Consumerism in the USA: A Nation of Junkies?

Picture of a shopping mall parking lot

In the wake of the world economic crisis of 2008 much has been made, both by economists and the American government, of the need for the rest of the world to take up the “burden” of consuming that the United States had been carrying until then. As Barack Obama stated shortly before the 2009 Group …

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Ignorance and Humility

OCCUPIED TUCSON CITIZEN There is a humility that is missing from our political discourse. Consider the reality of our fundamental ignorance. We fit a more or less incomplete sequence of past events into our understanding of and (mostly) assumptions about reality and possibility. We are overwhelmed with information. Our time and attention are limited, and …

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Outwitting the Apocalypse Meme

Book cover of "The End of the World--Again" by Barry Vacker. Subtitle reads, "Why the Apocalypse Meme Replicates in Media, Science, and Culture". View of "earthrise" from moon (extreme foreground on right), with black (space) background.

OCCUPIED TUCSON CITIZEN The End of the World–Again: Why the Apocalypse Meme Replicates in Media, Science, and Culture, by Barry Vacker, challenges the belief that apocalyptic or end-time changes are tenable and inevitable. In his new book, the Temple University media professor delineates how and why this apocalyptic “meme,” or culturally shared belief, has replicated …

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The story of Occupy Tucson reported in European press

A2 Cislo 8

OCCUPIED TUCSON CITIZEN [Ed. Note: This article contrasting two Occupy encampments on two different continents – Occupy Tucson and Occupy Prague – by Occupied Tucson Citizen working group member Greg Evans recently appeared in the Czech cultural-political journal A2. Below we present the English language version of the article.] A Tale of Two Occupys With …

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The Limits of Language

Painting shows two hooded figures: one is holding a bow against the neck of a third non-hooded man with a violin's "f-holes" on his shirt. The other is reading sheet music. An empty violin case is in the foreground with money inside.

CLUBORLOV Since this is the height of the political season, I have decided that it would make sense for me to say something about politics which, of course, doesn’t matter. And that, obviously, is a political statement. Last night was the third and final round of what are commonly believed to be debates involving the …

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