Adulting
As a general rule, I’m not a fan of the contemporary obsession with gerunding (#seewhatIdidthere), i.e., turning words that were perfectly fine being nouns, perfectly fine accepting the assistance...
Menu
I posted my first blog post in 2006 on the first site domain I had ever purchased. I chose the name “ReadMoreWriteMoreThinkMoreBeMore” for two reasons: (a) it was the first on a list of rules that I gave to my students every semester and, (b) it seemed like an unwieldly and clunky-enough site name that no one would ever try to buy it.
I was wrong about that second part. After almost 15 years of blogging on that site, the domain name was bought out from under me in 2022. I did my level best to try to recover it (even buy it back!), but it was a heavily-trafficked site at that point and I had to eventually come to terms with the fact that this particular digital garden of ideas, that I had tended and nurtured for so long, and which I loved, now belonged to someone else.
It’s taken some time for me to get all of that content transferred to this site, but it’s here now. Because I know I have lost many of the internet’s links that traced back to it, I’ve been working a lot behind the scenes to redirect as much of the old traffic as I can to this new site. I’m also trying to organize that archive to make it more easily searchable, but that’s slow and tedious work.
At any rate, it’s all here now., and I’ve “tagged” all of the old RMWMTMBM posts in a way that most closely approximates their original categorizations, so I hope you can find whatever you might be looking for using the tag cloud below.
ReadMoreWeiteMoreThinkMoreBeMore Archive (2006-2022)
Tags
#30DaySongChallenge
Aesthetics
American Values Project
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Black Mirror
Black Mirror Reflections
Codifying Civility and Collegiality
democracy
digital humanities
Dr. J's Lists
Emergent Tech
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Film Reviews
Grading War Letters to Home
Humanism
Human Rights
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Memphis
Musi
Music
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Personal
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podcast
pol
politics
pop culture
pre-2007 blogposts GAH
Professional Academia
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race and racism
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RMWMTMBM Archive
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Torture
Uncanny Valley
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Women and Gender Issues
Year in Review Lists
Motivation
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Aesthetics, Music, Philosophy, Pop Culture/Film/Literature, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
It’s Saturday, the hardest day of the week to find motivation to get things done. Luckily for me, I have almost unrestricted access to all the music ever written...
Horror
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Aesthetics, Film, Philosophy, Pop Culture/Film/Literature, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
I do not enjoy horror films. Not even a little bit. They genuinely terrify me. I hate them, I won’t voluntarily go to them, and no amount of cajoling...
Forgetting
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Digital Humanities, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive, Teaching, Technology and Human Values
0 Comments
I dedicate a significant amount of time in my courses to thinking with students about our “digital selves” and our “digital lives.” Most students– most people, for that matter–...
Purposiveness
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Aesthetics, Philosophy, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
I thought I might slip in a somewhat “technical” philosophy post, since I’m blogging every day this month and those of you not interested in such things can just...
Vulnerability
Several years ago, I read a fascinating article by David Dobbs called “The Science of Success,” in which he discusses the influence of certain genetic factors on social/psychological development. Dobbs...
Anonymity
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Codifying Civility and Collegiality, Digital Humanities, Ethics, Philosophy, Politics, Pop Culture/Film/Literature, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
What difference does a signature make? I’ll assume that the phenomenon of trolling is one familiar to most of us on the interwebs, a phenomenon that is, in turns,...
Torture
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Democracy, Ethics, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive, Torture
0 Comments
Several years ago, a friend and colleague of mine invited me to come speak to his class about torture. The class was a writing seminar organized around the theme...
Handy Guide to Tone-Policing
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Codifying Civility and Collegiality, Ethics, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
I won’t even bother with summarizing or linking to the most recent debacle in the Philosophy blogosphere. Instead, I’ll just note that, commensurate with the rest of the nation,...
Temptation
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Ethics, Philosophy, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive, The Search for Values
0 Comments
Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the first day of Lent on the Western Christian calendar. Many observant Christians fast or practice some other manner of self-denial for the...
Kids Today
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
#BlackLivesMatter, Philosophy, Politics, Race and Racism, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
Exactly one year ago this month, I attended and photographed my first #BlackLivesMatter event and this image (left) has not left my mind since. This is a photograph of...
Merit
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Democracy, Ethics, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, Race and Racism, RMWMTMBM Archive, Teaching, Women and Gender Issues
0 Comments
The first text I assign in my social and political philosophy course is a short story by Jorge Luis Borges entitled “The Lottery in Babylon.” In it, Borges’ narrator tells the...
Mortality
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Democracy, Ethics, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
I am fairly certain that I watched a man die in the street in Memphis last Saturday night. [TW: disturbing content follows] I say that I’m “fairly certain” because,...
Risk
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Democracy, Digital Humanities, Ethics, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, Race and Racism, RMWMTMBM Archive, Women and Gender Issues
0 Comments
In the January edition of the New Yorker, there was a story (“The Hit List”) about the so-called “Islamist war” on secular bloggers in Bagladesh. It begins with the murder...
