The changing conduct of political discourse as a reflection of the type of political participation

"The changing pattern of civic participation in American communities over the last two decades has shifted the balance in the larger society between the articulation of grievances and the aggregation of coalitions to address those grievances. In this sense, this disjunctive pattern of decline--cooperation falling more rapidly than self-expression--may well have encouraged the single-issue blare and declining civility of contemporary political discourse" (pp. 45 -46)

From Robert Putnam's "Bowling Alone"

Sleep

"I'm not going to bed after all. Somebody around here hath murdered sleep. Good for him" (p. 170). 

from J. D. Salinger's "Seymour: An Introduction"

Civilization

Civilization is an effort to modify the startle response to serve a world built on the precipice of disaster.   

loyalty

That woman has a loyalty not unlike herpes. 

autism

 I rock back and forth in my chair to avoid being hypnotized by the television signals. 

polygones

You were a proud people slaughtered for ignoring the white man's imaginary lines. 

You started the argument about these polygons until many were gone. 

Fat is riches and wealth

 Fat is riches and wealth. When I am fat and comfortable I become protective over what I have and thus insulated from others. When I grow skinny, I share the want of those around me. I wonder if the basic division of a society began upon such a fault line?