Search Results for: alyssa rosenberg

First Nazis, Now Confederates: Tarantino’s Slave Movie

Debra J. Dickerson previews Django Unchained, where an escaped slave, played by Will Smith, seeks to free his wife and exact revenge on his former masters. She takes issue with the easily demonized master:

Slavery wasn't evil because some masters were. Slavery was evil because, however humane its conditions, it is a crime against humanity. Making the wife's owner a beast … it worries me. Among all the other things slavery was, it was absurd and it was cruel in ways that could transcend whips and chains.

Alyssa Rosenberg echoes her sentiment:

Prime Time Politics

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Juliet Lapidos screens Parks And Recreation for political undertones:

Whether we describe Leslie and Ron as "mom and dad" or "clueless-liberal and buddy-conservative," Parks and Recreation does not endorse one disposition over the other. In remaining silent on which character has the right priorities, perhaps the show is arguing that our capacity to care about other people isn't limitless. We end up rationing our reserves—some of us lavish our attention on neighbors, while others reserve their do-gooding for the faceless masses.

Alyssa Rosenberg begs to differ:

A Blogger Breaks Free: Blog Reax

Joe Jervis completely understands my decision to stop blogging: Man, do I get this. Anybody who does live news blogging knows all too well the havoc this kind of work can wreak upon your personal life. Sure, there’s great freedom to be able to work wherever you are and any time. But you also have to work … Continue reading A Blogger Breaks Free: Blog Reax

“The Most Feminist Show On Television”

That’s what Amy Sullivan calls The Fall: The show, which stars Gillian Anderson in her first major television role since The X-Files went off the air in 2002, came under heavy criticism when the first season aired in 2013 for complaints that it glamorized violence against women. Serial killer Paul Spector (Fifty Shades of Grey’s Jamie Dornan) … Continue reading “The Most Feminist Show On Television”

Where Censoring Muhammad Drawings Leads

Alyssa Rosenberg thinks “it’s important that we acknowledge the full spectrum of speech that’s in potential danger.” She contends that “more moderate people should recognize that they owe a debt to blasphemers and satirists, who create a free speech zone in which the rest of us can operate”: The violent responses to “The Innocence of Muslims,” … Continue reading Where Censoring Muhammad Drawings Leads

Amazon Invests In Woody Allen

James Poniewozik ponders the new deal: Allen agreeing to make a TV series for anyone would have been big news in itself a few years ago. But now, after last year’s renewal of charges that the director sexually abused his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow when she was a child—charges Allen has long denied—it’s going to be … Continue reading Amazon Invests In Woody Allen

What Choice Did Sony Have?

by Dish Staff Frank Rich feels that that Sony’s hand was forced: We are witnessing, in Alan Dershowitz’s phrase, the “Pearl Harbor of the First Amendment.” But this story is far bigger than the threat to the First Amendment. And the vituperation being aimed at Sony for canceling the film’s release — coming from both the left … Continue reading What Choice Did Sony Have?

The Culture Wars And … Manners, Ctd

Alyssa Rosenberg revisits the debate over manners: Civil disobedience often tests the desire of powerful organizations to be seen as legitimate and bound by clear rules and standards — it is, essentially, a test of manners and norms. There is something radical about making such a request for civility and good manners upward, and to turn powerful people’s … Continue reading The Culture Wars And … Manners, Ctd

My “Scorn Of Feminism” Ctd

Below is a bunch of reader commentary of the Dish’s recent coverage of gender-based debates like gamergate, catcalling, affirmative consent, and others. A dissenter gets the last word on #shirtstorm: You have a tendency to hate Internet mobs even when they’re right. Matt Taylor’s shirt was staggeringly inappropriate for a professional workplace, particularly when he’s … Continue reading My “Scorn Of Feminism” Ctd