBGAsYHQ/w210-h320/MV5BZWNmNzJiNGYtNzk1Zi00YjkwLTgyNTctN2FlMDE4MTk0ZGZmL2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjE5MjUyOTM%2540._V1_.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>25. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_Affair" target="_blank">Holiday Affair</a> (Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh)</div><div><br /></div><div>Seasonal clerk Steve Mason (Robert Mitchum) catches Connie Ennis (Janet Leigh) in a fraudulent shopping scheme during the busy Christmas rush. But when he discovers that Ennis is a war widow and single mother, he decides not to turn her in. His supervisor takes notice and fires him. Mason befriends Connie and her young son, Timmy, and complicates her plans to marry boring nice guy Carl Davis (like Meg Ryan's fiancé in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleepless_in_Seattle" target="_blank">Sleepless in Seattle</a>). The movie is based on the story <i>Christmas Gift</i> by John Weaver, which was also the film's working title. Set during the Christmas season, the film was not well received on its initial release. However, Turner Classic Movies airing the film over Christmas has led to it becoming a minor holiday classic. A <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_Affair_(1996_film)" target="_blank">made-for-television remake</a> was produced in 1996.</div></div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-69209547417580069262022-09-28T21:24:00.018-07:002023-09-05T14:01:09.120-07:00Return of the Strong Gods (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part IX)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil35KxT7kc5FWJaCY6ie1vPfPpBUhwXf2Mh3-XzaftsgyqIsUCGy_nOxOipV8BjskmP_i3a8UuySnTu_RmQaFACl1MC4D01Ty5pc8wxBhuJlYaAd5o_a8W8pw5DdF3WpaJWGFDE3rmmq_u2y76xgEEukOWlPrWZZGHZjbf3AUTu7fWIK0rASAGNWweBA/s293/51NmPzxSSzL._SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_ML2_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="193" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil35KxT7kc5FWJaCY6ie1vPfPpBUhwXf2Mh3-XzaftsgyqIsUCGy_nOxOipV8BjskmP_i3a8UuySnTu_RmQaFACl1MC4D01Ty5pc8wxBhuJlYaAd5o_a8W8pw5DdF3WpaJWGFDE3rmmq_u2y76xgEEukOWlPrWZZGHZjbf3AUTu7fWIK0rASAGNWweBA/s1600/51NmPzxSSzL._SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_ML2_.jpg" width="193" /></a></div>R. R. Reno is the editor of <a href="https://www.firstthings.com" target="_blank">First Things</a>, a predominantly Roman Catholic journal. Previously, he was a theology and ethics professor at Creighton University. A theological and political conservative, Reno believes that the recent rise of nationalism is a reaction to “the post-war consensus,” the quest for what Karl Popper called the “open society” where there are no transcendent truths but only private interests. Reno claims people are rejecting the open society's “weak gods” and are seeking a return of the strong ones.<div><blockquote>By “strong gods,” I do not mean Thor and the other residents of the Old Norse Valhalla. The strong gods are the objects of men’s love and devotion, the sources of the passions and loyalties that unite societies. They can be timeless. Truth is a strong god because it beckons us to the matrimony of assent. They can be traditional. King and country, insofar as they still arouse men’s patriotic ardor, are strong gods. The strong gods can take the forms of modern ideologies and charismatic leaders. The strong gods can be beneficent. Our constitutional piety treats the American Founding as a strong god worthy of our devotion. And they can be destructive. In the twentieth century, militarism, fascism, communism, racism, and anti-Semitism brought ruin… I take it for granted that these strong gods must be resisted. (p. xxiv)</blockquote>Reno’s critique and description of the post-war consensus with its visions of an open society are not too different from the technocratic liberalism that Michael Sandel laments ("<a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-tyranny-of-merit-why-do-so-many.html" target="_blank">The Tyranny of Merit</a>"). And Reno notes that we can find open society intellectuals on both political left and right:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Karl Popper</li><li>Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.</li><li>Friedrich Hayek</li><li>Milton Friedman</li><li>William Buckley</li><li>Sigmund Freud</li><li>Albert Camus</li><li>Jacques Derrida</li></ul>According to Reno, open society intellectuals fear the strong gods because they believe they will inevitably lead to horrors like the Holocaust, something we should want to avoid. But Reno disagrees. He does not think that the strong gods inevitably lead to the rise of destructive ideologies that folks like Popper, Hayek, and Friedman fear. Moreover, he thinks the return of the strong gods is unavoidable. A desire for the strong gods is part of our DNA. “The sacralizing impulse in public life is inevitable. Our social consensus always reaches for transcendent legitimacy” (p. 136). As such, he argues that we should embrace religious nationalism because it gives our lives a sense of meaning, purpose, and belonging:<br /><blockquote>The strong god of the nation draws us out of our “little worlds.” Our shared loves—love of our land, our history, our founding myths, our warriors and our heroes—raise us to a higher vantage point. We see our private interest as part of a larger whole, the “we” that calls upon our freedom to serve the body politic with intelligence and loyalty. As Aristotle recognized, this loyalty is intrinsically fulfilling, for it satisfies the human desire for transcendence (p. 155).</blockquote>Thus, instead of embracing the “globalist utopianism” of the open society, we should seek to cultivate the healthiest kind of strong gods while resisting those that lead to “militarism, totalitarian regimes, and vicious racial segregation” (p. 147). Only by attending “to the strong gods who come from above and animate the best of our traditions” will we be able to turn away from “the dark gods that rise up from below” (p. 162).<div><br /></div><div>I think Reno is partially correct. As the political scientist Paul Miller puts it: “we cannot escape some kind of overarching story of who ‘we’ are, a story that gives us meaning, purpose, and direction” (p. 230). To pretend that most people are not attracted to transcendent stories only creates a vacuum that someone or something will fill.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am reminded of David Foster Wallace’s 2005 commencement address at Kenyon College (not to mention Bob Dylan's 1979 “<a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=you+gotta+serve+somebody&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8" target="_blank">Gotta Serve Somebody</a>”):</div><div><blockquote>In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And an outstanding reason for choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship—be it J.C. or Allah, be it Yahweh or the Wiccan mother-goddess or the Four Noble Truths or some infrangible set of ethical principles—is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. </blockquote><blockquote>If you worship money and things—if they are where you tap real meaning in life—then you will never have enough. Never feel you have enough. It’s the truth… </blockquote><blockquote>Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure, and you will always feel ugly, and when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they plant you... </blockquote><blockquote>Worship power—you will feel weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to keep the fear at bay. </blockquote><blockquote>Worship your intellect, being seen as smart—you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. </blockquote><blockquote>And so on. (pp. 98-111)</blockquote>I'd add religious nationalism to Wallace’s list. If we worship our nation, we’ll be eaten alive. Nationalism is the identity politics of the majority tribe, so there’ll always be minority tribes who hold a different vision for our country. As such, we'll constantly be on our guard and looking for ways to suppress them and their vision while promoting ours (and giving others the power to do both). That doesn't sound like a recipe for fulfilling life, not for those in the majority or in the minority. It also doesn't sound very Christian.</div><div><br /><b>Previous Posts</b></div><div><ol><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/11/why-do-so-many-christians-support-trump.html">Introduction</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/11/who-are-81-why-do-so-many-christians.html">Who are the 81%?</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-rural-urban-divide-why-do-so-many.html">The Rural-Urban Divide</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-economic-divide-why-do-so-many.html">The Economic Divide</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2021/06/ideas-matter-why-do-so-many-christians.html">Ideas Matter</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-appeal-of-christian-nationalism-why.html">The Appeal of Christian Nationalism</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2021/11/reinhold-niebuhr-religious-nationalism.html" target="_blank">Reinhold Niebuhr, Religious Nationalism, and the Appeal of Authoritarianism</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-tyranny-of-merit-why-do-so-many.html" target="_blank">The Tyranny of Merit</a></li></ol></div><div><b>References</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Paul D. Miller. 2022. <i>The Religion of American Greatness: What’s Wrong with Christian Nationalism</i>. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.</div><div><br /></div><div>R. R. Reno. 2021. <i>Return of the Strong Gods: Nationalism, Populism, and the Future of the West</i>. Washington D.C.: Regnery Gateway.</div><div><br /></div><div>Michael J. Sandel. 2020. <i>The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good?</i> New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.</div></div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-21725215004300824242022-09-27T14:26:00.002-07:002022-10-01T12:57:10.858-07:00The Tyranny of Merit (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part VIII) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLOWSWNDsjbeY1lWqX9ojckvXuSv2nBPhyPUyTJJpRaHaWA3zKQnffUm4vM-kl1n_3ZGaFYgPiqFTeoae7GrNDtv2962DeVfsH8iBnudTEbOcv3_jhGBPM-At2BadZcBpVdcm5I9bgvEs8sA_rskBKmvPp1YN3ZPDKTZFVRKJHCKw27QXkH05Xeercg/s500/410AFjHp8CL.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLOWSWNDsjbeY1lWqX9ojckvXuSv2nBPhyPUyTJJpRaHaWA3zKQnffUm4vM-kl1n_3ZGaFYgPiqFTeoae7GrNDtv2962DeVfsH8iBnudTEbOcv3_jhGBPM-At2BadZcBpVdcm5I9bgvEs8sA_rskBKmvPp1YN3ZPDKTZFVRKJHCKw27QXkH05Xeercg/s320/410AFjHp8CL.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>It’s been almost a year since I last explored why so many Christians voted for Trump. As I’ve already documented, there is some evidence that factors such as education, income, and cosmopolitanism may have been a factor. However, these may mask a deeper malaise, what Michael Sandel refers to as the “tyranny of merit,” or perhaps better, the “politics of humiliation.” <br /><blockquote>It is a mistake to see only the bigotry in populist protest, or to view it only as an economic complaint… the election of Donald Trump… was an angry verdict on decades of rising inequality and a version of globalization that benefits those at the top but leaves ordinary citizens feeling disempowered. It was also a rebuke for a technocratic approach to politics that is tone-deaf to the resentments of people who feel the economy and the culture have left them behind… these grievances are not only economic but also moral and cultural; they are not only about wages and jobs but also about social esteem. (pp. 17, 18) </blockquote>Sandel locates these grievances in what he calls the technocratic conception of the public good and its corresponding meritocratic ethic. The former is “bound up with a faith in… the… belief that market mechanisms are the primary instruments for achieving the public good.” (pp. 19-20). Market-driven globalization has generated increasing inequality and devalued national identities. Those who benefit from it have “valorized cosmopolitan identities as a progressive, enlightened alternative to the narrow parochial ways of protectionism, tribalism, and conflict.” (p. 20). Sandel argues that by 2016, the Democratic Party had become the party of technocratic liberalism, which reflects more the interests of professional elites than blue-collar and middle-class voters. <br /><br />Sandel contends that technocratic liberalism frequently employs a “rhetoric of rising” that holds that people “who work hard and play by the rules” should rise as far as “their talents will take them.” He notes that political elites on both the right and left invoke this phrase. Obama was particularly fond of using “you can make it if you try,” a line he employed more than 140 times in his speeches and public statements.<br /><br />The problem is that not everyone can make it, not even those who try and do play by the rules. Economic mobility in the United States isn’t what it was 60 years ago. Consider, for example, the following graphs. The first (from “<a href="https://ourworldindata.org" target="_blank">Our World in Data</a>”) plots income inequality in the U.S from 1939 to 2021. As it shows, economic inequality began to increase in the late 1970s and early 1980s.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mOJFtIL2KLcuSEsqsjNuWTkD07aaEdZ2Bal4qLM6TneBAW4WgWYqQGha6aGLnlC4lBubElGtoSPWo8xNfCpMyfPLPC9-CrY7k1dnI_EZSPyNJcnY_LW1cXCl5RPYkC7rb2FXcZhs9xBh6GDH54fNWp1m5ZNm9XMFwEdj86OVOzR-CDcwhjqiDqGczw/s1232/graph_dl.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1232" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mOJFtIL2KLcuSEsqsjNuWTkD07aaEdZ2Bal4qLM6TneBAW4WgWYqQGha6aGLnlC4lBubElGtoSPWo8xNfCpMyfPLPC9-CrY7k1dnI_EZSPyNJcnY_LW1cXCl5RPYkC7rb2FXcZhs9xBh6GDH54fNWp1m5ZNm9XMFwEdj86OVOzR-CDcwhjqiDqGczw/w400-h260/graph_dl.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The second graph (from “<a href="https://opportunityinsights.org/paper/the-fading-american-dream/" target="_blank">Opportunity Insights</a>”) plots mobility rates by birth cohort. Specifically, the y-axis represents the percentage of children who make more than their parents, and the x-axis indicates the year someone was born. It clearly shows that the dream that children born in America will have a higher standard of living than their parents has become less and less likely. Technocratic liberalism isn’t all that many believe it’s cracked up to be.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZQ3WowJ05FN05YRiFFZyjEQUBIhunmBJpQVLDWzdoB5sQbw6r0A_oOrvLG2dqBpWz8jMVwIfbRGIdicK4CK0fFSyBvyVxDunUMM3Rf3f8JTVgiO2Qb83VljMN3YpGSji_VzOPetZGkvVFAqr337Zz3fBKm3c8fE2IC1isXjcbyLvIiFMR2WUvn1kLw/s1500/abs_mobility_slides.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZQ3WowJ05FN05YRiFFZyjEQUBIhunmBJpQVLDWzdoB5sQbw6r0A_oOrvLG2dqBpWz8jMVwIfbRGIdicK4CK0fFSyBvyVxDunUMM3Rf3f8JTVgiO2Qb83VljMN3YpGSji_VzOPetZGkvVFAqr337Zz3fBKm3c8fE2IC1isXjcbyLvIiFMR2WUvn1kLw/w400-h300/abs_mobility_slides.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>The meritocratic ethic that accompanies technocratic liberalism implicitly holds that those endowed with the gifts our market society rewards deserve more esteem than those who do not possess such talents. This has had harmful consequences: </div><div><blockquote>Among the winners, it generates hubris; among the losers, humiliation and resentment. These moral sentiments are at the heart of the populist uprising against elites. More than a protest against immigrants and outsourcing, the populist complaint is about the tyranny of merit. And the complaint is justified…<br /><br />Meritocratic hubris leads winners to “inhale too deeply of their success… It is the smug conviction… that they deserve their fate, and that those on the bottom deserve theirs too. This attitude is the moral companion of technocratic politics” (p. 25)</blockquote>We see evidence of this in the language used to describe those who have not made it: “trailer trash,” “flyover states,” “those who cling to guns and religion,” “deplorables.” It also appears in the media. One study found that television shows portray blue-collar dads as stupid, impotent, and the butt of jokes - think Archie Bunker and Homer Simpson. By contrast, they portray upper-middle class and professional dads favorably. Facts like these have led Joan Williams, a professor at Hastings School of Law in San Francisco, to criticize and lament what she calls “the class-cluelessness” of progressives. (p. 202). <br /><br />Think what you want of Donald Trump, but he intuitively tapped into the sense of humiliation felt by many Americans. He appears to have been more aware of the malaise sweeping much of middle America than those of us who believe we have their best interest at heart. It’s difficult to tease out whether the politics of humiliation has disproportionately affected theologically conservative Christians (at least, I have yet to locate relevant data). Still, if it has, we shouldn’t be surprised that they hitched their future to the candidate who at least acknowledged their sense of humiliation.<br /><br /><b>Previous Posts</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/11/why-do-so-many-christians-support-trump.html">Introduction (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part I)</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/11/who-are-81-why-do-so-many-christians.html">Who are the 81%? (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part II)</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-rural-urban-divide-why-do-so-many.html">The Rural-Urban Divide (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part III)</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-economic-divide-why-do-so-many.html">The Economic Divide (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part IV)</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2021/06/ideas-matter-why-do-so-many-christians.html">Ideas Matter (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part V)</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-appeal-of-christian-nationalism-why.html">The Appeal of Christian Nationalism (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part VI)</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2021/11/reinhold-niebuhr-religious-nationalism.html" target="_blank">Reinhold Niebuhr, Religious Nationalism, and the Appeal of Authoritarianism (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part VII)</a></li></ol><div><b>References</b></div></div><div><br /></div>Michael J. Sandel. 2020. <i>The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good?</i> New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-52140672103328676392022-03-13T13:34:00.004-07:002022-03-13T13:36:05.450-07:00Patriot Churches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipUhuvsomOhXabWncq_a42ehWWtEq6GPR5-y_dtwXBPwHN2eIItZEx1hOHCtjfqLN7PoDDfFBHjEWQ9ydvAcNk70AbIN_xdzL4P1HLFpMHnbnKRJRWkQx9oLFhEf7lWCFoMAMSLUwnbCTi2wpasOKnTXTFv-lByi3r_WD8kmNBOUO2dnxgVlMWnsaaNA=s900" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipUhuvsomOhXabWncq_a42ehWWtEq6GPR5-y_dtwXBPwHN2eIItZEx1hOHCtjfqLN7PoDDfFBHjEWQ9ydvAcNk70AbIN_xdzL4P1HLFpMHnbnKRJRWkQx9oLFhEf7lWCFoMAMSLUwnbCTi2wpasOKnTXTFv-lByi3r_WD8kmNBOUO2dnxgVlMWnsaaNA=s320" width="320" /></a></div>Back in 2018, Ken Peters, pastor of Covenant Church in Spokane, Washington, and members of his church began holding monthly worship services outside of the local Planned Parenthood. They called themselves, The Church at Planned Parenthood (TCAPP). Two years later, he and wife founded the Patriot Church movement, which unapologetically fuses Christian faith and American politics. The movement describes itself as “a spiritually active, governmentally engaged and grassroots effort designed to take back our communities from tyranny.” It believes that demonic forces are attacking “the cultural and religious fabric that makes the USA so special.” As such, it argues that Christians are called by God “to resist [this] tyranny wherever it exists.”<div><br /></div><div>The first church was founded near Knoxville, Tennessee (where Peters is pastor) in 2020. Another soon followed in Virginia, and his former church in Spokane also signed on. Another church in Washington (Moses Lake) joined in 2021, and two more are set to open in 2022 (in Texas and Florida).</div><div><br /></div><div>Although the number of churches is small, the movement is part of a loose network of individuals, churches, and organizations that believe the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and are called to restore the U.S. to its Christian roots ("<a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-appeal-of-christian-nationalism-why.html" target="_blank">The Appeal of Christian Nationalism</a>"). The movement appears to be largely driven by Peters's energy and influence. Only time will tell whether it can survive without it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I recently was invited to write a short essay on the movement for the World Religions and Spirituality Project. You can find the essay here: <a href="https://wrldrels.org/2022/03/11/patriot-churches/">https://wrldrels.org/2022/03/11/patriot-churches/ </a></div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-12393546339937975742021-12-25T08:39:00.004-08:002021-12-25T08:39:36.634-08:00The Twelve Days of Christmas Begin Today (or Tomorrow)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiT2uU0-4av0eCnBCKmcJr7yjRSzahhWDp3BYA4zxU-iAm4vzlikIrC_TKyOxFcWnJSFUSkoIrqdDw63Xc6WY06bohVW5vqf_jkb77Um9kqrmldk_scCZf--2_WBzsA49PUX8yx2PQc5AXJmY2n7PXATTajpUlv2djCtVrG58NZIqG5uX0Z6A3TmECHQ=s1030" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="1030" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiT2uU0-4av0eCnBCKmcJr7yjRSzahhWDp3BYA4zxU-iAm4vzlikIrC_TKyOxFcWnJSFUSkoIrqdDw63Xc6WY06bohVW5vqf_jkb77Um9kqrmldk_scCZf--2_WBzsA49PUX8yx2PQc5AXJmY2n7PXATTajpUlv2djCtVrG58NZIqG5uX0Z6A3TmECHQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div>The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Days_of_Christmas">12 Days of Christmas</a> begin today. That's right. They are not the 12 days prior to (and including) Christmas Day. Rather, they are 12 days running from either December 25th to January 5th or from December 26th to January 6th, depending to which tradition one follows. Either way, the 12 days take us to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)">Epiphany</a> (January 6th), which commemorates the Wise Men presenting their gifts to the infant Jesus, who may have been as old as 2-years when they finally track him down. That is why the Wise Men shouldn't appear in Nativity scenes until Epiphany, but, of course, many people have taken them down by then.