Utility
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Democracy, Ethics, J.S. Mill, Philosophy, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive, Teaching
0 Comments
Roughly 90% of the courses I teach are in moral and political philosophy, which means I am regularly given cause to lecture on utilitarianism. In my experience, almost all...
Against Political Futility
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Democracy, Philosophy, Politics, Pop Culture/Film/Literature, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
Yesterday, at a rally in advance of the upcoming Iowa caucuses, GOP Presidential candidate and frontrunner Donald Trump said (in his outside voice): “I could stand in the middle of Fifth...
Professional Philosophy: 99% White But 100% Anti-Racist
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Philosophy, Professional Academy, Public Philosophy, Race and Racism, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
Since this is my first entry of 2016, I want to begin by noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of blogging for me here at RMWMTMBM. There...
Recruiting Philosophy Majors
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Open Source Pedagogy, Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive, Teaching
0 Comments
One of my favorite things to do at the end of the semester involves sending emails to those particularly excellent students I had in class and trying to recruit...
Technology and Human Values
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Digital Humanities, Ethics, Open Source Pedagogy, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive, Teaching, Technology and Human Values
0 Comments
If this were a post on Buzzfeed or Upworthy or some other such listicle-driven site, the thumbnail caption would read: “You won’t BELIEVE the AMAZING things these COLLEGE STUDENTS...
Simply, Mark (In memory of Mark Behr, 1963-2015)
Simply, Mark In memory of Mark Behr (1963-2015) ——————————————- You, my friend, were not simple. You will remain ever in the memories of multitudes, in the strength and resilience...
Prayers for the Precariat
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
#BlackLivesMatter, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, Race and Racism, RMWMTMBM Archive, Weak Humanism
0 Comments
Tonight, on Facebook and Twitter, I posted that I was “praying” for Minneapolis, for Chicago, for #BlackLivesMatters, for refugees fleeing violence and seeking safety and, more generically, for anyone and everyone who loves justice, defends and protects...
Everybody’s Damaged By Something: On “Room” (2015)
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Film, Film Reviews, Philosophy, Pop Culture/Film/Literature, RMWMTMBM Archive, Women and Gender Issues
0 Comments
I read Emma Donoghue‘s novel Room somewhat by accident shortly after it was released in 2010 No one recommended it to me and I didn’t know anything about it in...
Reading Coates, Part 2: the Dream, the Body and the Blame
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
#BlackLivesMatter, Democracy, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, Race and Racism, Reading Coates, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
This is the second installment of my Reading Coates posts, offering some reflections on Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me in light of our summer reading group’s discussion of...
Men, Women, Gods and Machines: A Super-Generous Reading of Ex Machina
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Digital Humanities, Film, Film Reviews, Philosophy, Politics, Pop Culture/Film/Literature, Public Philosophy, Race and Racism, RMWMTMBM Archive, Women and Gender Issues
0 Comments
Over the last several years, I’ve steadily increased the amount of time I spend in my moral and political philosophy courses on the theme of “digital identity.” I’ve done...
TEDxMemphis Recap
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Digital Humanities, Film, Memphis, Music, Philosophy, Politics, Pop Culture/Film, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
I just got home from a whole day at the first ever TEDxMemphis event– I say “first” because it looks like plans are already in the works for another one...
The Wired Election, Part 1: “This America, Man.”
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
#BlackLivesMatter, Democracy, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, Race and Racism, RMWMTMBM Archive, TheWiredElection2016, Women and Gender Issues
0 Comments
There are certain works of art in every medium– literature, theater, photography, sculpture, film, painting, music, et al.– that somehow manage, through an impossible-to-determinately-calculate alchemical combination of human creativity,...
The Case for Having Students Memorize Poetry
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Open Source Pedagogy, Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive, Teaching
0 Comments
For the last couple of years, my policy with regard to students’ “extra credit” opportunities was entirely focused on incentivizing attendance for out-of-class lectures. If students attended a lecture...
The Wired Election, Part 2: “Follow The Money”
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Bernie Sanders, Democracy, Hillary Clinton, Philosophy, Politics, Pop Culture/Film/Literature, RMWMTMBM Archive, TheWiredElection2016, Women and Gender Issues
0 Comments
[This is the second installment of my series The Wired Election, employing insights gained from HBO television series The Wire to interpret 2016 Presidential election campaign events, persons and states of affair. The...
On Teaching Our Incapacity To Unexperience
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Aesthetics, Ethics, Film, Open Source Pedagogy, Philosophy, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive, SPEP, Teaching, Thinking in Images, Trigger Warnings, Weak Humanism
0 Comments
They say you can’t “unring a bell.” It’s an analogy that is often used to illustrate our incapacity to un-experience things, to erase lived-experiences from our bodies and minds....
Closed Borders, Open Doors
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Democracy, Digital Humanities, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive, Weak Humanism
0 Comments
Paris was ambushed by seven separate terrorist actions last night, a horrific set of events eerily reminiscent of both the Charlie Hebdo massacre less than a year ago and the 2008...