<p></p><p></p><p>When most of us think about "The 12 Days of Christmas," however, we usually think of the song. The song's origins are unclear, but one story, which has little historical support but's fun to consider, claims that the song originated as a Roman Catholic "Catechism Song" during a time when Catholicism was "strongly discouraged" in England (1558-1829): </p><div><ul><li>The "true love" in the song refers to God, while the "me" refers to those who receive the gifts mentioned in the song from God </li><li>The "partridge in a pear tree" refers to Jesus Christ whose death on a tree (i.e., the cross) was a gift from God </li><li>The "two turtle doves" refer to the Old and New Testaments - another gift from God </li><li>The "three French hens" refer to "faith," "hope" and "love" three gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 13) </li><li>The "four calling birds" refer to the four Gospels, which sing "the song of salvation through Jesus Christ" </li><li>The "five golden rings" refer to the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Torah. </li><li>The "six geese a-laying" refer to the six days of creation </li><li>The "seven swans a swimming" refer to the "seven gifts of the Holy Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:8-11) </li><li>The "eight maids a milking" refer to the eight beatitudes </li><li>The "nine ladies dancing" refer to the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) </li><li>The "ten lords a-leaping" refer to the Ten Commandments </li><li>The "eleven pipers piping" refer to the eleven faithful disciples </li><li>The "twelve drummers drumming" refer to the twelve points of the Apostles' Creed</li></ul>For a more scholarly take on the song's origins (but far less entertaining), see the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Days_of_Christmas_(song)">Wikipedia article</a>.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>BTW</b>: If you add up the number of gifts for each of the twelve days -- one for the first day, three (1 + 2) for the second, six (1 + 2 + 3) for the third, and so on -- you get 364, which is the total number of days in the year if you don't count Christmas.</div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-35743133973569616122021-12-18T12:36:00.007-08:002022-11-26T10:13:11.174-08:0024 Movies for the Christmas Season<p>Here's my annual post of a handful of Christmas movies worth watching. Not all are technically "Christmas" movies, but in some way they're related to the Christmas season. As always, I've updated the list from the previous year, bringing back some old ones and adding a few new ones.</p><div><span class="s1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YFDNNA94O5E/X8M_rDJrkWI/AAAAAAAAF7Y/a5xObNtxWikPth_0hbv-CLmNqKwb7kiggCLcBGAsYHQ/s720/unnamed.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="720" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YFDNNA94O5E/X8M_rDJrkWI/AAAAAAAAF7Y/a5xObNtxWikPth_0hbv-CLmNqKwb7kiggCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/unnamed.webp" width="320" /></a></div>1. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bishop's_Wife" target="_blank">The Bishop's Wife</a> (Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven)</span><div><br /></div><div>Dejected by his efforts to raise money to build a cathedral, Bishop Henry Brougham (David Niven) beseeches heaven for guidance, and is visited immediately by an angel Dudley (Cary Grant). Henry, as a good theological liberal, is skeptical and then becomes annoyed when Dudley wins the attentions of Henry's long-suffering wife, Julia (Loretta Young). Dudley falls for Julia, but in the end Julia tells him it's time for him to go. Dudley leaves, all memory of him is erased, and later that night at the Christmas Eve service when Henry delivers his sermon, Dudley watches from the street. If this plot sounds familiar, it was remade as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Preacher%27s_Wife" target="_blank">The Preacher's Wife</a> starring Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston in 1996. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="s2">2. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Charlie_Brown_Christmas">A Charlie Brown Christmas</a></span> (Charles Schultz)</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m0oPUfBjTfQ/XAzVtwYZNtI/AAAAAAAAFQo/1keuGewhOUUqnN_59-lmZYBiPsEAh-yZACLcBGAs/s1600/BahiDUGIgAAESAm.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="599" height="239" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m0oPUfBjTfQ/XAzVtwYZNtI/AAAAAAAAFQo/1keuGewhOUUqnN_59-lmZYBiPsEAh-yZACLcBGAs/s320/BahiDUGIgAAESAm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It's been over 50 years since "A Charlie Brown Christmas" first appeared on TV. It's probably the best of the Charlie Brown movies (although "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" is right up there) and is one of the few Christmas movies that refers to the biblical story. After Charlie Brown asks, "Can anyone tell me what Christmas is all about?," Linus quotes Luke 2:8-14:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.'"</blockquote><div class="p3">And then Linus concludes, "... and that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown." Amen.</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p4"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x7EHCu9y_pU/UqAhcOB5gMI/AAAAAAAAChg/_EYj-mU-R5c/s1600/Christmas+Carol.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x7EHCu9y_pU/UqAhcOB5gMI/AAAAAAAAChg/_EYj-mU-R5c/s1600/Christmas+Carol.jpeg" /></a></div>3. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol_(1984_film)"><span class="s3">A Christmas Carol</span></a> (George C. Scott, David Warner, Susannah York, Roger Rees)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">There are several great versions of Charles Dickens's "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol"><span class="s3">A Christmas Carol</span></a>," but this is my favorite. Scott is (was) such a great actor. When he (Ebenezer Scrooge) yells, "Mr. Cratchit!", there's little doubt that he holds poor Bob in contempt. And, the supporting cast is quite good. David Warner (who once upon a time played a reporter in "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Omen" target="_blank">The Omen</a>") is an excellent Bob Cratchit, as is Susannah York as Mrs. Cratchit (<b>Note</b>: two of York's children played two of the Cratchit children). And I really like Roger Rees as Scrooge's nephew, Fred. Finally, Angela Pleasence and Edward Woodward are excellent as the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present, respectively. There are, of course, several other versions are worth considering, such as the one with Alastair Sim as Scrooge ("<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrooge_(1951_film)"><span class="s3">A Christmas Carol</span></a>"). When I was kid, I was especially taken with "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Magoo%27s_Christmas_Carol"><span class="s3">Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol</span></a>." Jonathan Winters' reading of <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4225458"><span class="s3">Dickens's</span></a> book is also quite good.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_Connecticut" target="_blank"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_Connecticut" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S3doPVe5gyI/X9BXUJ_5K2I/AAAAAAAAF74/wSFGfSQpBCIdr3uKx7N4naWkEgfEmzTHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/MV5BNTRmYzUyMjctMWM5ZS00NTExLTgzMjctN2MwZjA2OWJjMjIyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc0MzMzNjA%2540._V1_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S3doPVe5gyI/X9BXUJ_5K2I/AAAAAAAAF74/wSFGfSQpBCIdr3uKx7N4naWkEgfEmzTHgCLcBGAsYHQ/w213-h320/MV5BNTRmYzUyMjctMWM5ZS00NTExLTgzMjctN2MwZjA2OWJjMjIyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc0MzMzNjA%2540._V1_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>4. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_Connecticut" target="_blank">Christmas in Connecticut</a> (Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet)</div><div><br /></div><div>While recovering in a hospital, war hero Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan) grows familiar with the "Diary of a Housewife" column written by Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck). Jeff's nurse arranges with Elizabeth's publisher, Alexander Yardley (Sydney Greenstreet), for Jeff to spend the holiday at Elizabeth's Connecticut farm with her husband and child. However, the column's a sham. Facing a career-ending scandal, not only for herself but for her editor, Elizabeth is forced to comply. In desperation, she agrees to marry her friend, John, who has a farm in Connecticut. She also enlists the help of her uncle, a chef, who's been giving her the recipes for her column. Elizabeth and John plan to be married immediately by Judge Crowthers, but Jefferson arrives, interrupting the ceremony, and it's love at first sight between Elizabeth and Jefferson. To complicate things, Jefferson has a fiancée, but that isn't as straightforward as it seems either.</div><div><br /></div><div class="p3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tjHXA2gIGu4/UqAhuKGMd6I/AAAAAAAACho/9htQ1rwso_A/s1600/movie_achristmasstory_645x360_121620110557.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tjHXA2gIGu4/UqAhuKGMd6I/AAAAAAAACho/9htQ1rwso_A/s320/movie_achristmasstory_645x360_121620110557.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>5. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Story">A Christmas Story</a> (Peter Billingsley, Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon)<br /><br />Adapted from a memoir by Jean Shepherd (who narrates the film), the movie is primarily about Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), a young boy living in Indiana in the 1940s who desperately wants a Red Rider BB gun for Christmas and tries to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that it's the perfect gift for him, while they counter that he'll shoot his eye out. In 2012, the film was selected for preservation in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Film_Registry">National Film Registry</a> by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Congress">Library of Congress</a> for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." I confess that it isn't one of my favorites, but I'm clearly in the minority.</div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="p3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ksrcwat_kqA/UqAiTa_iXkI/AAAAAAAACh0/x8KaVNyaByA/s1600/skipping.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ksrcwat_kqA/UqAiTa_iXkI/AAAAAAAACh0/x8KaVNyaByA/s1600/skipping.jpeg" /></a></div>6. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_with_the_Kranks">Christmas with the Kranks</a> (Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Akroyd)</div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div>It's too bad that the movie's producers didn't keep the title of John Grisham's book on which the movie is based: "Skipping Christmas" (see picture at right). The movie's title leads people to expect one kind of movie when in fact it's something quite different. It tells the story of a couple (Luther and Nora Krank) who, because their daughter (Blair) is going to be Peru for Christmas, working for the Peace Corps, decide to skip Christmas (i.e., don't buy a Christmas tree, hold their annual Christmas party, decorate their house, etc.), and use the money they save to go on a cruise. Their decision to skip Christmas sit poorly with their neighbors (especially Dan Akroyd), who pressure them to get into the holiday spirit. A battle, of sorts, plays out between the Kranks and their neighbors. Then Luther and Nora learn that Blair coming home for Christmas (with her fiancé), and they have less than 24 hours to prepare for their annual party. How the neighborhood comes together to pull this off and what Luther does with their cruise tickets speaks to the true meaning of Christmas.</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p5"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nk1MfO9Ofyk/UqAiitcS8LI/AAAAAAAACh8/2P3iRwnvhwk/s1600/Willis.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nk1MfO9Ofyk/UqAiitcS8LI/AAAAAAAACh8/2P3iRwnvhwk/s1600/Willis.jpeg" /></a></div>7. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Hard"><span class="s3">Die Hard</span></a> (Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">OK. Not your traditional Christmas movie. In fact, there's a debate as to whether it really is (see "<a href="https://www.economist.com/prospero/2019/12/06/is-die-hard-a-christmas-film" target="_blank">Is 'Die Hard' a Christmas Film?</a>"). I obviously fall on the side of those who think it it. It takes place on Christmas Eve, is a battle between good and evil, and includes some traditional (and not so traditional) Christmas songs. It stars Bruce Willis as NY city police detective John McClane, who flies to LA to reconcile with his wife. He meets her at her company's Christmas party, but while he's changing clothes in the men's room, the party's taken over by a terrorist group (headed by Hans Gruber -- played by Alan Rickman, who a few years later played Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies), which holds them hostage, all except for McClane, who sneaks away before they know he's there. The rest of the movie is the battle between McClane (good) and Gruber (evil) and includes a lot of classic lines ("Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs..."; Yippee ki-yay...").</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p5"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Bw6XsW__eQ/UqAiwjkxLxI/AAAAAAAACiE/-SgDLED925A/s1600/Elf-SoundTRAX-Header.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Bw6XsW__eQ/UqAiwjkxLxI/AAAAAAAACiE/-SgDLED925A/s200/Elf-SoundTRAX-Header.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>8. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf_(film)"><span class="s3">Elf</span></a> (Will Ferrell, Bob Newhart, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel)</div><div class="p3"><br />This movie is too fun. Will Ferrell is great as someone (Buddy) who thinks he's one of Santa's elves but is actually a human being who, through a twist of fate, was adopted by an elf (Bob Newhart) when just a baby. Unfortunately, he's not a very good at elf things (e.g., making toys), and once he learns that he's not an elf, he heads to New York where his biological father (James Caan) lives. There he falls in love with Jovie (Zooey Deschanel), helps NY recapture the Christmas spirit, and has a heck of a lot of fun along the way (well, most of the time). The movie is also educational. We learn, for instance, that the four main elvish food groups are candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup. There's also allusions to other Christmas classics like "Miracle on 34th Street" and "Rudolph, the Red Nose Reindeer" (see #18 and #20 below).</div><div class="p5"><br /></div><div class="p3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gz5x5uIXDPI/UqAi2hkCDuI/AAAAAAAACiM/2f8W9aSRTTc/s1600/Family+man.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gz5x5uIXDPI/UqAi2hkCDuI/AAAAAAAACiM/2f8W9aSRTTc/s200/Family+man.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>9. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_Man"><span class="s3">The Family Man</span></a> (Nicholas Cage, Tea Leoni, Don Cheadle)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">One of my favorites. It's is a cross between "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Carol." It tells the story of Jack Campbell (JC = Jesus Christ?; his boss/advisor is named Peter), played by Nicholas Cage, who chooses to spend the year after graduating from college in London as an investment banker rather remaining in New York with his girl friend (Tea Leoni). Unsurprisingly, the relationship doesn't survive, and when the movie begins (13 years later), Cage is a successful investment banker who loves money and fine things, but cares little for women or family. However, when he wakes up one Christmas morning, he's living the life he would've lived if he hadn't moved to London. He's married (to Tea Leoni), has two kids, and works as a car tire salesman (for his wife's father - Big Ed). Although he initially despises this life, he eventually comes to love it more than the one in which he drove fast cars, wore designer suits, and had his pick of women. The movie's climax occurs after he wakes up back in his old life, tracks down his old girlfriend, and convinces her not to leave for Paris to take a new job.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1cQQpCnjcow/XBaD8dPfIOI/AAAAAAAAFRY/Xkk6ZqfKzIUFRvmpSodClqRNEs5MLI4NQCLcBGAs/s1600/family%2Bstone.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1207" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1cQQpCnjcow/XBaD8dPfIOI/AAAAAAAAFRY/Xkk6ZqfKzIUFRvmpSodClqRNEs5MLI4NQCLcBGAs/s320/family%2Bstone.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>10. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_Stone">The Family Stone</a> (Claire Danes, Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Dermot Mulroney, Craig T. Nelson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Luke Wilson)<br /><br />This tells the story about a Christmas gathering of the Stone family when the eldest son (Dermot Mulroney) brings his very uptight girlfriend (Sarah Jessica Parker) home with him to introduce her to his family, as well as propose to her with his grandmother's wedding ring. Parker's reception by Mulroney's family -- played by Diane Keaton (mom, who is dying), Craig T. Nelson (dad), Rachel McAdams (younger sister), Elizabeth Reaser (older sister), Luke Wilson (younger brother), and Tyrone Giordano (youngest brother) - is chilly, to say the least. So chilly, in fact, that Parker begs her sister (Claire Danes) to join her. Mulroney ends up falling for Danes (and vice versa), Wilson for Parker (and vice versa), and McAdams for her ex-boyfriend (and vice versa) played by Paul Schneider. Chaos ensues, poignancy follows, and although it was greeted with mixed reviews, it has become a holiday favorite for many.</div><div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="p3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfv6Z3XTL_BBDpi4tvbiwihHRVvdBMAy2PSTr-KduIzr1OXwdXqrYS6-6yJxCtK_2GihhEvRt9JVtf6nrHIo4NhiIUEQF_wFkwnFg7IS4hAjVoypOV6qSDqeIqSZQl_FS_BnfxRpF4zBTOQeZJKT97d-vCEqyr_MRSd_rUF-XI9DyuXmhbTFH2T02E1g=s1822" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1822" data-original-width="1588" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfv6Z3XTL_BBDpi4tvbiwihHRVvdBMAy2PSTr-KduIzr1OXwdXqrYS6-6yJxCtK_2GihhEvRt9JVtf6nrHIo4NhiIUEQF_wFkwnFg7IS4hAjVoypOV6qSDqeIqSZQl_FS_BnfxRpF4zBTOQeZJKT97d-vCEqyr_MRSd_rUF-XI9DyuXmhbTFH2T02E1g=s320" width="279" /></a></div>11. <a href="http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/christmas" target="_blank">Hallmark Christmas Movies</a> (Various)<br /><br />There isn't one Hallmark Christmas movie, of course. There are hundreds. A new one premiers every weekend beginning in October. And almost without exception, they're corny and predictable. They're almost always a love story, and one or other of the (future) couple has sworn off Christmas because of some bad experience (e.g., divorce, death in the family). Moreover, you can pretty much count on them breaking up with about 15 minutes to go (usually due to some sort of lack of communication) and then getting back together with only a few seconds left on the clock (before the next movie starts). However, in a world that seems hell-bent on becoming more polarized, I (and evidently several others) can do with a corny (cue the next movie on the list...).<div class="p3"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XVea8O7tnas/X8MiBMOQn7I/AAAAAAAAF6Y/z3xRy2vxiJU6GhbAlW_G-vbCX3aqjnwHACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/3f039e06c5ee3bf607403811e581462f.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="359" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XVea8O7tnas/X8MiBMOQn7I/AAAAAAAAF6Y/z3xRy2vxiJU6GhbAlW_G-vbCX3aqjnwHACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/3f039e06c5ee3bf607403811e581462f.jpg" /></a></div>12. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holiday"><span class="s3">The Holiday</span></a> (Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Eli Wallach)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">Definitely one our family's holiday favorites. This movie tells the story of two women (Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet) who, suffering from guy-problems, swap homes with each other (they don't know on another -- they "meet" through an on-line home exchange website) where they each meet someone and fall in love. Diaz's character (Amanda) lives in LA, is a producer of movie trailers, and breaks up with her boy friend after she discovers that he's cheated on her. Winslet (Iris) is a journalist working in London, who's in love with someone who wants to keep her around but doesn't want to commit. When she learns that he's engaged to another journalist, she becomes suicidal, but luckily chooses to spend the holidays in LA instead. A side story concerns elderly gentleman (Eli Wallach--the "Ugly" from "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good,_the_Bad_and_the_Ugly"><span class="s3">The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly</span></a>"), who lives near Amanda and whom Iris befriends. It turns out that Wallach is a widowed and retired screen writer whom the screen writer's guild wants to honor. He doesn't want to attend, but Iris talks him into it. I believe Wallach should've at least received a best supporting actor nomination for his role, but this isn't the type of movie that actors and actresses win awards for. One of the biggest surprises is the revelation that Jack Black actually can act. It's too bad he doesn't get more parts like this.</div><div class="p3"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsLZ0Mnjtk8/XBaBX4ZYHdI/AAAAAAAAFRM/VgKUiXkbWEYSfNNld0hSHN7qkjZo_35uACLcBGAs/s1600/Home_alone_poster.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsLZ0Mnjtk8/XBaBX4ZYHdI/AAAAAAAAFRM/VgKUiXkbWEYSfNNld0hSHN7qkjZo_35uACLcBGAs/s320/Home_alone_poster.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>13. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Alone">Home Alone</a> (Macaulay Culkin, John Heard, Catherine O'Hara, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Robert Blossom)<br /><br />When adjusted for inflation, Home Alone is the highest grossing Christmas movie of all time at the North American box office. It tells the story of Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), an 8-year-old boy who is accidentally left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation. Kevin initially relishes being home alone, but soon has to contend with two highly incompetent burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern), whom he continues to foil with numerous booby-traps. The rest of his family doesn't realize they left him behind until they are mid-flight to Paris and then struggle to find a flight back (all her booked). Kevin also ends up befriending Old Man Marley (Roberts Blossom), who is rumored to have murdered his family. Like many holiday favorites, it received a mixed reception from critics, but many consider it one of the best Christmas films of all time.<br /><br /></div><div class="p6"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KPAasI3s8Cc/UqAjqyTqULI/AAAAAAAACio/drv07ImBe2g/s1600/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-post1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KPAasI3s8Cc/UqAjqyTqULI/AAAAAAAACio/drv07ImBe2g/s320/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-post1.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>14. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_Grinch_Stole_Christmas!"><span class="s2">How the Grinch Stole Christmas</span></a> (Boris Karloff)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">One of the best holiday movies ever (the animated version, that is, not the one that Opie Taylor directed several years later). In it the Grinch, a cave-dwelling creature with a heart "two sizes too small," lives on Mount Crumpit, a steep mountain above Whoville, home of the Whos. His only companion is his faithful dog, Max. Every year from his perch atop Mount Crumpit, the Grinch hears the "clangy" noisy Christmas festivities that take place in Whoville. Annoyed and unable to understand why the Whos are so happy, he sneaks into town on Christmas Eve and takes all of their Christmas presents, decorations, and food in order to prevent Christmas from coming. However, when Christmas morning arrives, the Whos still celebrate Christmas even though all their presents and decorations have been stolen. Realizing that Christmas is more than gifts and presents, the Grinch's heart grows three times in size, and he returns all the presents and trimmings and joins the Whos for the Christmas feast. There are now three Grinch movies, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_Grinch_Stole_Christmas_(2000_film)" target="_blank">one with "real people" directed by Ron Howard and starring Jim Cary in 2000</a>, and a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grinch_(film)" target="_blank">2018 computer-animated version with Benedict Cumberbatch in the leading role</a>.</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p6"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fUzJZrZ-p6k/UqAkfcqBwAI/AAAAAAAACiw/kyyqMLYYmnE/s1600/its-a-wonderful-life-pottersville.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fUzJZrZ-p6k/UqAkfcqBwAI/AAAAAAAACiw/kyyqMLYYmnE/s320/its-a-wonderful-life-pottersville.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>15. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It's_a_Wonderful_Life"><span class="s3">It's a Wonderful Life</span></a> (Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Henry Travers, Lionel Barrymore)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">I'm not sure how much I need to say about this movie since it is so well known. Briefly, it stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a man who has repeatedly given up his dreams in order to help the dreams of others, and whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve (because of a financial disaster not of his own doing) brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers), who has yet to earn his wings (he's an angel second class). However, by showing what the world would have been like if George had never been born, Clarence keeps George from committing suicide (and thereby earning his wings). George sees that his life hasn't been a waste but has in fact touched (and improved) the lives of almost all those around him in Bedford Falls. He is, as his younger brother Harry puts it, "The richest man in town." Although the movie opened to mixed reviews, it has become a perennial Christmas classic that captures the true meaning of Christmas. There is a scene at the railroad station when George Bailey learns that his younger brother is not going to take over the family business so that George can go to college. For about 5 seconds, Stewart says nothing; his (i.e., George's) disappointment and frustration only shows in his facial expressions. It's a wonderful example of why Stewart was one of the greatest actors of all time. For more on the movie, see the following post ("<a href="http://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2012/12/its-wonderful-life.html">It's a Wonderful Life</a>").</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P_HfF-tT1RA/XeMtqfle_YI/AAAAAAAAFiA/5jq6WAUobhceKe0PTQo55vVw_KnY_RUngCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/MV5BY2Y3NTJjZmMtNGFjZi00MGQ5LTg0MjAtNmIxYjBhNmJjMDMyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ%2540%2540._V1_SX1777_CR0%252C0%252C1777%252C887_AL_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1600" height="159" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P_HfF-tT1RA/XeMtqfle_YI/AAAAAAAAFiA/5jq6WAUobhceKe0PTQo55vVw_KnY_RUngCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/MV5BY2Y3NTJjZmMtNGFjZi00MGQ5LTg0MjAtNmIxYjBhNmJjMDMyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ%2540%2540._V1_SX1777_CR0%252C0%252C1777%252C887_AL_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>16. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Christmas_(film)" target="_blank">Last Christmas</a> (Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Emma Thompson)<br /><br />Most critics disliked this 2019 movie, which is very loosely inspired by Wham's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8gmARGvPlI" target="_blank">song of the same name</a>, but it's light-hearted (so to speak) with a somewhat surprising twist at the end, which makes it a little different from the typical Christmas movie fare. Emilia Clarke plays Kate, who is a singer who supports herself working as an elf at a year-round Christmas shop. We also eventually learn that she recently received a heart transplant from which she hasn't mentally recovered. She, in fact, appears to be careening through life with something of a death wish. One day, while at work she notices Henry Golding (Tom) outside the shop, whom she gets eventually falls for, but it's never entirely clear whether he feels the same. Nevertheless, he has a positive affect on her, and she slowly gets her life back in order. She stops drinking, having one-night stands, and restores her ties with her mom (Emma Thompson), dad, and sister. Like most Christmas movies, it's ultimately a story about redemption, in this case, Kate's, and the effect this has others. Michelle Yeoh plays "Santa," the owner of the Christmas shop where Kate works (she also played Henry Golding's mother in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Rich_Asians_(film)" target="_blank">Crazy Rich Asians</a>, was a Bond girl (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomorrow_Never_Dies" target="_blank">Tomorrow Never Dies</a>), and starred in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crouching_Tiger,_Hidden_Dragon" target="_blank">Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon</a>).<div class="p3"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mFFEbO1hNPM/WFy5ZM6uWoI/AAAAAAAAEqc/VXmzSSny8uIXctEgvlHB-kT6pd0JgSauwCLcB/s1600/wezerek-loveactuallydataviz-1220-1-rkedits.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mFFEbO1hNPM/WFy5ZM6uWoI/AAAAAAAAEqc/VXmzSSny8uIXctEgvlHB-kT6pd0JgSauwCLcB/s320/wezerek-loveactuallydataviz-1220-1-rkedits.png" width="320" /></a></div>17. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Actually">Love Actually</a> (Numerous)<br /><br />A 2003 British Christmas-themed romantic comedy explores several separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, whom we learn as the movie progresses are connected with one another. The movie begins five weeks before Christmas and plays out in a weekly countdown to Christmas, followed by an epilogue that takes place a month later. The movie includes numerous British stars, including Rowan Atkinson, Colin Firth, Martin Freeman, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Laura Linney, Martine McCutcheon, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Alan Rickman. You may be skeptical, but recently FiveThirtyEight called it the greatest Christmas movie of all time ("<a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-definitive-analysis-of-love-actually-the-greatest-christmas-movie-of-our-time/">The Definitive Analysis Of ‘Love Actually,’ The Greatest Christmas Movie Of Our Time</a>").</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p5"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UtdSEsHNlvY/UqAkk1wVW9I/AAAAAAAACi4/m3eMl27NrtY/s1600/34th.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UtdSEsHNlvY/UqAkk1wVW9I/AAAAAAAACi4/m3eMl27NrtY/s1600/34th.jpg" /></a></div>18. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_on_34th_Street"><span class="s3">Miracle on 34th Street</span></a> (Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, Natalie Wood)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">Although the 1994 remake of this movie, starring Sir Richard Attenborough (as Santa Claus), Dylan McDermott, and Elizabeth Perkins, is decent, it doesn't come close to the original with Maureen O'Hara and a very young Natalie Wood. The story takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day and focuses on the impact of the Santa Claus hired to work at the Macy's on 34th St. in NY City, who claims to be the real Santa and acts accordingly. For example, he some times he ignores instructions to steer parents to goods that Macy's sells like the time he directs one shopper to another store for a toy fire engine that Macy's doesn't have in stock. And he tells another mother that Macy's rival Gimbels has better skates for her daughter. The film won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Edmund Gwenn), Best Writing, Original Story (Valentine Davies) and Best Writing, Screenplay. It was also nominated for Best Picture but lost to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentleman's_Agreement">Gentleman's Agreement</a> with Gregory Peck.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n0EtfNbjOH8/Xe7-LFCLMGI/AAAAAAAAFio/D2q9__ikXsA6i4Sxp8p7MZWcqvkZ-MFvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/51KY3A3Z0JL.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n0EtfNbjOH8/Xe7-LFCLMGI/AAAAAAAAFio/D2q9__ikXsA6i4Sxp8p7MZWcqvkZ-MFvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/51KY3A3Z0JL.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>19. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Her_Majesty%27s_Secret_Service_(film)" target="_blank">On Her Majesty's Secret Service</a> (George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, Gabriele Ferzetti, Ilse Steppat)<br /><br />"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (OHMSS) is a "Christmas film" of the way that "Die Hard" is (see above): It involves a battle between good and evil, it's set at Christmas (or quite a bit of it is), it includes Christmas songs, and it even throws in a little bit of redemption. It also involves a chase scene through a Swiss village celebrating the holiday and includes some of the skiing scenes ever. Recently, in an article in which <a href="https://www.economist.com/" target="_blank">The Economist</a> considers whether "Die Hard" is really a Christmas movie, the author makes the case for considering OHMSS as one ("<a href="https://www.economist.com/prospero/2019/12/06/is-die-hard-a-christmas-film" target="_blank">Is 'Die Hard' a Christmas Film?</a>"). OHMSS is, of course, the only movie in which George Lazenby plays James Bond. He was chosen after Sean Connery retired from the role after "You Only Live Twice," although Connery changed his mind and came back to play Bond in "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamonds_Are_Forever_(film)" target="_blank">Diamonds Are Forever</a>" (1971) and "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Say_Never_Again" target="_blank">Never Say Never Again</a>" (1983). Although OHMSS was a commercial success, its reception was mixed. The film's reputation has improved greatly over time, however. The director Christopher Nolan named it as his favorite Bond movie, and it has slowly moved its way up the "all-time Bond film lists" ("<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Her_Majesty%27s_Secret_Service_(film)#Retrospective_reviews" target="_blank">On Her Majesty's Secret Service</a>", "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/movies/on-her-majestys-secret-service-james-bond-lazenby.html" target="_blank">50 Years Later, This Bond Film Should Finally Get Its Due</a>"). It's no wonder. OHMSS contains some of the best action scenes of the series (which are similar to those of the more recent Bourne movies), Lazenby plays a capable Bond, Diana Rigg's excellent as his love interest and future (and only) wife, and Telly Savalas's "Blofeld" is by far the best of all the Bond films (although Christoph Waltz's portrayal in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectre_(2015_film)" target="_blank">Spectre</a> is a close second). It also follows the original novel much more closely than the other Bond films. It's definitely worth a watch.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nVgyt47bPyw/UqAkwvB8mdI/AAAAAAAACjI/sRpXwHYpvGg/s1600/Rudolph.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nVgyt47bPyw/UqAkwvB8mdI/AAAAAAAACjI/sRpXwHYpvGg/s1600/Rudolph.jpeg" /></a></div>20. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_the_Red-Nosed_Reindeer_(TV_special)">Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer</a> (Burl Ives)<br /><br />When I was a kid, I couldn't wait for this to come on TV. I only got to see it once a year, and it was a big deal when it came on. Not just for me, but for most of my friends. Now, of course, you can get it (and virtually any other Christmas movie) on DVD or Blue Ray, or download it from iTunes or Amazon, so it (and other Christmas movies) has lost its "specialness." Nevertheless, I still love watching this retelling of the original Robert L. May story ("<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_the_Red-Nosed_Reindeer">Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer</a>"), in which Rudolph's rejection by his peers (for his shiny nose) leads him to run away from home with by a similarly-outcast elf (Hermey) whose dreams of becoming a dentist. These two eventually join up with a prospector named Yukon Cornelius, and after a battle with the Abominable Snowman, they return home to the North Pole just in time for Rudolph to lead Santa's sleigh through a terrible snow storm, thus keeping Christmas from being cancelled.</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p5"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dwtn4Bo05jg/UqAkqnm0DAI/AAAAAAAACjE/kz4oQRKWa3c/s1600/santa+clause.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dwtn4Bo05jg/UqAkqnm0DAI/AAAAAAAACjE/kz4oQRKWa3c/s1600/santa+clause.jpeg" /></a></div>21. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Santa_Clause"><span class="s3">The Santa Clause</span></a> (Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Eric Lloyd, David Krumholtz)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3">Tim Allen stars as Scott Calvin, a cynical, divorced, advertising executive for a toy company, who accidentally causes a guy dressed like Santa Claus to fall to his death from his roof on Christmas Eve. Scott and his son Charlie (who is spending Christmas Eve with Scott) discover a sleigh with eight reindeer on the roof, and they conclude that the man must have been Santa Claus. They also find a card in the Santa's suit, instructing that if something should happen to him, that whoever finds the clothes, should put them on and get in the sleigh. Charlie convinces Scott to follow these instructions, and the reindeer take Scott to children's houses around the world to finish Santa's deliveries. After this, the sleigh takes them to the North Pole where they learn that Scott is the new Santa (because of the clause in the instruction card they found -- that is, the "Santa Clause") and convince his former wife that he's the new Kris Kringle.</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p5"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7tl7SmciDyw/UqAlNy4mrVI/AAAAAAAACjQ/RSjCsopUqlU/s1600/white-christmas-560-2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7tl7SmciDyw/UqAlNy4mrVI/AAAAAAAACjQ/RSjCsopUqlU/s320/white-christmas-560-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>22. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Christmas_(film)"><span class="s3">White Christmas</span></a> (Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen)</div><div class="p2"><br /></div>What more can you say about this one? It's got Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas" (not once, but twice); it has Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen dancing (several times); it has George Clooney's aunt singing and dancing; and it tells a nice, heart-warming story that some may think is a bit corny. But, to paraphrase Kate Winslet's character in <i>The Holiday</i> (see above), sometimes corny is just what the doctor ordered. The song, "Count Your Blessings" (written by Irving Berlin), was nominated for an Oscar (White Christmas won the Oscar 12 years before for the movie, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_Inn_(film)"><span class="s3">Holiday Inn</span></a>), but my favorite (aside from White Christmas) is <i>Snow</i>, sung by Crosby, Kaye, Clooney, and Vera-Ellen on the train from Miami to Vermont (pictured above).<div><br /></div><div>And here's two more movies that appear on other lists but I haven't had time to watch but plan to eventually (summaries pulled from Google, Wikipedia, etc.):</div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_(1938_film)" target="_blank"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_(1938_film)" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WtprZAGKf1c/X9BbOPjh7NI/AAAAAAAAF8E/sfWOwurxUZUA6QSmdAj-JCn3FkRB89HpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/holiday-3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1215" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WtprZAGKf1c/X9BbOPjh7NI/AAAAAAAAF8E/sfWOwurxUZUA6QSmdAj-JCn3FkRB89HpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/holiday-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>23. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_(1938_film)" target="_blank">Holiday</a> (Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant)</div><div><br /></div><div>Holiday is a 1938 American romantic comedy that is a remake of the 1930 film of the same name. It tells the story of Jonathan "Johnny" Case (Cary Grant), a self-made man who's worked all his life and is about to marry Julia Seton (Doris Nolan), whom he met while on holiday in Lake Placid. He actually knows very little about her and is surprised to learn she's from an extremely wealthy family, the youngest daughter of banker Edward Seton (Henry Kolker). Assured that Johnny is a worthy suitor, Edward approves of the pairing. But, as Johnny's wanderlust surfaces -- he is more interested in traveling than in business -- Edward starts to have doubts. Johnny also begins to wonder if he might not be a better match for Linda (Katharine Hepburn), Julia's outspoken younger sister, with whom he has much more in common.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_Affair" target="_blank"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_Affair" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t411FTPDLyc/X9BbzxKAB4I/AAAAAAAAF8M/nS2QrS7HuHo2pxb9IjdWLodEAiZ6jNfVACLcBGAsYHQ/s1138/MV5BZWNmNzJiNGYtNzk1Zi00YjkwLTgyNTctN2FlMDE4MTk0ZGZmL2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjE5MjUyOTM%2540._V1_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="746" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t411FTPDLyc/X9BbzxKAB4I/AAAAAAAAF8M/nS2QrS7HuHo2pxb9IjdWLodEAiZ6jNfVACLcBGAsYHQ/w210-h320/MV5BZWNmNzJiNGYtNzk1Zi00YjkwLTgyNTctN2FlMDE4MTk0ZGZmL2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjE5MjUyOTM%2540._V1_.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>24. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_Affair" target="_blank">Holiday Affair</a> (Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh)</div><div><br /></div><div>Seasonal clerk Steve Mason (Robert Mitchum) catches Connie Ennis (Janet Leigh) in a fraudulent shopping scheme during the busy Christmas rush. But when he discovers that Ennis is a war widow and single mother, he decides not to turn her in. His supervisor takes notice and fires him. Mason befriends Connie and her young son, Timmy, and complicates her plans to marry boring nice guy Carl Davis (like Meg Ryan's fiancé in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleepless_in_Seattle" target="_blank">Sleepless in Seattle</a>). The movie is based on the story <i>Christmas Gift</i> by John Weaver, which was also the film's working title. Set during the Christmas season, the film was not well received on its initial release. However, Turner Classic Movies airing the film over Christmas has led to it becoming a minor holiday classic. A <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday_Affair_(1996_film)" target="_blank">made-for-television remake</a> was produced in 1996.