This Is Not A Retraction
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Codifying Civility and Collegiality, LGBTQ, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive, SCOTUS, Women and Gender Issues
0 Comments
I’ve received a fair amount of pushback (mostly on Facebook and Twitter, but also in the comments section here) regarding my post on Saturday critical of the Supreme Court’s...
Sixth Amendment, Unfunded
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
#BlackLivesMatter, Democracy, Human Rights, N, Politics, Race and Racism, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
This is just a short post motivated by my #BlackLivesMatter Reading Group session yesterday, where we discussed Albert Samaha‘s excellent essay “Indefensible: The Story of New Orleans’ Public Defenders.” ...
The Wired Election, Part 3: “A Man Got To Have A Code.”
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Democracy, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive, TheWiredElection2016
0 Comments
[This is the third installment of my series The Wired Election, employing insights gained from HBO television series The Wire to interpret 2016 Presidential election campaign events, persons and states of affair. The...
Reading Coates, Part 1: WPRs, Westgate and Weak Atheism
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
#BlackLivesMatter, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, Race and Racism, Reading Coates, RMWMTMBM Archive, Women and Gender Issues
0 Comments
I organized a reading/discussion group for Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me a few weeks ago and thought I’d post a few thoughts here as we go along. By way...
How To Score An Academic Meeting
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Codifying Civility and Collegiality, Professional Academy, Public Philosophy, Race and Racism, RMWMTMBM Archive, Women and Gender Issues
0 Comments
I do not, in principle, hate academic faculty or departmental meetings. In fact, as someone who (many of my friends have rightly dubbed) a “certifiably pathological proceduralist“– no kidding,...
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 30: A Song You Discovered This Month (During The Challenge)
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
30 Day Song Challenge, 30 Day Song Challenge 2015, Music, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
They say all good things must come to an end, and since today is the last day of June, it’s time to put the finishing touch on this year’s...
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 29: A Song You Want Played At Your Funeral
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
30 Day Song Challenge, 30 Day Song Challenge 2015, Music, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
IT’S A TWO-FER TODAY in the 30 Day Song Challenge!! I couldn’t pick just one so I’m giving you both of my picks for today. That may be kind of...
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 28: A Song From Your Childhood
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
30 Day Song Challenge, 30 Day Song Challenge 2015, Music, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
Only a few days left in this year’s 30 Day Song Challenge and as much as I’ve enjoyed participating again this summer, it just got considerably more difficult to...
A Half-Million Thanks
Sometime late last night, this blog reached a major milestone: we passed the HALF-MILLION UNIQUE VISITORS mark! I want to express my sincere gratitude to and appreciation for all...
My Sad Trombone Blows For The SCOTUS Decision (Which Also Blows)
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
Democracy, LGBTQ, Philosophy, Politics, Public Philosophy, RMWMTMBM Archive, Women and Gender Issues
0 Comments
Love did NOT win on Friday when the Supreme Court declared (so-called) “marriage equality” a Constitutional right in its Obergefell v. Hodges decision. Make no mistake: there were a lot of...
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 13: A Song That Is A Guilty Pleasure
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
30 Day Song Challenge, 30 Day Song Challenge 2015, Music, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
As a rule, I don’t like the category “guilty pleasure” when it’s applied to music. You like the songs you like. No harm, no foul Most of the time,...
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 27: A Song You Wish You Could Sing
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
30 Day Song Challenge, 30 Day Song Challenge 2015, Music, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
I play guitar and there are plenty of songs that I actually can’t play (because I lack the skill/proficiency) but wish I could. Like, I can’t even play those songs...
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 16: A Song You Used To Love But Now Hate
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
30 Day Song Challenge, 30 Day Song Challenge 2015, Music, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
Falling out of love with something (or someplace, or someone) can be awkward to experience, even more awkward to explain. Our affections are mercurial, often unpredictably so, and there...
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 18: A Song That Every Bar Band Should Know
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
30 Day Song Challenge, 30 Day Song Challenge 2015, Music, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
I’m resisting every last urge of my lesser self to pick “Sweet Caroline” today. You’re welcome. First, allow me to set the proper mise-en-scene for today’s prompt. There is, blessedly, a...
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 17: A Song You Hear Often On The Radio
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
30 Day Song Challenge, 30 Day Song Challenge 2015, Music, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
I do not abide total silence well and so, as a consequence, it is hardly ever completely quiet in my living space I turn on NPR first thing in...
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 20: A Song To Listen To When You’re Angry
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
30 Day Song Challenge, 30 Day Song Challenge 2015, Music, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
My entries for the rest of the month are going to be brief, because I just had elbow surgery and am now living what, if it were a sitcom,...
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 19: A Song That Bar Bands Should Stop Playing
June 9, 2024
Leigh M. Johnson
30 Day Song Challenge, 30 Day Song Challenge 2015, Music, RMWMTMBM Archive
0 Comments
For the most part, bar band songs become “bar band songs” in the first place because they’re the sort that people can hear over and over again without tiring of...
Fumbles
I got behind a bit on this #BloggingEveryDayFebruary project, so I’m playing catch up right now. If I’m being completely honest, I knew this would happen at some point...