</div></div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-21095202167366914582021-12-01T07:47:00.017-08:002021-12-18T12:49:00.783-08:00Songs for the Christmas Season<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iLgHbyHBlUM/YaceQWc_jCI/AAAAAAAAGTs/6acFnAE7xU46_UCpnviRhLNv6gK1LT7LwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1543/MV5BMzVhMjAxZWYtZTM4Yi00MzM5LThkNjQtMWE5NGVjZWZmZWQzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTcwOTYwNzE%2540._V1_.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1543" data-original-width="1242" height="289" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iLgHbyHBlUM/YaceQWc_jCI/AAAAAAAAGTs/6acFnAE7xU46_UCpnviRhLNv6gK1LT7LwCLcBGAsYHQ/w233-h289/MV5BMzVhMjAxZWYtZTM4Yi00MzM5LThkNjQtMWE5NGVjZWZmZWQzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTcwOTYwNzE%2540._V1_.png" width="233" /></a></div>Here's my annual (and updated) list of songs related to the Christmas season. Some are traditional, some are modern, some are secular, and some are somewhat humorous. Like last year, I've sorted them into categories, although there are some that could easily be sorted into more than one. When possible, I've linked them to iTunes Preview, YouTube, etc., so you can listen to (preview) or watch them. (<b>Note</b>: Please let me know if some of the links don't "link," i.e., they need to be updated; Apple Music updated several of its links).<br /><br /><b>Classics</b><br /><ol><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/auld-lang-syne/1445888481?i=570488534" target="_blank">Auld Lang Syne - Colbie Caillat</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/blue-christmas/id676288305?i=676288368&uo=4">Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/christmas-canon-remastered-version/1437024568?i=1437024579" target="_blank">Christmas Canon - Trans-Siberian Orchestra</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-christmas-song-merry-christmas-to-you/1435551048?i=1435551062">The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/frosty-the-snowman/1472696616?i=1472696632" target="_blank">Frosty the Snowman - Jimmy Durante</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/ally-mcbeal-a-very-ally-christmas/1519323334" target="_blank">Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Vonda Shepard</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-holly-jolly-christmas-single-version/1444213347?i=1444213351" target="_blank">Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ill-be-home-for-christmas/id669854820?i=669854848&uo=4">I'll Be Home for Christmas - Michael Bublé</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/in-the-bleak-mid-winter/1565032344?i=1565032349" target="_blank">In the Bleak Midwinter - Phil Coulter</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/i-wonder-as-i-wander/1167629418?i=1167629863" target="_blank">I Wonder As I Wander - Sandi Patti</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/its-most-wonderful-time-year/id171434474?i=171434594&uo=4">It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/ive-got-my-love-to-keep-me-warm/1442925179?i=1442925870" target="_blank">I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm - Frank Sinatra</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/jingle-bells-feat.-puppini/id669854820?i=669854834&uo=4">Jingle Bells - Michael Bublé</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/let-it-snow-let-it-snow-let-it-snow/724322340?i=724322860" target="_blank">Let it Snow - Dean Martin</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-little-drummer-boy/1487549700?i=1487550371" target="_blank">Little Drummer Boy - Bob Seger</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/mistletoe-and-holly/1440862061?i=1440862303" target="_blank">Mistletoe and Holly - Frank Sinatra</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/peace-on-earth-the-little-drummer-boy/1437442210?i=1437442460" target="_blank">Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby and David Bowie</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer-feat-videocraft-chorus/1440814412?i=1440815080" target="_blank">Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Burl Ives</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/santa-bring-my-baby-back-to-me/563624878?i=563625357" target="_blank">Santa Bring My Baby Back (to Me) - Elvis</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/silver-bells/178110637?i=178111579" target="_blank">Silver Bells - Andy Williams</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orJ9-bdNi_s" target="_blank">Snow - Bing Crosby, Danny Kay, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Allen (dubbed by Trudy Stevens</a>)</li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/theres-no-place-like-home/id263979075?i=263981284&uo=4">There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays - Perry Como</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/what-are-you-doing-new-years-eve/1445666702?i=1445667861" target="_blank">What are You Doing New Year's Eve? - Ella Fitzgerald</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/white-christmas/1425234668?i=1425235073" target="_blank">White Christmas - Bing Crosby</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/youre-a-mean-one-mr-grinch/1440922667?i=1440922974" target="_blank">You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch - Thurl Ravenscroft</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/zat-you-santa-claus-single-version/1445666702?i=1445667453" target="_blank">'Zat You, Santa Clause? - Louis Armstrong and the Commanders</a></li></ol><div><b>Contemporary</b></div><div><ol><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you/585972750?i=585972803" target="_blank">All I Want for Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/believe/id27560427?i=27560445&uo=4">Believe - Josh Groban</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/carols-sing/id308857825?i=308857991&uo=4">Carols Sing - Michael W. Smith</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/celebrate-me-home/id197881828?i=197883620&uo=4">Celebrate Me Home - Kenny Loggins</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/christmas-baby-please-come/id30946876?i=30946958&uo=4">Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - U2</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/christmas-cant-be-very-far/id715954173?i=715954317&uo=4">Christmas Can't Be Very Far Away - Amy Grant</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/christmas-in-dixie/533826409?i=533826530" target="_blank">Christmas in Dixie - Alabama</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/christmas-in-your-arms/id250246644?i=250246654&uo=4">Christmas in Your Arms - Alabama</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/christmas-is-coming/id565257786?i=565268377&uo=4">Christmas is Coming - Vince Guaraldi Trio</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/christmas-island/id1008721?i=1008665&uo=4">Christmas Island - Jimmy Buffett</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-christmas-shoes/id268622338?i=268622429&uo=4">The Christmas Shoes - NewSong</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/christmas-time-is-here-vocal/id565257786?i=565268374&uo=4">Christmas Time is Here - Vince Guaraldi Trio</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/christmas-waltz/id308857825?i=308857976&uo=4">Christmas Waltz - Michael W. Smith</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/cold-december-night/id669854820?i=669854846&uo=4">Cold December Night - Michael Bublé</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/do-they-know-its-christmas/id473247035?i=473247095&uo=4">Do They Know It's Christmas - Glee Cast</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/extraordinary-merry-christmas/id473247035?i=473247042&uo=4">Extraordinary Merry Christmas - Glee Cast</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/feliz-navidad/id255615877?i=255615879&uo=4">Feliz Navidad - José Feliciano</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/going-home-for-christmas/id799891698?i=799894976&uo=4">Going Home For Christmas - Phil Coulter</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/grown-up-christmas-list/id716132264?i=716132581&uo=4">Grown Up Christmas List - Amy Grant</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/happiest-christmas/id308857825?i=308857948&uo=4">The Happiest Christmas - Michael W. Smith</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/happy-xmas-war-is-over/id910036446?i=910036466&uo=4">Happy Xmas (The War is Over) - John Lennon</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hey-santa!/id715937926?i=715937972&uo=4">Hey Santa - Carnie and Wendy Wilson</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/high-plains/id271457108?i=271457114&uo=4">High Plains (Christmas on the High-Line) - Philip Aaberg</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/this-holiday-night/id711575316?i=711575358">This Holiday Night - Margo Rey</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/it-snowed-remastered/id473540782?i=473540786&uo=4">It Snowed - Meaghan Smith</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/jingle-bell-rock/id264323152?i=264323200&uo=4">Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/last-christmas-glee-cast-version/id398792552?i=398792786&uo=4">Last Christmas - Glee Cast</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/linus-and-lucy/id565257786?i=565268372&uo=4">Linus and Lucy - Vince Guaraldi Trio</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/merry-christmas-baby/id30946876?i=30946903&uo=4">Merry Christmas Baby - Bruce Springsteen</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/merry-christmas-darling/id353998?i=353963&uo=4">Merry Christmas Darling - The Carpenters</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mister-santa/id716229109?i=716230334&uo=4">Mister Santa - Amy Grant</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/nothin-new-for-new-year-feat./id290666071?i=290666304&uo=4">Nothin' New for New Years - Harry Connick, Jr. & George Jones</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/please-come-home-for-christmas/id636866317?i=636867079&uo=4">Please Come Home For Christmas - The Eagles</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/river/id217471220?i=217472068&uo=4">River - Joni Mitchell</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town/id268804568?i=268804621&uo=4">Santa Claus in Coming to Town - Bruce Springsteen</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/santa-baby/id30946876?i=30946966&uo=4">Santa Baby - Madonna</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/santa-tell-me/1444319981?i=1444319982" target="_blank">Santa Tell Me - Ariana Grande</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/skating/id565257786?i=565268375&uo=4">Skating - Vince Guaraldi Trio</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sleigh-ride/id132916?i=132860&uo=4">Sleigh Ride - The Carpenters</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/snoopys-christmas-remastered/id715606414?i=715606667&uo=4">Snoopy's Christmas - The Royal Guardsmen</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/song-for-a-winters-night/id200880196?i=200881310&uo=4">Song For A Winter's Night - Sarah McLachlan</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tennessee-christmas/id716360690?i=716360853&uo=4">Tennessee Christmas - Amy Grant</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/this-christmas/id407869829?i=407869833&uo=4">This Christmas - Vonda Shepard</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/to-be-together/id1160552757?i=1160552765">To Be Together - Amy Grant</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/where-are-you-christmas/id3539114?i=3539030&uo=4">Where Are You Christmas? - Faith Hill</a></li></ol></div><div><b>Traditional Hymns and Carols</b></div><ol><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/angels-we-have-heard-on-high/id398792552?i=398792940&uo=4">Angels We Have Heard on High - Glee Cast</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ave-maria/id353998?i=353971&uo=4">Ave Maria - The Carpenters</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/medley/id308857825?i=308857986&uo=4">Away in a Manger/Child in a Manger - Michael W. Smith</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/carol-of-the-bells/id353998?i=353961&uo=4">Carol of the Bells - The Carpenters</a></li><li><a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=james+taylor+deck+the+halls&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8" target="_blank">Deck the Halls - James Taylor</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/do-you-hear-what-i-hear/id352113561?i=352113870&uo=4">Do You Hear What I Hear? - Whitney Houston</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/emmanuel-god-with-us/id716132264?i=716132678&uo=4">Emmanuel, God With Us - Amy Grant</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-first-noel-with-faith-hill/id738166403?i=738166417&uo=4">The First Noel - Josh Groban & Faith Hill</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/go-tell-it-on-the-mountain/id571368921?i=571368925&uo=4">Go Tell It On The Mountain - James Taylor</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/god-rest-ye-merry-gentlemen-glee-cast-version/398792552?i=398792791" target="_blank">God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen - Glee Cast</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/greensleeves/id565257786?i=565268382&uo=4">Greensleeves - Vince Guaraldi Trio</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hark!-the-herald-angels-sing/id265009714?i=265010914&uo=4">Hark the Herald Angels Sing - Diamond Rio</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-holly-and-the-ivy/1452250005?i=1452250204" target="_blank">The Holly and the Ivy - Choir of King's College, Cambridge</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/it-came-upon-a-midnight-clear/703002175?i=703003022" target="_blank">It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - Johnny Cash</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-heard-bells-on-christmas/id291831478?i=291831512&uo=4">I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day - Casting Crowns</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-saw-three-ships-as-i-sat/id716737019?i=716737116&uo=4">I Saw Three Ships - Craig Duncan</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/jesu-joy-of-mans-desiring/id716132264?i=716132686&uo=4">Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - Amy Grant</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDAUPz2RohU" target="_blank">Joy to the World - Hillsong</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/selections-from-nutcracker/id353998?i=353977&uo=4">The Nutcracker Suite - Various</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/o-come-all-ye-faithful/id1166722990?i=1166723052">O Come All Ye Faithful - Pentatonix</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/o-come-o-come-emmanuel/694429957?i=694429961" target="_blank">O Come, O Come Emmanuel - The Piano Guys</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/search?term=o%20holy%20night" target="_blank">O Holy Night - Josh Groban</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/search?term=little%20town%20of%20bethlehem" target="_blank">O Little Town of Bethlehem - Nat King Cole</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/pat-a-pan/id582218352?i=582218530&uo=4">Pat-a-Pan - Various</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/silent-night/id200880196?i=200880703&uo=4">Silent Night - Sarah McLachlan</a></li></ol><div><b>Contemporary Gospel</b></div><ol><li><span style="color: #0000ee;"><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/almost-there-feat-amy-grant/1440854694?i=1440855351" target="_blank">Almost There - Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant</a></span></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/breath-of-heaven-marys-song/id716132264?i=716132535&uo=4">Breath of Christmas - Amy Grant</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/search?term=christmas%20hymn%20amy" target="_blank">Christmas Hymn - Amy Grant</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/christmas-was-meant-for-children/id268584725?i=268584750&uo=4">Christmas Was Meant for Children - Sandi Patti</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/christmastime/id308857825?i=308857960&uo=4">Christmastime - Michael W. Smith</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/christ-is-born/id353998?i=353965&uo=4">Christ is Born - The Carpenters</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/god-is-with-us/id291831478?i=291831520&uo=4">God is With Us - Casting Crowns</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/little-altar-boy/id132916?i=132900&uo=4">Little Alter Boy - The Carpenters</a></li><li><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/newborn/1038182679?i=1038183198" target="_blank">Newborn - MercyMe</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sweet-little-jesus-boy/id291831478?i=291831538&uo=4">Sweet Little Jesus Boy - Casting Crowns</a></li></ol><div><b>Humorous</b></div><ol><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJB9GP5gyAw">Baby, Just Go Outside - The Holderness Family</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-chanukah-song/id20912871?i=20912894&uo=4">The Chanukah Song - Adam Sandler</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/grandma-got-run-over-by-reindeer/id185831002?i=185831121&uo=4">Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer - Elmo & Patsy</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-saw-mommy-kissing-santa/id30946876?i=30946930&uo=4">I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - John Mellencamp</a></li><li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/walkin-round-in-womens-underwear/id268000250?i=268000839&uo=4">Walkin' Round in Women's Underwear - Bob Rivers and Twisted Radio</a></li></ol><p> </p>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-88769627642200926232021-11-22T12:36:00.005-08:002021-11-25T10:57:04.616-08:00Reinhold Niebuhr, Religious Nationalism, and the Appeal of Authoritarianism (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part VII)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ooRshFwaWGg/YZv_APWesxI/AAAAAAAAGS8/eBO7NXegqtkqlJI8RjYtMrzJlYbBt_2kQCLcBGAsYHQ/s527/1101480308_400.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ooRshFwaWGg/YZv_APWesxI/AAAAAAAAGS8/eBO7NXegqtkqlJI8RjYtMrzJlYbBt_2kQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1101480308_400.jpg" width="243" /></a></div>When in 1948 Time magazine looked for someone to put on the cover of their 25th Anniversary issue, they could have chosen a Hollywood celebrity, notable politician, or perhaps a decorated WWII veteran. Instead, they chose an ethics professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York: Reinhold Niebuhr. Today, many Americans have not heard of Niebuhr although most are familiar with a prayer he wrote in the 1930s (but for which until recently he seldom received credit):<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Courage to change the things that should be changed,</div><div style="text-align: center;">And wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.</div><br /><div>Niebuhr did much more, however. He was an activist-scholar who influenced not only his parishioners and students, but others as well, such as the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., who drew extensively on his insights on power when crafting strategies during the Civil Rights movement. The State Department also sought Niebuhr's advice on different aspects of U.S. foreign policy, which is ironic since at the same time the FBI had placed Niebuhr on its watch list, suspecting him of un-American activities.<br /><br />Niebuhr continues to influence people today. Some of his books are still used as texts in political science classes, and former President Barack Obama counts him as one of his favorite philosophers. Obama once remarked that Niebuhr taught him "the compelling idea that there’s serious evil in the world, and hardship and pain. And we should be humble and modest in our belief we can eliminate those things. But we shouldn’t use that as an excuse for cynicism and inaction. I take away... the sense we have to make these efforts knowing they are hard, and not swinging from naïve idealism to bitter realism.” President Jimmy Carter has expressed similar sentiments, and the philosopher/theologian Cornel West considers Niebuhr to be a "soul mate."<br /><br /><b>Reinhold Niebuhr and Religious Nationalism</b><br /><br />Two interrelated threads seem to lie at the heart of Niebuhr’s thought: One, was his belief that many of us have an overly optimistic view of human nature. Although there is goodness to be found in the human heart, there is also pride and self-deceit. The quest for and access to power and status are ongoing temptations to which we often succumb. Like the biblical story of the Tower of Babel (Niebuhr 1937), we are tempted to become god-like, not recognizing our own finitude and limitations. Unlike many liberal theologians of his day, Niebuhr embraced the language of “original sin” and argued that a minimal amount of coercion, although seemingly incompatible with Jesus’s vision of the kingdom of God, was an unfortunate necessity (Niebuhr [1929] 1957:193). He also challenged the utopian visions of some secular philosophers, such as John Dewey, who believed that education, coupled with reason, was all we need to make the world more just:</div><div><blockquote>Though educators ever since the eighteenth century have given themselves to the fond illusion that justice through voluntary co-operation waited only upon a more universal or a more adequate educational enterprise, there is good reason to believe that the sentiments of benevolence and social goodwill will never be so pure or powerful, and the rational capacity to consider the rights and needs of others in fair competition with our own will never be so fully developed as to create the anarchist millennium which is the social utopia, either explicit or implicit, of all intellectual or religious moralists. (Niebuhr [1932] 1960:3)</blockquote></div><div>A second thread was his extension of the first beyond private morality. Niebuhr argued that although privately, people can, and often do, live morally upright lives, they will often embrace, tolerate, or identify with immoral policies and institutions that harm thousands (e.g., laws that sanction racial segregation, economic policies that heighten inequalities, movements that promote one group over another). Collective pride and self-interest kick in, limiting the impact of reason. Niebuhr believed that because reason was “always, to some degree, the servant of [self-]interest” (Niebuhr [1932] 1960:xiv-xv), collective morality was difficult to attain:</div><div><blockquote>The development of social justice does depend to some degree upon the extension of rationality. But the limits of reason make it inevitable that pure moral action, particularly in the intricate, complex and collective relationships, should be an impossible goal. Men will never be wholly reasonable, and the proportion of reason to impulse becomes increasingly negative when we proceed from the life of individuals to that of social groups, among whom a common mind and purpose is always more or less inchoate and transitory, and who depend therefore upon a common impulse to bind them together. (Niebuhr [1932] 1960:34-35)</blockquote>Although Niebuhr believed that “at times the proverbial voice of reason can prevent a group from behaving rashly, people can also use the power of intellect to manipulate, cajole, and coerce others. The human will, in other words, can weaponize reason to do harm as well as good, and human relations attest to the fact that self-interest consistently prevails over generosity” (Sabella 2017). If he were alive today, Niebuhr would probably consider intellectuals such as Steven Pinker (2019) as being overly-optimistic about reason's ability to overcome the power of self-interest.<br /><br />Niebuhr concluded that getting one’s hand dirty in the political process was necessary. “Moral man,” he believed, “had to be willing to engage immoral society on society’s own terms” (Sabella 2017:26). Moreover, although he saw the value of social movements and often worked with them, he believed that in order to bring about genuine social change, one needed “to enlist the power of government” (Ronald H. Stone, quoted in Sabella 2017:45).<br /><br />Niebuhr’s cynicism was tempered by his faith. He believed Jesus’s life and teachings pull us toward an ideal which although we will never realize in our lifetimes, can lead to us to act in ways that can make the world a better place:</div><div><blockquote>For Niebuhr, the kingdom of God is the state of perfect harmony among human beings. As such, it is an ‘impossible possibility’: although we will never succeed in building the kingdom in this life, we must strive for it nonetheless because we know it is real. And in our striving, we manage to catch glimpses of the kingdom in human life... A vision of the kingdom is key, if not achieving, then at least to ‘approximating the kingdom of God on earth,’ as Andrew Finstuen puts it." (Sabella 2017:126)</blockquote>Niebuhr held that we are inherently tribal beings, and our tribal tendencies can manifest themselves in religious nationalism, which he saw as highly dangerous. “What makes [religious nationalisms] so dangerous is that they conjoin so many different forms of collective pride—not only spiritual and national pride, but race and class pride as well—and then arm them with the power of the modern state" (Gorski 2017:125).</div><div><br /></div><div>Niebuhr believed that every nation has its own form of collective pride, and he traced America’s back to the Puritans and Jeffersonians: in particular, the belief that America is God’s “American Israel” (Niebuhr [1952] 2008:24) and that with the founding of the United States, we had turned our “back upon the vices of Europe” (Niebuhr [1952] 2008:28) to “make a new beginning in a corrupt world” (Niebuhr [1952] 2008:25). Moreover, although we initially saw our nation's increasing prosperity as evidence of God’s grace, over time we came to see it as proof of our moral superiority and virtue (Niebuhr [1952] 2008:51). That's why, he argued, we tend to respond poorly to criticism “since we [believe] that our society is so essentially virtuous that only malice could prompt criticism of our actions” (Niebuhr [1952] 2008:25).</div><div><br /></div><div>In many ways, Niebuhr anticipated how social identity theorists have highlighted our tribal tendencies, in particular, our tendency to see the groups to which we belong as better than others. Not only do we tend to favor members of our own groups, we often pull for them to “win” even if winning leaves us worse off than compromising. A corollary to this is that when members of our groups' are attacked, either verbally or physically, we also feel “attacked.” This often leads groups to close ranks and increase the "distance" between ourselves and others. In practical terms this suggests that if we are truly interested in decreasing the polarization in our society, attacking our opponents (e.g., making fun of them, characterizing them as morally or intellectually inferior than us) isn't the answer.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Nationalism and the Appeal of Authoritarianism</b><br /><br />So, what has contributed to the current wave of Christian nationalism? Anne Applebaum's persuasively argues that the rise of authoritarianism in the West lies, at least in part, in the sense among some that a cherished way of life, a sense of national identity, is slipping away. And individuals such as Victor Orbán in Hungary, Boris Johnson in Britain, and Donald Trump in the United States promise to halt this slide. For (some) Americans this means that "any price should be paid, any crime should be forgiven, any outrage should be ignored if that's what it takes to get real America, the old America, back" (Applebaum, p. 171). Applebaum notes how for some conservatives, the Reaganite optimism has given way to something akin to apocalyptic despair, and she holds up Laura Ingraham as an example ("<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/07/laura-ingrahams-descent-into-despair/614245/" target="_blank">Laura Ingraham’s Descent Into Despair</a>").<br /><br />David Brooks observations from the recent "National Conservatism Conference" ("<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/11/scary-future-american-right-national-conservatism-conference/620746/" target="_blank">The Terrifying Future of the American Right</a>") seem to bear this out:<br /><br />"Conservatives have always inveighed against the cultural elite—the media, the universities, Hollywood. But in the Information Age, the purveyors of culture are now corporate titans... The national conservatives thus describe a world in which the corporate elite, the media elite, the political elite, and the academic elite have all coagulated into one axis of evil, dominating every institution and controlling the channels of thought... "At the heart of this blue oligarchy are the great masters of surveillance capitalism, the Big Tech czars who decide in secret what ideas get promoted, what stories get suppressed... The idea that the left controls absolutely everything—from your smartphone to the money supply to your third grader’s curriculum—explains the apocalyptic tone that was the dominating emotional register of this conference:<br /></div><div></div><blockquote><div>'The left’s ambition is to create a world beyond belonging. Their grand ambition is to deconstruct the United States of America.' (Josh Hawley) </div></blockquote><blockquote><div></div><div>'The left’s attack is on America. The left hates America. It is the left that is trying to use culture as a tool to destroy America.' (Ted Cruz) </div></blockquote><blockquote><div>'We are confronted now by a systematic effort to dismantle our society, our traditions, our economy, and our way of life.' (Marco Rubio)</div></blockquote><div>"My old friend Rod Dreher [an Eastern Orthodox Christian] of The American Conservative argued that because the left controls the commanding heights of the culture and the economy, the only institution the right has a shot at influencing is the state. In these circumstances the right has to use state power to promote its values. 'We need to quit being satisfied with owning the libs, and save our country,' Dreher said. 'We need to unapologetically embrace the use of state power.'<br /><br />"This is where Viktor Orbán comes in. It was Dreher who prompted [Tucker] Carlson’s controversial trip to Hungary last summer, and Hungarians were a strong presence at the National Conservatism Conference. Orbán, in Dreher’s view, understands the civilizational stakes of the culture war; he has, for instance, used the power of the state to limit how much transgenderism can be taught to children in schools. 'Our team talks incessantly about how horrible wokeness is,' Dreher said at the conference. 'Orbán actually does something about it.'"<br /><br /></div><div>If Applebaum and Brooks are right, it makes no difference to folks like Dreher, Hawley, Cruz, Rubio, and others that Donald Trump is morally challenged. That's because he's willing to do what ever is necessary to get the "real America" back, or at least their idea of the "real America." Thus, appeals to reason and rationality, right and wrong, or simply common sense are not going to change their minds any time soon (if ever).</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Previous Posts</b></div><div><ol><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/11/why-do-so-many-christians-support-trump.html" target="_blank">Introduction (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part I)</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/11/who-are-81-why-do-so-many-christians.html" target="_blank">Who are the 81%? (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part II)</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-rural-urban-divide-why-do-so-many.html" target="_blank">The Rural-Urban Divide (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part III)</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-economic-divide-why-do-so-many.html" target="_blank">The Economic Divide (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part IV)</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2021/06/ideas-matter-why-do-so-many-christians.html" target="_blank">Ideas Matter (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part V)</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-appeal-of-christian-nationalism-why.html" target="_blank">The Appeal of Christian Nationalism (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part VI)</a></li></ol><b>References</b><br /><br />Applebaum, Anne. 2020. <i>Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism</i>. New York, NY: Anchor Books.<br /><br />Niebuhr, Reinhold. 1937. "The Tower of Babel." Pp. 25-46 in <i>Beyond Tragedy</i>. New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons.<br /><br />____. [1929] 1957. <i>Leaves From the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic</i>. New York, NY: Living Age Books.<br /><br />____. [1932] 1960. <i>Moral Man and Immoral Society</i>. New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons.<br /><br />____. [1952] 2008. <i>The Irony of American History</i>. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.<br /><br />Pinker, Steven. 2019. <i>Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress</i>. New York: Penguin Books.<br /><br />Sabella, Jeremy L. 2017. <i>An American Conscience: The Reinhold Niebuhr Story</i>. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.<br /><br /></div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-58287609506275230972021-11-07T18:29:00.021-08:002021-11-13T09:10:50.787-08:00The Appeal of Christian Nationalism (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part VI)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QPKudk8H7xE/YYiLOFgoTnI/AAAAAAAAGSU/L5NX3_3X46UT-bDiZC4yt3LzTyXv9sLlACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Christian%2Bnationalism%2B2.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QPKudk8H7xE/YYiLOFgoTnI/AAAAAAAAGSU/L5NX3_3X46UT-bDiZC4yt3LzTyXv9sLlACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h180/Christian%2Bnationalism%2B2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>In previous posts, I have explored possible explanations as to why such a large portion of conservative Christians supported Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections. To recap (since it's been awhile):<br /><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/11/why-do-so-many-christians-support-trump.html" target="_blank">Introduction (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part I)</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/11/who-are-81-why-do-so-many-christians.html" target="_blank">Who are the 81%? (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part II)</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-rural-urban-divide-why-do-so-many.html" target="_blank">The Rural-Urban Divide (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part III)</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-economic-divide-why-do-so-many.html" target="_blank">The Economic Divide (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part IV)</a></li><li><a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2021/06/ideas-matter-why-do-so-many-christians.html" target="_blank">Ideas Matter (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part V)</a></li></ol><div>In this post I explore the positive association between Christian nationalism and support for Trump. No one has probably explored this relationship more than Andrew Whitehead, Samuel Perry, and Joseph Baker (2018). They have shown that holding beliefs associated with Christian nationalism is a strong predictor of whether someone voted for Trump. Consider, for example, the following graph, which plots the predicted probability of someone voting for Trump in 2016 (Y-axis) by the degree they embrace Christian nationalistic views (Christian Nationalism Index, X-axis), broken down by whether someone identifies as a Republican, Independent, or Democrat (Whitehead et al., p. 162).</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uK4ZvlNHyOQ/YYiKAHvHwVI/AAAAAAAAGSE/Sy1SconP8eIXwv7fJliMq4MCpLB44v_pQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1218/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-11-06%2Bat%2B9.45.44%2BAM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1218" height="269" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uK4ZvlNHyOQ/YYiKAHvHwVI/AAAAAAAAGSE/Sy1SconP8eIXwv7fJliMq4MCpLB44v_pQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h269/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-11-06%2Bat%2B9.45.44%2BAM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>It shows that as the higher one rates in terms of Christian nationalism, the more likely they were to vote for Trump. Moreover, it shows that this was true across party affiliation although (unsurprisingly) Republicans were more likely to vote for Trump than Democrats with Independents falling in between. None of this is to suggest that of all Trump’s supporters are white nationalists, of course. It is merely to note that those who hold white nationalist views are more likely to vote for Trump than those who do not.</div><div><br /></div><div>To construct the Christian Nationalism Index they combined six measures from separate questions that ask for agreement with whether <br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>“The federal government should declare the United States a Christian nation”</li><li>“The federal government should advocate Christian values”</li><li>“The federal government should enforce strict separation of church and state” (reverse coded)</li><li>“The federal government should allow the display of religious symbols in public spaces”</li><li>“The success of the United States is part of God’s plan”</li><li>“The federal government should allow prayer in public schools”</li></ul></div><div>Possible response options for each question range on a five-point scale from (1) “strongly disagree” to (5) “strongly agree” with (3) “Undecided” as the middle category. Scores ranged from 6 to 30 (0 to 24 when rescaled) and meet standard statistical thresholds for combining multiple questions into a single scale.<br /><br />In a book-length study, Whitehead and Perry (2020) sorted Americans into four categories or perspectives concerning Christian Nationalism: Ambassadors, Accommodators, Resisters, and Rejecters. Ambassadors are "wholly supportive of Christian nationalism" (p. 35), Accommodators tend to believe "that the federal government should advocate for Christian values, [they are] undecided about the federal government officially declaring the United States is a Christian nation" (p. 33); Resisters "lean toward opposing Christian nationalism" but "may be undecided about allowing the display of religious symbols in public places" (p.31); finally, Rejectors "generally believe there should be no connection between Christianity and politics" (p. 26). Ambassadors score from 24-30 on the scale and account for 19.8% of Americans; Accommodators score from 18-23 and account for 32.1% of Americans; Resisters score from 12-17 and account for 26.6% of Americans, and Rejecters score from 6-11 and account for 21.5% of Americans. <br /><br />What interests us here is whether conservative Protestants are more likely to embrace Christian nationalist views. The answer is yes, but but not by as great of margin as one might suspect. The graph below (from the Baylor 2017 Survey, same one used by Whitehead et al.) plots the average Christian Nationalism score by religious tradition. Unsurprisingly, conservative Protestants, on average, score higher on the index than other religious traditions, but other traditions (e.g., Black Protestant, Roman Catholic) are not too far behind.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kZRuwdrdRcM/YYiKXkmoTZI/AAAAAAAAGSM/6q1U3Qz1Aisco-IScYKB5YvkMAGrfYEYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/XNbyreltrad.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1489" data-original-width="2048" height="291" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kZRuwdrdRcM/YYiKXkmoTZI/AAAAAAAAGSM/6q1U3Qz1Aisco-IScYKB5YvkMAGrfYEYwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h291/XNbyreltrad.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Although nationalism and authoritarianism do not always go hand-in-hand, they are often found together (Tudor and Slater 2020), as they are now in parts of Europe and the United States. So, why is that in the U.S. it is conservative Christians who are more likely to embrace Christian nationalism and support someone with authoritarian tendencies like Donald Trump? We can no longer assume that individuals attracted to authoritarianism (commonly referred to as the "authoritarian personality") are only found among conservatives, although that has been the working assumption among social scientists for decades. However, recent research, such as that by the psychologist and behavioral economist <a href="https://www.karenstenner.com/" target="_blank">Karen Stenner</a>, have found authoritarian attitudes among both conservatives and liberals (see also, "<i><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/09/psychological-dimensions-left-wing-authoritarianism/620185/" target="_blank">The Experts Somehow Overlooked Authoritarians on the Left</a></i>"). Stenner prefers the term, "authoritarian predisposition," because predispositions do not always manifest themselves. They can lay dormant and are only triggered in certain situations.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is likely that some of the factors I've considered in previous posts helped act as triggers among conservative Christians. Moreover, according to Kristin Kobes Du Mez (2020, pp. 4, 6-7) white evangelicals have long been primed to support someone who embodied a “rugged, aggressive, militant masculinity” and embraced “patriarchal authority, gender difference, and Christian nationalism.” Thus, Trump's mix of authoritarianism and Christian nationalism fit an image long embraced by evangelicals and help explain why he's become their "new high priest" in spite of his moral shortcomings (Du Mez, Chapter 15).</div><div><br /></div><div>The question remains as to the appeal of the Christian nationalism embodied by Donald Trump. I'll take this up in my next post when I consider Reinhold Niebuhr's reflections on religious nationalism, as well as Anne Applebaum's recent exploration of the rise of authoritarianism in the West (and not just the United States). Part of the answer lies in the sense among some that a cherished way of life, a sense of national identity, is slipping away. For some Americans this means that "any price should be paid, any crime should be forgiven, any outrage should be ignored if that's what it takes to get real America, the old America, back" (Applebaum, p. 171). And they see Trump as the only one who can restore America to its former greatness, and that is reason enough to vote for him.<br /><br /><b>References</b><br /><br />Applebaum, Anne. 2020. <i>Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism</i>. New York, NY: Anchor Books.<br /><br />Du Mez, Kristin Kobes. 2020. <i>Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation</i>. New York, NY: Liveright Publishing Corporation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Stenner, Karen. 2005. <i>The Authoritarian Dynamic</i>. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tudor, Maya, and Dan Slater. 2021. "Nationalism, Authoritarianism, and Democracy: Historical Lessons from South and Southeast Asia." <i>Perspectives on Politics</i> 19(3):706-22. doi: 10.1017/S153759272000078X<br /><br />Whitehead, Andrew L, Samuel L Perry, and Joseph O Baker. 2018. "Make America Christian Again: Christian Nationalism and Voting for Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election." <i>Sociology of Religion</i> 79(2):147-71. doi: 10.1093/socrel/srx070</div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-1842031846830138222021-10-24T12:36:00.012-07:002021-12-25T15:27:12.898-08:00The Giants and Giants fans would like to thank...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5FgqIqpVjkQ/YXW1WUzMGBI/AAAAAAAAGRY/UBv5AJqLwYAtH0Wfo2wsiUhazQHZf8CNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/San_Francisco_Giants_Logo.svg.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1200" height="171" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5FgqIqpVjkQ/YXW1WUzMGBI/AAAAAAAAGRY/UBv5AJqLwYAtH0Wfo2wsiUhazQHZf8CNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/San_Francisco_Giants_Logo.svg.png" width="320" /></a></div>The Giants and Giants fans would like to thank...<br /><br />...the Philadelphia Phillies and their fans for blaming Gabe Kapler for their woes. The Phillies win % under Kapler was .497; under his successor, Joe Girardi? .497. You might have noticed that the Giants won 107 games this season.<div><br /></div><div>...the so-called experts who prematurely declared the Padres and Dodgers to be the new rivalry in the West. Rivalry? To quote Inigo Montoya, "I don't think that word means what you think it means." Did you happen to watch the playoff between the Dodgers and Giants? Now, that's a rivalry. I know I was put off by this declaration; I can't imagine what kind of motivation it provided to players like Posey, Crawford, and Belt.</div><div><br /></div><div>...and finally, the Dodgers. Thanks for "panicking" when the Giants kept winning and mortgaging a good chunk of your future by trading several top prospects for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. And although both Scherzer and Turner played well during the regular season, neither had memorable playoffs. By contrast, the Giants didn't give up much to acquire Kris Bryant. And while it was a bitter pill to swallow when the Dodgers beat the Giants in the NLDS, by winning the West, the Giants did deny the Dodgers home field advantage in the playoffs, which probably cost them in their series against the Braves. So, to paraphrase Carl Spackler, we got that going for us, which is nice.</div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-29602395452429889172021-06-13T11:37:00.007-07:002021-06-14T14:09:35.142-07:00Ideas Matter (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part V)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JzzB-JxScnk/YL8Dbjh8A6I/AAAAAAAAGLI/Fp2k0YX0IzMDL5Axelgs_IfjwAzZBTdogCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/68ea36c476ae855e23d926f473b47214_400x400.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JzzB-JxScnk/YL8Dbjh8A6I/AAAAAAAAGLI/Fp2k0YX0IzMDL5Axelgs_IfjwAzZBTdogCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/68ea36c476ae855e23d926f473b47214_400x400.jpeg" /></a></div>In 2000, the sociologist Rodney Stark penned an essay criticizing social scientists of religion for attempting to reduce explanations of religious behavior to material causes (<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/3512031?seq=1" target="_blank">Religious Effects: In Praise of "Idealistic Humbug"</a>):<br /><blockquote>Although social scientists involved in most other areas of study have long acknowledged the truism that, if people define somethingas real, it can have real consequences, this usually has been denied in the areaof religion. Instead, there has been a general willingness to agree with Karl Marx that any attempt to explain 'reality' by reference to an 'unreality' such as religion is "idealistic humbug..." (p. 289)</blockquote>He goes on to point out several historical cases where religious ideas did matter. Take, for example, the abolitionist movement where religious leaders and groups such as Lyman Beecher (whose daughter wrote <i>Uncle Tom's Cabin</i>), Charles Grandison Finney (who turned Oberlin College into a center of the movement and a key underground railroad station), and the Quakers (who founded the Abolition Society in 1787).<div><br /></div><div>Nevertheless, "social scientists have been able to see through these righteous 'poses' and to reveal that, far from reflecting moral commitment, abolitionism was but disguised "economic self interest" (p. 292). He notes that some scholars have argued, for instance, that the Quakers opposed slavery because they "were in the vanguard of the industrial revolution," and slavery "had become an impediment to the further development of capitalism" (p. 292).</div><div><br /></div><div>Stark believes that such arguments are nonsensical. He's the first to admit that material conditions do impact human behavior, but he also believes that ideas have consequences. I agree.<div><div><br />Stark's point is helpful to keep in mind when trying to understand why so many theologically-conservative Christians voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020. I've already explored a couple of "material" explanations, such as the "<a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-rural-urban-divide-why-do-so-many.html" target="_blank">rural-urban</a>" and the "<a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-economic-divide-why-do-so-many.html" target="_blank">economic</a>" divides, but beliefs also play a role. One reason why so many white Christians support Trump is because he told them he would promote policies near and dear to their hearts, such as banning or limiting abortion, embracing religious freedom, and advocating Christian values in the public square. Many theologically-conservative Christians really do believe that life begins at conception, that their religious beliefs are being trampled on, and that America is in moral decline. And that all of this has contributed to America no longer being "great." R.R. Reno, editor of <a href="https://www.firstthings.com" target="_blank">First Things</a>, reflects this perspective nicely:</div><blockquote><div>Legalizing marijuana and prostitution are part of the overarching policy of moral deregulation that our establishment has endorsed for the last two generations: no-fault divorce, the abortion license, lifting taboos against homosexuality, normalizing pornography, blurring distinctions between men and women, and more. The fact that our leaders should endorse moral deregulation in the face of 80,000 drug overdose deaths a year, declining marriage rates and rising illegitimacy rates, a broken male-female dance, increases in anomie, isolation, and suicide is astounding (<i>First Things</i>, June/July 2021, p. 70)</div></blockquote><div>So, when Trump told evangelicals that they "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/09/us/evangelicals-trump-christianity.html" target="_blank">would have power</a>," he wasn't simply telling them that with him in the White House they would enjoy a level of political clout they hadn't in years, but he was also signaling that their values would no longer be ignored:<br /><blockquote>I will tell you, Christianity is under tremendous siege, whether we want to talk about it or we don’t want to talk about it... Christianity will have power. If I’m there, you’re going to have plenty of power, you don’t need anybody else. You’re going to have somebody representing you very, very well. Remember that.</blockquote>To be clear: material factors have clearly played a role. But so have beliefs. So have ideas. Perhaps, one of the more intriguing arguments comes from the historian (and evangelical) Kristin Kobes Du Mez (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-John-Wayne-Evangelicals-Corrupted/dp/1631495739" target="_blank">Jesus and John Wayne</a>), who argues that white evangelicals have long been primed to support someone like Trump who embodied a “rugged, aggressive, militant masculinity” and embraced “patriarchal authority, gender difference, and Christian nationalism” (pp. 6-7). Ronald Reagan fit this mold to an extent, but it is Donald Trump who has become their high priest. In spite of his personal moral failings, Trump is seen as the only one who can truly restore America to its former greatness. And that is reason enough to cast their votes for him.</div></div></div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-77371831035889551922021-04-25T18:51:00.001-07:002021-04-25T18:51:38.484-07:00Most Members of the Military are not White Supremacists<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NptX1ZHnsoQ/YIYcfEPVnSI/AAAAAAAAGI0/KrJt8IlH7UkIZ1t9EczuECEPJQsMepdfACLcBGAsYHQ/s992/capitol-police-gty-rc-210108_1610107317802_hpEmbed_25x16_992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="992" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NptX1ZHnsoQ/YIYcfEPVnSI/AAAAAAAAGI0/KrJt8IlH7UkIZ1t9EczuECEPJQsMepdfACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/capitol-police-gty-rc-210108_1610107317802_hpEmbed_25x16_992.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>That people are much more likely to join social movements or religious groups where they know someone (i.e., have a "tie") than those where they do not is about as close to a “law” as you will find within the social sciences. For example:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Back in the 1960s, when John Lofland and Rodney Stark (1965) observed individuals converting to the Unification Church (aka, the "Moonies"), they discovered that "the group had never succeeded in attracting a stranger" (Stark 1996:16)</li><li>In a 1980 analysis of individuals converting to the Mormon Church, Stark and William Bainbridge, 50% first came in contact with a missionary through a Mormon friend</li><li>In another 1980 study, David Snow and several colleagues examined several social movements (some religious, some secular) and found that for most, 70-90% of those who joined had a friendship or kinship tie with someone who was already a member</li><li>Doug McAdam's exploration of the 1964 Freedom Summer campaign to register Black Americans living in Mississippi to vote, found that having a prior tie to the Civil Rights movement was the strongest predictor of whether someone ultimately traveled to Mississippi to participate in the campaign</li><li>And Marc Sageman's 2004 analysis of what he called the "global Salafi jihad" (which would include those who participated in 9/11), found that of those who joined, 83% had a friendship, kinship, or mentor tie to the group</li></ul>Be careful interpreting these results of studies, though. It's not unusual for people to draw the (incorrect) conclusion that most of the people who have a tie to a group will join. That's not what these studies show. They show that most of those who join a group have some sort of tie to the group, but that doesn't mean most people who have a tie to the group will join. Put differently, it's possible (maybe even likely) that of those who had a tie to one of these groups, only 1%-2% joined. Maybe even fewer.<br /><br />Similarly, we need to be careful when interpreting data about the January 6th Capitol riot. <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/number-capitol-riot-arrests-military-law-enforcement-government/story?id=77246717" target="_blank">Available data</a> indicate that a disproportionate number of the rioters (about 1 in 5) were current or retired military, law enforcement, or government service employees. And <a href="https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs2191/f/This_is_War.pdf" target="_blank">Georgetown's Project on Extremism</a> found that military individuals who participated in the riot were about four times more likely to be involved in domestic extremist organizations, such as the Proud Boys or Oath Keepers.<br /><br />However, that doesn't mean that the military, law enforcement, and the government is littered with individuals associated extremist organizations or who embrace racist ideologies. Certainly not 1 in 5, probably not even 1 in 100, and maybe not even 1 in a 1,000. To be sure, a <a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/402521/doc-26-white-supremacist-infiltration.pdf" target="_blank">2006 FBI report</a> warned that white supremacist groups were trying to infiltrate law enforcement departments, and we need policies and procedures to minimize the hiring (and retaining) of folks officers Derek Chauvin. But don't assume that most law enforcement officials and members of the military are white supremacists.<br /><br />Because they're not.<div><br /></div><b>References</b>:<br /><br />John Lofland and Rodney Stark. 1965. "Becoming a World-Saver: A Theory of Conversion to a Deviant Perspective." <i>American Sociological Review</i> 30: 862-75.<br /><br />Doug McAdam. 1986. "Recruitment to High Risk Activism: The Case of Freedom Summer." <i>American Journal of Sociology</i> 92: 64-90.<br /><br />Marc Sageman. 2004. <i>Understanding Terror Networks</i>. University of Pennsylvania Press.<br /><br />David A. Snow, Louis A. Zurcher, and Sheldon Ekland-Olson. 1980. "Social Networks and Social Movements: A Microstructural Approach to Differential Recruitment." <i>American Sociological Review</i> 45: 787-801.<br /><br />Rodney Stark William Sims Bainbridge. 1980. "Networks of Faith: Interpersonal Bonds and Recruitment to Cults and Sects." <i>American Journal of Sociology</i> 85(6): 1376-95.Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-77913952648306641152021-02-11T18:22:00.006-08:002021-11-30T21:31:42.216-08:00The Upswing: Robert Putnam and Shaylyn Garrett Offer Hope on Getting Back to "We"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0tIaS9qxzKI/YCXjFOZp-eI/AAAAAAAAGEc/xF0iLQEWuFca1TezPOHLnTCHBCwEYFoQACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Upswing.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0tIaS9qxzKI/YCXjFOZp-eI/AAAAAAAAGEc/xF0iLQEWuFca1TezPOHLnTCHBCwEYFoQACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Upswing.jpg" /></a></div>Back in the summer, I reviewed Tara Burton's book, <a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/08/remixing-our-religion.html" target="_blank">Strange Rites</a>, in which she argues that people in general, and millennials in particular, are not so much abandoning religion as remixing it. They are trading in institutional religion for what Burton calls "intuitional" religion: namely, "narratives that simultaneously reject clear-cut creedal metaphysical doctrines and institutional hierarchies and place the locus of authority on people's experiential emotions" (p. 33). Moreover, she highlights how although the spiritual individualism of these intuitional faiths is often couched in the language of "self-care," it is often quite selfish.<br /><br />We can place Burton's observations within a broader context outlined by Robert Putnam and Shaylyn Garrett in their recent book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Upswing-America-Together-Century-Again/dp/198212914X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again</a>. Briefly, Putnam and Garrett argue that over the last 125 years, the United States has moved from being an "I" to a "we" and back to an "I" society. They harness a wide variety of data which shows that the U.S. grew increasingly "egalitarian, cooperative, cohesive, and altruistic" (p. 11) from 1890 (the tail end of the Gilded Age) to the mid-1960s, but then it began to reverse itself and become increasing individualistic. "Between the mid-1960s and today... we have been experiencing declining economic equality, the deterioration of compromise in the public square, a fraying of social fabric, and a descent into cultural narcissism" (p. 11). The two figures below, from pages 10 (Figure 1:1) and 13 (Figure 1:2) of their book, capture their basic argument:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IJPZ_TdZYjU/YCXhnTVQ_ZI/AAAAAAAAGEM/_yR2PC-l2aMWH0ePsj9NLSTQbpf-SzAhACLcBGAsYHQ/s2111/putnamgarrett.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="2111" height="129" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IJPZ_TdZYjU/YCXhnTVQ_ZI/AAAAAAAAGEM/_yR2PC-l2aMWH0ePsj9NLSTQbpf-SzAhACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h129/putnamgarrett.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div>The one on the left plots aggregated measures of economic equality, political cooperation, social cohesion, and notions of individualism vs. community in American culture. The figure on the right combines these four measures into a single plot, which they refer to as the 'I-we-I' curve: "a gradual climb into greater interdependence and cooperation, followed by a steep descent into greater independence and egoism. It has been reflected in our experience of equality, our expression of democracy, our stock of social capital, our cultural identity, and our shared understanding of what this nation is about" (pp 12-13).<div><br /></div><div>Putnam and Garrett explore religious adherence in their chapter on "isolation and solidarity" (Chapter 5). Using church membership data from the Historical Statistics of the United States and the Yearbook of American Churches, they show that church membership rates rose from less than 50% in 1890 to around 80% in the early 1960s after which it began to drop such that by 2017, it was back around 50%. Church membership data aren't exact (e.g., <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Churching-America-1776-2005-Winners-Religious/dp/0813535530/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3DTLUUVE73IY3&dchild=1&keywords=churching+of+america&qid=1613095881&sprefix=churching+of+a%2Cstripbooks%2C215&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Roger Finke and Rodney Stark</a> estimate that the church "adherence" rate peaked in 1980 and held steady until 2000), so they supplement it with church attendance and affiliation survey data. Much like <a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/08/remixing-our-religion.html" target="_blank">Tara Burton</a>, they conclude that the "religious 'we' [has] given way to the religious 'I'." (p. 138).</div><div><br /></div><div>Perhaps more importantly, though, they locate this decline along side other measures of declining solidarity. They show that it isn't just churches that are experiencing membership declines, but so are civic associations and unions. Philanthropy has also declined steadily since the mid-1960s, although giving by the mega-rich has increased (a situation not unlike the Gilded Age), but not nearly at a rate high enough to offset the general decline. Drawing on several measures, they also show that the family as an institution also began to decline in 1960s. In other words, it isn't just that the "religious 'we' [has] given way to the religious 'I'." It is also true that the institutional "we" that has given way to the intuitional "I."</div><div><br /></div><div>Putnam and Garrett are careful to distinguish the virtues of solidarity and community from the stifling conformity that so many rebelled against in the 1960s:</div><div><blockquote>[The] reformers of the 1960s had good reasons for seeking to expand individual rights. Indeed, so much was achieved and set in motion in the realm of personal rights in the 1960s that it might be hard not to look at that decade as a time when the yoke of repression and conformity was finally broken, individuals were freed to be who they wanted to be, and American was held account for its failings in guaranteeing liberty and equality under the law. However... the net effect of these progressive and forward-thinking movements was... to emphasize individualism and individual rights at the expense of widely shared communitarian values. The movements of the 1960s to "liberate" individuals in many cases had the unintended side effect of elevating selfishness... </blockquote><blockquote>The solution to hyper-individualism is never hyper-communitarianism, nor a repudiation of equally important American values such as liberty and self-determination. For solutions to be long-lasting and to hold widespread appeal, they must respect the full range of American ideals. (p. 313, 337)</blockquote>Putnam and Garrett are not the first to document (and lament) America's increasing individualism. Putnam, himself, took up the subject in his "Bowling Alone" <a href="https://www.uzh.ch/cmsssl/suz/dam/jcr:ffffffff-df42-7cac-ffff-ffffb0372bc1/BowlingAlone-Putnam.pdf" target="_blank">article</a> (1995) and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1982130849/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i8" target="_blank">book</a> (2001), and Robert Bellah and his colleagues explored it in "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Habits-Heart-Individualism-Commitment-American-dp-0520254198/dp/0520254198/ref=mt_other?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1613095740" target="_blank">Habits of the Heart</a>" (1985) and "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Good-Society-Robert-N-Bellah/dp/0679733590/ref=pd_sbs_2?pd_rd_w=BSj1N&pf_rd_p=c52600a3-624a-4791-b4c4-3b112e19fbbc&pf_rd_r=R8DEJ7XFM1E1RKKQFKBW&pd_rd_r=162561eb-e4b5-4d75-a253-86bda570bdc5&pd_rd_wg=XxVhd&pd_rd_i=0679733590&psc=1" target="_blank">The Good Society</a>" (1992).<br /><br />Here, however, Putnam and Garrett offer a sliver of hope that we can reverse our hyper-individualism, just as we did back in the 1890s. In fact, they hold up the Progressive Era, which roughly dates from 1890 to 1915, as something from which we can learn and adapt. Although it was flawed (e.g., racism was the norm among progressives back then), we can still look back to "better understand [how] the mind-set, tools, and tactics employed by early-century reformers may inform and empower us to overcome the drift of our own time, achieve our own form of mastery, and ultimately reverse our course to create a new chapter in the American story" (p. 339).<br /></div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-13415172122878715292021-01-26T18:10:00.006-08:002021-11-22T13:41:00.880-08:00The Economic Divide (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part IV)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-veRShUr2cX4/YA-O2LeyF1I/AAAAAAAAGDE/FRpjyPvq8jkKM7I2tUZhhIRQDn927e0ZACLcBGAsYHQ/s948/globalpost_custom-9c910a121daeebb0160cd3c337830f48b65c1c5b.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="948" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-veRShUr2cX4/YA-O2LeyF1I/AAAAAAAAGDE/FRpjyPvq8jkKM7I2tUZhhIRQDn927e0ZACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/globalpost_custom-9c910a121daeebb0160cd3c337830f48b65c1c5b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The economic divide is another factor that may help explain why such a large proportion of white Christians voted for Donald Trump ("<a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/11/why-do-so-many-christians-support-trump.html" target="_blank">Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump? (Part I)</a>"). Sometimes referred to as the "left-behind" thesis, it overlaps somewhat with the urban-rural divide ("<a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-rural-urban-divide-why-do-so-many.html" target="_blank">The Rural-Urban Divide (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part III)</a>"). It argues that Trump attracted a large proportion of working class voters who had fallen behind economically and felt abandoned by the Democratic party. Much of Trump's support came from blue collar workers (especially men) without a college degree, who felt that they've been treated unfairly, that they no longer have a shot at the American Dream.<div><br /></div><div>The sociologist Arlie Hochschild ("<a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2017/10/strangers-in-their-own-land.html" target="_blank">Strangers in Their Own Land</a>") captures this sense with the "deep story" she crafted to help explain why many of those who live in one of our nation's poorest and most polluted states (Louisiana) continue to vote for candidates who resist federal aid and oppose regulating industries that damaged the communities in which they live. Specifically, she asks us to</div><div><blockquote>imagine waiting in a line at the end of which lies the American Dream. However, not only are we waiting in line, but we've been waiting in line for a very long time. And while we've been waiting, people have been cutting (unfairly) into the line ahead of us, and they aren't doing it by themselves. They're getting help. In particular, they're getting help from the government, usually the federal government. Moreover, there are others (many of whom have already reached the end of the line and are openly contemptuous of how we live and what we believe), who think it's just fine for the government to help the line-cutters.</blockquote></div><div>According to Hochschild, a number of people have come to distrust and resent the federal government and are more inclined to put their faith in capitalism and the free market. While the government gives away jobs to others (i.e., the line-cutters), jobs which they believe rightfully belong to them, capitalism does not. This led her to conclude that to understand Donald Trump's appeal, we need to pay more attention to how emotions inform political choices. Many people she met had grown tired of feeling marginalized, left behind, and mocked by liberal elites who tend to support big government. And they saw Donald Trump as someone willing to put an end to the line-cutting and defend their way of life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Returning to our topic at hand, some argue that conservative white Christians can be disproportionately found among the economically left behind. There is some support for this argument. Consider the following graphs that plot the proportion of evangelicals in terms of percentage who have earned a college degree (right), average job prestige (upper left), and average annual income (lower left). They indicate that the average evangelical scores lower on all three measures compared to all other faith traditions, except Black Protestants. The difference in job prestige is not as pronounced as are the differences in income and percent with college degrees, but the pattern across all three measures is consistent.</div><div><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ebIWYXqBkmM/YA-A5I62GfI/AAAAAAAAGC4/lWCeE8KcwIQHjQU34r09ZaA4j4hYjz55gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/economic2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ebIWYXqBkmM/YA-A5I62GfI/AAAAAAAAGC4/lWCeE8KcwIQHjQU34r09ZaA4j4hYjz55gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/economic2.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-style: italic;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;">Of course, since white evangelicals score, on average, higher than Black Protestants on these measures, economic inequality is not the only factor at play here. Also, a good portion of theologically conservative Roman Catholics supported Trump as well, and the data used to create the above graphs do not lend themselves to separating white, theologically conservative Roman Catholics into their own category.</span></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: center;"><br /></i></div><i>Not everyone buys the left-behind thesis, though</i></span><span style="text-align: center;">. Trump, after all, attracted his fair share of college-educated individuals who worked in good paying jobs. The median Trump supporter makes an above-average wage ("<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/08/donald-trump-and-economic-anxiety/496385/" target="_blank">Donald Trump and ‘Economic Anxiety’</a>"), and in 2016, more college-educated whites voted for Trump than for Clinton ("<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/09/behind-trumps-victory-divisions-by-race-gender-education/" target="_blank">Behind Trump’s victory: Divisions by Race, Gender, Education</a>"). And the economy had improved from 2012 to 2016. As such, some argue that the left-behind thesis is better framed as an "economic anxiety" thesis where those who voted for Trump represent a combination of people who had fallen behind economically along with others who feared that they may soon fall behind.</span></div><div><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-align: center;">Consider, for example, a 1995 study of European countries by the sociologist Lincoln Quillian. He found that racism grew among middle class majorities during periods of weak economic growth and growing minority populations. This led </span><span style="text-align: center;">majority </span><span style="text-align: center;">members, who were a</span><span style="text-align: center;">fraid of losing their jobs, income, and status, </span><span style="text-align: center;">to </span><span style="text-align: center;">embrace anti-immigrant and racist policies in order to</span><span style="text-align: center;"> hold on to their place in society.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>A recent paper by Diana Mutz uncovered a similar (but not identical) dynamic in the U.S. In particular, she found that white, Christian, and primarily male voters supported Trump because they felt that their dominant status was at risk. Her results provide no empirical support for the economically left behind, although one could probably argue that economic anxiety may have fed into the perceived threat to their status, which then led a number of folks to embrace a form of populist white nationalism fueled by racist and anti-immigrant rhetoric.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, Ronald Inglehart and Pippa Norris have pitted economic insecurity arguments against what they call the <i>cultural backlash</i> thesis, which argues that the rise of populism in Europe and the U.S. is a reaction to cultural changes that threaten the worldview of older sectors of the electorate which once was the dominant worldview. Their analysis, which focuses more on Europe than the U.S., finds support for both the cultural backlash and economic insecurity theses.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a later post, I'll explore studies that demonstrate a correlation between white nationalism and support for Trump (although to be clear that not everyone who supported Trump is a white nationalist). Before that, though, I intend to consider the role that beliefs may have played. It's quite fashionable in academic circles to focus on structural factors (e.g., the economy, a growing minority population, rural-urban divides), but ideas do matter. So we'll take a look at some of those next time.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>References</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Mutz, Diana C. 2018. "Status Threat, not Economic Hardship, Explains the 2016 Presidential Vote." <i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</i> 115(19):E4330. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1718155115</div><div><br />Norris, Pippa, and Ronald Inglehart. 2019. <i>Cultural Backlash: Trump, Brexit, and Authoritarian Populism</i>. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.<br /><br />Quillian, Lincoln. 1995. "Prejudice as a Response to Perceived Group Threat: Population Composition and Anti-Immigrant and Racial Prejudice in Europe." <i>American Sociological Review</i> 60(4):586-611. doi: 10.2307/2096296</div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-61251632963952002122021-01-24T19:53:00.005-08:002021-01-24T21:57:44.038-08:00A Ranking of the James Bond Movies<div class="separator"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PQhfTKIFZTM/Xw6d-3Jt1SI/AAAAAAAAFyw/3SvTn-YYM6wUKlEjkItqEz8Xe2Aq01dagCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/goldfinger-ss1.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PQhfTKIFZTM/Xw6d-3Jt1SI/AAAAAAAAFyw/3SvTn-YYM6wUKlEjkItqEz8Xe2Aq01dagCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/goldfinger-ss1.jpg" /></a></div>In addition to watching all of the Harry Potter (including Fantastic Beasts) and Star Wars films during the pandemic, I've worked my way through all 25 of the James Bond films. Below is a ranking of them (not including the Casino Royale staring David Niven, which is more of a satire than a serious Bond movie), which reflects their average rankings on Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB, and Meta Critic:<br />
<ol>
<li>Goldfinger (Sean Connery)</li>
<li>Casino Royale (Daniel Craig)</li>
<li>From Russia with Love (Sean Connery)</li>
<li>Skyfall (Daniel Craig)</li>
<li>Dr. No (Sean Connery)</li>
<li>Thunderball (Sean Connery)</li>
<li>GoldenEye (Pierce Brosnan)</li>
<li>On Her Majesty's Secret Service (George Lazenby)</li>
<li>You Only Live Twice (Sean Connery)</li>
<li>The Spy Who Loved Me (Roger Moore)</li>
<li>Spectre (Daniel Craig)</li>
<li>The Living Daylights (Timothy Dalton)</li>
<li>Never Say Never Again (Sean Connery)</li>
<li>License to Kill (Timothy Dalton)</li>
<li>Live and Let Die (Roger Moore)</li>
<li>For Your Eyes Only (Roger Moore)</li>
<li>Diamonds Are Forever (Sean Connery)</li>
<li>Moonraker (Roger Moore)</li>
<li>Quantum of Solace (Daniel Craig)</li>
<li>Octopussy (Roger Moore)</li>
<li>The Man With the Golden Gun (Roger Moore)</li>
<li>The World Is Not Enough (Pierce Brosnan)</li>
<li>Tomorrow Never Dies (Pierce Brosnan)</li>
<li>Die Another Day (Pierce Brosnan)</li>
<li>A View to a Kill (Roger Moore)</li>
</ol>
Unsurprisingly, several of the Sean Connery Bond movies rank in the top 10: "Goldfinger," "From Russia with Love," "Dr. No," "Thunderball," and "You Only Live Twice." Only "Never Say Never Again" (13) and "Diamonds Are Forever" (16) do not. The Daniel Craig Bond movies are, on average, the second most popular with two landing in the top 10 ("Casino Royale" and "SkyFall") with "Spectre" (11) not too far behind. Only "Quantum of Solace" ranks relatively low (19). By contrast, only one of the seven Roger Moore Bond movies ranks in the top ten ("The Spy Who Loved Me") and one ranks last ("A View to a Kill"). The first Pierce Brosnan Bond movie ("GoldenEye") ranks in the top ten (7th), but the other three rank among the worst (22nd, 23rd, and 24th). Here are the average rankings of the movies staring Connery, Craig, Moore, and Brosnan (lower is better):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Sean Connery = 7.57<br />
Daniel Craig = 9.00<br />
Roger Moore = 17.86<br />
Pierce Brosnan = 19.00</blockquote>
Two other actors have played Bond: Timothy Dalton and George Lazenby. Dalton played him twice ("The Living Daylights" and "License to Kill") and both films garner respectable rankings (12th and 14th). Dalton was a good Bond. It's a shame he didn't play him for longer.<div><br /></div><div>Lazenby only played Bond once, in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (OHMSS). He was chosen to play Bond after Connery retired from the role after "You Only Live Twice." Connery, of course, changed his mind (twice) and came back to play Bond in "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971) and "Never Say Never Again" (1983). Although OHMSS was a commercial success, its initial reception was mixed. The film's reputation has improved greatly over time, however. The director Christopher Nolan has named it as his favorite Bond movie, and it has slowly moved its way up some of the "all-time Bond film lists" ("<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Her_Majesty%27s_Secret_Service_(film)#Retrospective_reviews" target="_blank">On Her Majesty's Secret Service</a>", "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/movies/on-her-majestys-secret-service-james-bond-lazenby.html" target="_blank">50 Years Later, This Bond Film Should Finally Get Its Due</a>"). Why? Because OHMSS contains some of the best action scenes of the series, Lazenby plays a capable Bond, Diana Rigg is excellent as his love interest and future (and only) wife, and Telly Savalas's "Blofeld" is by far the best of the Bond films. It also follows the original novel far more closely than the other Bond films. That is undoubtedly why it is currently ranked 8th, higher than three of Connery's and all of Moore's.<br />
<br />One takeaway from watching the films is that some have stood the test of time, while others have not, and this is reflected in the rankings. I'm willing to watch any of those ranked in the top 10 above, plus "Spectre," "Live and Let Die," and Diamonds Are Forever." Although I was once a huge Moore fan (it helped that he played Simon Templar in "The Saint" before signing on as Bond), Moore's Bond films became increasingly campy over time. After Moore's last movie ("A View to a Kill"), Timothy Dalton's "The Living Daylights," was a breath of fresh air. In fact, beginning with "The Living Daylights," the Bond movies took a more serious turn, such that by time Craig took over the role, the Bond character had returned back to one similar to Connery's. Signing Judi Dench up as "M," the head of British Secret Service, in "GoldenEye" also brought a bit of seriousness back to the films.</div><div><div>
<br />Needless to say, Bond girls are a central feature of the Bond movies. They are generally Bond's love interests but not always. Some have names containing double entendres or puns, such as Pussy Galore ("Goldfinger"), Plenty O'Toole ("Diamonds Are Forever"), Xenia Onatopp ("GoldenEye"), and Holly Goodhead ("Moonraker"). Several have regular names, but one of the more intriguing is Vesper Lynd of Casino Royale, Ian Fleming's first novel. Some believe that Fleming intended the name to be a pun on "West Berlin," indicating Vesper's divided loyalties as a Soviet double agent. Bond girls often don't live very long (especially in the movies), but although they're clearly intended as sex objects, they're typically portrayed as having a high degree of independence (especially in the books).<br />
<br />
The actresses who've played Bond girls haven't always gotten along. For example, in "Diamonds Are Forever," Jill St. John (Tiffany Case) and Lana Wood (Plenty O'Toole) were both "seeing" Sean Connery at the time and (understandably) didn't get along. Their shared animosity for one another has only grown over time, however. As some readers may know, Lana Wood was the sister of Natalie Wood, who died under mysterious circumstances, and Lana, along with several others, believe that Natalie's husband at the time, Robert Wagner, had something to do with her death. What does this have to do with Jill St. John? She is currently married to Robert Wagner.<br />
<br />
Anyone who has watched the Bond movies has probably noticed that some actors turn up as different characters in multiple movies. For instance, Charles Gray plays a British agent in "You Only Live Twice" and then Blofeld in "Diamonds Are Forever." Similarly, Shane Rimmer, who plays a submarine captain in "The Spy Who Loved Me", also appears in two other Bond movies, "You Only Live Twice" and "Diamonds Are Forever," as well as providing the voice for a character in "Live and Let Die." Maud Adams plays a "Bond Girl" in "The Man with the Golden Gun," then reappears in "Octopussy" as a jewel smuggler who in the end teams up with Bond, and finally in an uncredited role in "A View to a Kill." Then there is the actor, Walter Gotell, who first appears as a Spectre agent (Morzeny) in "From Russia with Love" and then as KGB General Anatol Gogol in several Bond films: "The Spy Who Loved Me," "Moonraker," "For Your Eyes Only," "Octopussy," "A View to a Kill," and "The Living Daylights." And Joe Don Baker has appeared in three Bond films. First, as a villain (Brad Whitaker) in "The Living Daylights" and then as (the enjoyable) CIA agent, Jack Wade, in "GoldenEye" and "Tomorrow Never Dies."</div><div>
<br />
The honor for appearing in the most Bond movies goes to Lois Maxwell and Desmond Llewelyn. Maxwell played Miss Moneypenny 14 times and Llewelyn played "Q" 17 times. Moneypenny is, of course, M's secretary, and although her character has only a small part in most of the films, there's always a hint of romantic tension between her and Bond (at least in the movies). Moneypenny appears in all of the movies except the first two Daniel Craig movies. The first Craig movie she appears in is Skyfall in which she has an extended part. However, we don't learn who she is until the movie's end. Q is the head of Q-branch, the fictional research and development division of the British Secret Service. Llewelyn doesn't appear in "Dr. No," but he's in 17 of the next 18, all except "Live and Let Die." Interestingly, he filmed scenes for it, but they weren't included in the final cut (<b>Note</b>: If you're wondering, Benard Lee played "M" 11 times).</div><div><br /></div><div>Bond movies often allude to earlier movies. For example, "Die Another Day," whose release marked the 40th anniversary of the first Bond movie ("Dr. No"), includes references to all of the previous 19 Bond films, sometimes in terms of props (e.g., Rosa Kleb's shoe in Q's shop), at other times in terms of lines in the script (e.g., bad guy, Gustav Graves, claims "Diamonds are for everyone"). Too bad the movie wasn't any better.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another example occurs in "Quantum of Solace" where one of Bond's paramours is killed by being entirely covered in oil, which, of course, harkens back to how Goldfinger kills his former assistant, Jill Masterson by covering her in gold paint. And when Bond meets Ernst Stavro Blofeld for the first time in "Spectre" (or at least when Daniel Craig's Bond meets Blofeld for the first time), Bond's "welcoming" is remarkably similar to Bond's welcoming by Dr. No to his private island in, well, "Dr. No." Rumor has it that Rami Malek's villainous character in the next Bond movie ("No Time to Die") is very similar to Dr. No.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's some additional random facts about the Bond films:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Ian Fleming reportedly stands beside a train after Bond and Tatiana Romanova board it in "From Russia With Love"</li><li>John Cleese plays "R" and then "Q" in "The World Is Not Enough" and "Die Another Day"</li><li>A very young (and bumbling) Rowan Atkinson appears in "Never Say Never Again"</li><li>In "Die Another Day" Madonna plays Verity, the fencing instructor of Miranda Frost (played by Rosamund Pike of "Gone Girl" fame) </li><li>The sociopathic character Xenia Onatopp of "Golden Eye" is virtually the same as the Fatima Blush character in "Never Say Never Again"</li><li>Patrick Magee of Avengers fame (along with his co-star Diana Rigg) appears in "A View to a Kill"</li><li>In "License to Kill" Wayne Newton plays the lecherous Professor Joe Butcher, a televangelist and a front-man for a drug smuggling operation</li><li>Sammy Davis, Jr. appears in "Diamonds Are Forever" (but only in DVD and Blue Ray releases)</li><li>Julian Fellowes, Hugh Bonneville, and Brendan Coyle all appear in "Tomorrow Never Dies." Fellowes went on to write and produce "Downton Abbey," while Bonneville and Coyle went on to star in "Downton Abbey" (apparently, Hollywood is also a small world)</li></ul></div><div>In April (hopefully) we'll be treated to the 26th Bond movie, "No Time to Die," which reportedly will be Daniel Craig's last time in the role. As good as Craig has been, it's probably time for him to move on. We wouldn't want him to follow in the footsteps of Roger Moore, who played Bond a little too long. Beginning with "Octopussy" (some might say, with "For Your Eyes Only"), Moore begins to move a bit slow for someone with a license to kill. That was probably also true of Connery in "Diamonds Are Forever," but he redeemed himself in "Never Say Never Again" where he humorously plays an aging secret agent. Perhaps Craig will return one day in a similar vein. Before then, though, enjoy the trailer for "No Time to Die."<br />
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</div></div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-71686590765302087782021-01-22T17:29:00.025-08:002021-01-28T15:36:01.928-08:00When Prophecies Fail: The Future of QAnon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gBTeynfAqJQ/YAtWRr5co9I/AAAAAAAAGB4/9OmmMdqoOswEMGMV8ES017gSJXO47s4gQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1440/QAnon.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gBTeynfAqJQ/YAtWRr5co9I/AAAAAAAAGB4/9OmmMdqoOswEMGMV8ES017gSJXO47s4gQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h240/QAnon.png" width="320" /></a></div>QAnon is a conspiracy theory that holds that President Trump is (or was) fighting a "deep-state" cabal of Satan-worshipping, cannibalistic pedophiles, who are running a global child sex-trafficking ring. This cabal includes liberal Hollywood actors, Democratic politicians, and other high-ranking government officials. It believes that Trump is (or was) planning a day of reckoning known as the “Storm” when thousands of members of the cabal will be arrested. This, in turn, will lead to a “Great Awakening” when we will all have an epiphany and finally see that we’ve been enslaved by a corrupt political system. <br /><br />Q initially claimed to be a high-level government official with “Q clearance” – that is, someone with access to highly classified information. Now, Q is seen as a team of high-ranking individuals who are executing a military intelligence operation that has been planned for years. In fact, some QAnon followers believe the military specifically chose Donald Trump to help them carry out this operation (so much for free and fair elections).<br /><br />On October 28, 2017, Q posted their first "intelligence drop" although he/she/they did not initially sign their posts "Q" (a post on November 2, 2017 was the first). These drops tend to be quite cryptic. This is because, followers claim, of the classified nature of much of the information Q seeks to share. Q can't come right out share it, so Q drops "breadcrumbs" that others can then interpret and uncover "the truth." This has led to a stunning proliferation of beliefs, such as those captured in the following chart, which was pulled together by a QAnon follower (click on this <a href="https://www.mediocremonday.com/tag/q-web-made-by-dylan-louis-monroe/" target="_blank">link</a> if you want to download the chart yourself):<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.mediocremonday.com/tag/q-web-made-by-dylan-louis-monroe/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bQWwA6iMeuM/YAtXu9aodeI/AAAAAAAAGCQ/rbapB2NEx6cl7y9JFriKyDMDIPsaeqzTQCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/QAnon%2BMap.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />A substantial number of QAnon supporters participated in the January 6th storming of the US Capitol in Washington DC. Many believed the raid was "the Storm" (#TheStormHasArrived) and were understandably disappointed when it wasn't. They were even more disappointed two weeks later when Biden was officially sworn in as the 46th President of the United States; they had been led to believe that Trump (or someone) would prevent that from happening ("<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-55746304" target="_blank">Biden Inauguration Leaves QAnon Believers in Disarray</a>"). Add to this the fact that Q has been silent ("gone dark") for 45 days (since December 8, 2020), and there's been a lot of soul-searching in the QAnon community in recent days:<div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"It's over."</li><li>"I just want to throw up."</li><li>"I'm so sick of all the disinformation and false hope."</li><li>"It's done and we were played."</li><li>“Wake up. We’ve been had.”</li><li>"This is a very difficult day for all of us."</li><li>"Today's inauguration makes no sense to the Christian patriots and we thought 'the plan' was the way we would take this country back."</li></ul>Anecdotal evidence suggests that some white supremacist groups are attempting to poach disaffected QAnon supporters, hoping to radicalize them further. Not everyone has abandoned the faith, however:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"I will continue speaking truth. I have not given up. I still have faith. I still now that God Wins."</li><li>“The more I think about it, I do think it’s very possible that Biden will be the one who pulls the trigger.”</li><li>"Things have just started."</li><li>"Anything that happens in the next 4 years is actually President Trumps doing."</li></ul>Indeed, although many are no doubt hoping that with Biden's inauguration, the QAnon conspiracy will fade into the sunset, that's unlikely to happen. When prophecies fail to come true, true believers often move the goalposts.<br /><br />Consider, for example, the Millerite movement. It was composed of followers of William Miller, a Baptist lay preacher who, after years of studying the Bible, predicted that Jesus's second coming would occur around 1843-44. Miller never personally identified an exact date, but eventually the movement settled on October 22, 1844, as the day. When nothing happened, many became disillusioned. Some concluded they had been wrong, but others came up with alternative interpretations. For example, some argued that October 22nd did not mark the Second Coming of Christ, but was rather a heavenly event where the sanctuary in heaven was cleansed. It was this group of believers that developed into today's 7th-Day Adventists.<br /><br />Can we compare QAnon to the Millerites (and other groups that have continued beyond failed prophecies) even though QAnon is a secular movement? I think so. Although Q's not considered to be divine and QAnon followers aren't required to believe in the supernatural (see <b>note</b> below), QAnon has taken on many of the trappings of religion. For example, Q's intelligence drops have become like scripture, Q is regarded as a prophet, and Donald Trump is seen (by some) as anointed by God to bring about the redemption of the United States (messiah means "God's anointed one").<br /><br />So, I think it's unlikely that QAnon will just fade away. It may splinter into numerous groups (like the Millerites) with only a couple surviving for the long term, but it's likely that traces of the movement will stick around for some time. Hopefully, I am completely wrong.<br /><div><br /></div><b>Update (January 25th)</b>: <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/88akpx/qanon-thinks-trump-will-become-president-again-on-march-4" target="_blank">Some QAnon followers believe that Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 19th (that's not a misprint) President of the United States on March 4th</a>. Presidents used to be inaugurated on March 4th, but the date was moved up in 1933 to shorten the period between the election and when the new President takes office. Borrowing from the sovereign citizen movement, these followers believe that an 1871 law turned the US into a corporation and did away with the original republic, and that Trump will restore this original republic on March 4th. They also believe that Franklin Roosevelt sold us out in 1933 when he abandoned the gold standard. Thus, they believe it wasn't a coincidence that 1933 was the year the date of inauguration was moved.<div><br /></div><div><b>Note</b>: Belief in the supernatural does not necessarily mean belief in a God or gods; for example, it can be a belief in a supernatural force, such as karma.</div></div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-77671421511660957892021-01-06T02:06:00.003-08:002021-01-06T02:06:32.877-08:00May the GOP have an Epiphany on Epiphany<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hn3NJgNA2Kc/X--bGdZ4YYI/AAAAAAAAF-U/RFVjwCLqzEwB1ZnkCkaZ7995QIn9Q97bQCLcBGAsYHQ/s590/1223862_1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="590" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hn3NJgNA2Kc/X--bGdZ4YYI/AAAAAAAAF-U/RFVjwCLqzEwB1ZnkCkaZ7995QIn9Q97bQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1223862_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Today, January 6th, is Epiphany, which is the Christian celebration of the revelation (manifestation) of God incarnate as Jesus Christ. In the Western Church, it marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas and the arrival of the Wise Men (Magi) to visit the infant Jesus. It is sometimes called Three Kings' Day and should be when the Wise Men first appear in Nativity scenes. Symbolically, it is seen as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. In the Eastern Church, Epiphany commemorates Jesus's baptism in the Jordan and his manifestation to the world as the Son of God. Many Eastern churches celebrate Epiphany on January 19th because they follow the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_calendar" target="_blank">Julian calendar</a> rather than the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar" target="_blank">Gregorian calendar</a>, and there's a 13-day difference between the two.<div><br />The word, epiphany, refers to more than a Christian feast day, however. An epiphany, for instance, can refer to those times when we suddenly grasp the essence of some thing or event. They are "Eureka" moments, like when a light abruptly switches on. <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epiphany" target="_blank">Merriam-Webster</a> defines an epiphany as<div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>a sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something </li><li>an intuitive grasp of reality through something (such as an event) usually simple and striking </li><li>an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure </li><li>a revealing scene or moment</li></ul></div></blockquote><p>Today, the U.S. Congress will begin to certify Joe Biden's election as the 46th President of the United States. My hope and prayer is that with his certification, many Republicans will start coming to terms with the fact that Trump really did lose, that claiming an election was stolen isn't the same thing as proving that it was (there needs to be evidence, in other words). Put differently, this Epiphany I pray that many in the GOP will begin to see the light, that they will have an epiphany. I'm not holding my breath, but as Hans Gruber once remarked, "It's Christmas. It's the time of miracles." So, you never know.</p></div></div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-64255447952445131762020-12-28T13:32:00.021-08:002021-11-22T13:38:59.895-08:00The Rural-Urban Divide (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part III)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Axqs_E0KnCc/X9awkAPKNoI/AAAAAAAAF9E/hrL8hRiuM0wbClxd_dLnTAPUK996AGeogCLcBGAsYHQ/s980/urbanrural_minnesota_istock.jpg.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="980" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Axqs_E0KnCc/X9awkAPKNoI/AAAAAAAAF9E/hrL8hRiuM0wbClxd_dLnTAPUK996AGeogCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/urbanrural_minnesota_istock.jpg.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div>This is a third in a series of posts exploring why so many white Christians (and primarily white evangelical Christians) support Donald Trump despite his many sins. The first ("<a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/11/why-do-so-many-christians-support-trump.html" target="_blank">Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump? (Part I)</a>") introduced the puzzle, while the second highlighted how diverse Christianity really is ("<a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2020/11/who-are-81-why-do-so-many-christians.html" target="_blank">Who are the 81%? (Why Do So Many Christians Support Trump?, Part II)</a>").</div><div><br /></div><div>This post explores the rural-urban divide and how it contributes (but does not entirely explain) why such a high proportion of evangelicals supported Donald Trump. In 2016, voters in rural areas cast their ballot for President Donald Trump rather than Hillary Clinton by a margin of 20 points, and a higher percentage of evangelical voters reside in rural areas than non-evangelicals. This is captured in the graph below, which plots the proportion of rural respondents by faith tradition. It is important to point out, however, that even though white evangelicals are more likely to live in rural areas than individuals from other faith traditions, over 80 percent do not. Thus, the rural-urban divide is clearly not the only factor driving evangelical toward Trump.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dezdBhrVZB0/X-pfvoTvDeI/AAAAAAAAF98/x0jZd1k4oS4KMXLXnxTf2b8vU_76qKBUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/ruralperc.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1489" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dezdBhrVZB0/X-pfvoTvDeI/AAAAAAAAF98/x0jZd1k4oS4KMXLXnxTf2b8vU_76qKBUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ruralperc.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The essence of the rural-urban divide is perhaps best captured with the notion that rural America feels as if it has been "left behind," not just demographically and economically but also morally and culturally. Many living in rural communities believe that their way of life is disappearing, that small town values and the sense of community characteristic of that life are becoming a thing of the past.</div><div><br /></div><div>But there's more to it than that. It's not just a belief that small town values are disappearing, but the perception that they're under attack: That, except for perhaps in a romantic (e.g., Hallmark movies) or nostalgic sense (e.g., weekend escapes), cultural elites (what the theologian/philosopher <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Schleiermacher" target="_blank">Friedrich Schleiermache</a>r called "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Religion" target="_blank">cultured despisers</a>") regard small town America with barely-concealed contempt and view rural Americans as uneducated and backward, as holding beliefs that anyone with an ounce of brains would reject.</div><div><br /></div><div>But that's not all. There is also a widely-held belief among rural Americans that Washington (i.e., the federal government) is broken, lacking in common sense, and absolutely clueless about the needs and wants of rural America. Add to this the perception that Washington is in league with cultural elites to force liberal values (and the political correctness that comes with them) down their throats (what some might term, "legislating morality"), and you can see why many small-town Americans would find the norm-breaking, liberal-elite hating Donald Trump appealing. Consider, for example, the following remarks captured by sociologist Robert Wuthnow in his book, <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691177663/the-left-behind" target="_blank">The Left Behind: Decline and Rage in Rural America</a> (<b>Note</b>: although the book was published after the 2016 election, he conducted his fieldwork prior to it):</div><blockquote>“People up there in Washington, doesn’t matter what party it is, those people don’t know a thing about what’s going on down here in Gulfdale. They don’t want to listen to us. They don’t care!” (p. 97)</blockquote><div><blockquote>“Those people up there in Washington, they think they know more than we do. They treat us like second-class citizens, like we’re dumb hicks, like we don’t know what’s going on.” (pp. 97-98)</blockquote></div><div><blockquote>“They’re just not listening to us out here.” (pp. 98-99)</blockquote></div><div><blockquote>“Don't forget us... Maybe our population isn’t as big as cities, but we represent something cities never will.” (p. 99)</blockquote></div><div><blockquote>“Don’t assume I’m stupid and don’t know anything just because I’m a farmer!” (p. 103)</blockquote></div><div><blockquote>“[Washington's] a money-hungry, dog-eat-dog place. Lobbyists are ruining it and it’s just gone to pot. We just need somebody with a little gumption. Somebody to go up there and do what a common man knows to do. That’s all we need!” (p. 107)</blockquote><p>Returning to the topic at hand, although most evangelicals do not live in rural America, a higher percentage of rural Americans identify as evangelical. As the graph below indicates, evangelicals constitute 44.1% of rural Americans. Thus, the sense that small town values are disappearing and under attack will probably have greater impact on evangelicals than on individuals from other faith traditions (or no faith tradition -- the next largest group of rural Americans is the unaffiliated).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-loqMq642yeg/X-pgK3QgePI/AAAAAAAAF-E/2KN-omtqHwwBI4JP9WeuvDMCA6gcTpDXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/pie.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1489" data-original-width="2048" height="291" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-loqMq642yeg/X-pgK3QgePI/AAAAAAAAF-E/2KN-omtqHwwBI4JP9WeuvDMCA6gcTpDXwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h291/pie.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The frustration and anger reflected here is not just a rural phenomenon, however. Many Americans living in urban areas located in the Midwest and South identify more with the values of rural America than they do with values found in cities located in the Northeast and on the West Coast. There is not only a rural-urban divide, in other words. There also is a regional one (no secret there, really).</div><div><br /></div><div>On a final note, I can't help but wonder what effect the pandemic may have on this divide. Anecdotal evidence suggests that since they can now work remotely, many Americans are leaving cities and flocking to rural America. Will this (slowly) turn some Midwest and Southern states purple? Only time will tell.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Note</b>: For those who would like to explore this topic in greater depth, several books have touched on the rural-urban divide. Here are three worth that are accessible and worth a try:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hillbilly-Elegy-Memoir-Family-Culture/dp/0062300555/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis</a>, J.D. Vance's memoir of growing up in Appalachia, captures the despair felt by many in rural America, although one shouldn't generalize from his experiences to all of rural America or even Appalachia (see e.g., "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Appalachian-Reckoning-Region-Responds-Hillbilly/dp/1946684791/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">Appalachian Reckoning: A Region Responds to Hillbilly Elegy</a>"). Netflix just released a movie (<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81071970" target="_blank">directed by Ron Howard, starring Glenn Close and Amy Adams</a>) based on Vance's book.</li><li>Arlie Hochschild's, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Strangers-Their-Own-Land-Mourning/dp/1620973499/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2F6WWM81J5HIV&dchild=1&keywords=strangers+in+their+own+land&qid=1609190748&s=books&sprefix=strangers+in+their%2Cstripbooks%2C221&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right</a>, explores what she calls the "deep story" of the Louisiana Tea Party supporters she got to know after spending five years (2011-2016) interviewing and living among them. I wrote a brief post about the book a couple of years ago ("<a href="https://godpoliticsbaseball.blogspot.com/2017/10/strangers-in-their-own-land.html" target="_blank">Strangers in Their Own Land</a>").</li><li>Robert Wuthnow's, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Left-Behind-Decline-Small-Town-America-dp-0691191662/dp/0691191662/ref=mt_other?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=" target="_blank">The Left Behind: Decline and Rage in Rural America</a>, is an excellent analysis of factors underlying the divide. While Vance's book focuses on Appalachia and Hochschild's on Louisiana, Wuthnow's fieldwork (with help from his students) took him all over the United States and as such is probably more representative of rural Americans as a whole.</li></ol></div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8245966095246940536.post-63024785848117465542020-12-13T12:08:00.000-08:002020-12-13T12:08:20.861-08:00The Twelve Days of Christmas Don't Begin Tomorrow<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7bZTxo0DwpY/X9UnpE2k9TI/AAAAAAAAF8s/eTTSB6YT0a8mcxyZFlRiwskyYeQ1MDMqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/254550-2058x1372-12-Days-of-Christmas.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7bZTxo0DwpY/X9UnpE2k9TI/AAAAAAAAF8s/eTTSB6YT0a8mcxyZFlRiwskyYeQ1MDMqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/254550-2058x1372-12-Days-of-Christmas.jpg" width="320" /></a>This is my annual reminder that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Days_of_Christmas">12 Days of Christmas</a> are not the 12 days prior to (and including) Christmas Day. Rather, they are 12 days after, running from either December 25th to January 5th or from December 26th to January 6th, depending to which tradition one follows. Either way, the 12 days take us to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)">Epiphany</a> (January 6th), which is when the Wise Men present gifts to the infant Jesus, although he may have been as old as 2-years when they finally track him down (which is why Wise Men shouldn't be in Nativity scenes until Epiphany -- but, of course, most have been taken down by then).</p><p></p><p>When most of us think about "The 12 Days of Christmas," however, we usually think about the song. The song's origins are unclear, but one story, which has little historical support but's fun to consider, claims that the song originated as a Roman Catholic "Catechism Song" during a time when Catholicism was "strongly discouraged" in England (1558-1829): </p><div><ul><li>The "true love" in the song refers to God, while the "me" refers to those who receive the gifts mentioned in the song from God </li><li>The "partridge in a pear tree" refers to Jesus Christ whose death on a tree (i.e., the cross) was a gift from God </li><li>The "two turtle doves" refer to the Old and New Testaments - another gift from God </li><li>The "three French hens" refer to "faith," "hope" and "love" three gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 13) </li><li>The "four calling birds" refer to the four Gospels, which sing "the song of salvation through Jesus Christ" </li><li>The "five golden rings" refer to the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Torah. </li><li>The "six geese a-laying" refer to the six days of creation </li><li>The "seven swans a swimming" refer to the "seven gifts of the Holy Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:8-11) </li><li>The "eight maids a milking" refer to the eight beatitudes </li><li>The "nine ladies dancing" refer to the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) </li><li>The "ten lords a-leaping" refer to the Ten Commandments </li><li>The "eleven pipers piping" refer to the eleven faithful disciples </li><li>The "twelve drummers drumming" refer to the twelve points of the Apostles' Creed</li></ul>For a more scholarly take on the song's origins (but far less entertaining), see the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Days_of_Christmas_(song)">Wikipedia article</a>.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Note</b>: If you add up the number of gifts for each of the twelve days -- one for the first day, three (1 + 2) for the second, six (1 + 2 + 3) for the third, and so on -- you get 364, which is the total number of days in the year if you don't count Christmas. I learned this watching a Hallmark movie (yes, I confess that I watch Hallmark Christmas movies).</div>Sean F. Evertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09147243372419180570noreply@blogger.com0