Month: August 2023

TBT: Chapel Lesson: Listening

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School’s back, and that means Chapel on Thursdays!  Today is one of the first chapels of the school year.  I always enjoy hearing the short little devotionals from our chaplain, and they’re quite beneficial for those students who choose to take them to heart.

There was a small chance that I might be asked to serve as chaplain this year—quite a responsibility!—but the school obtained someone more qualified for the job (in other words, someone with an actual degree in theology and practical experience in ministry).  I imagine I will still be called upon, at times, to provide a short homily or lesson when the new guy is absent.

Regardless, it seemed like an excellent time to look back at this little message I delivered to our students last year.  Listening is hard, and it’s even harder when we’re constantly engulfed in noise.  That makes it particularly hard to listen to God’s Still, Small Voice, much less the much louder voices of people around us.

With that, here is 30 August 2022’s “Chapel Lesson: Listening“:

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In Defense of the British Monarchy

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As a natural conservative, not merely a political one, I have always felt an affinity for the British monarchy, and never bought into the excessively utilitarian (and inherently radical) arguments that favor the abolition of the monarchy.  After weeks of listening to videos from The People Profiles about the monarchy, I am even more convinced in the necessity of the British monarchy as a cultural and political force.

To be clear, I do not advocate for monarchy of any form in the United States.  The reader might ask, “if it’s so beneficial to our British cousins, with whom we share quite a bit of history and culture, why isn’t it good for us?”  The answer is simple:  we’ve never had one!  Monarchy is something almost completely foreign to Americans, at least since 1776.  Our Founding was explicitly anti-monarchical, even if there were Americans willing to submit to a kingship under George Washington.

The British—and, more specifically, the English—however, have possessed a monarchy for over 1000 years, with the exception of that Cromwellian unpleasantness from 1648-1660, ending with the restoration of the Stuarts with Charles II.  That is a great deal of tradition, custom, and ceremony to toss out merely to save a few bucks on maintaining the Royal Family.

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Monday Morning Movie Review: Back to School (1986)

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As readers are doubtlessly tired of reading, classes at my school resumed last Wednesday, 16 August 2023.  Today marks the first full week of classes, which means that we’ll all be settling into a typical school year routine quite soon.

Modern education, like any institution, creates its own culture, complete with its own rituals, milestones, rites of passage, “canon events,” and the like.  These are all quite familiar to anyone who has attended a public or private school in the United States (and I imagine my British readers have similar milestones):  surviving exam week; reciting the Pledge of Allegiance; finding your table in the cafeteria; attending the dance; celebrating homecoming; attending football games; buying back-to-school clothes and supplies; graduating; etc., etc.  In the midst of these and other events, students (and teachers) live in, create, and adapt to an ever-changing school culture, the petite dramas—the successes and failures, the triumphs and tribulations—of their lives playing out amid hormones and deadlines.

Naturally, compulsory education provides many ripe fields for reaping and sowing narrative stories.  Just a school year has its own rhythm and tempo, so do good stories follow certain “beats,” so it’s only natural that screenwriters find ample storytelling fodder in school.  It’s also relatable, as virtually every American has, at one point or another, darkened the door of a classroom, and has enjoyed and/or endured the complicated thickets of modern education.

There are many excellent examples of films that deal with schooling.  There are also many terrible ones, as anyone who ever watched melodramatic WB teen shows in the early 2000s can attest.  Some of the real gems range from the dramatic—To Sir, with Love (1967)—to the ludicrously funny—Billy Madison (1995).

This week, I’m looking at one on the “ludicrously funny” end of the drama-to-comedy axis, but closer to “good, but not great” on the terrible-to-excellent axis:  the 1986 Rodney Dangerfield vehicle Back to School.

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Lazy Sunday CXVII: Cinema

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The cinema is either making a major comeback, or it’s enjoying one last gasp of box office dominance before fading into obscurity.  Either way, it’s a great excuse to look back on some past posts about the movies!

  • “The Future of Cinema” – I wrote this bad boy back in October 2020, during The Age of The Virus.  Theaters had started to reopen, only to shutter again as the dreaded Delta variant scared journalists and schoolmarms everywhere.  I mused that the magic of seeing a flick on the big screen would, even in some altered form, triumph over streaming.
  • “Supporting Friends Friday: The Cinematic Compositions of Mason Sandifer” –  Robert Mason Sandifer is a young composer with whom I had the opportunity to work for a couple of years while he was in high school.  Since I wrote this post back in 2021, he’s gone on to compose a great deal more.
  • “The Return of the Cinema” – Is moviegoing back?  I certainly hope so.  It’s been a big summer for the movies, and it’s good to see theaters and lobbies full of the unwashed masses again.

Happy Sunday!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments:

SubscribeStar Saturday: The Folly of King Edward VIII

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Today’s post is a SubscribeStar Saturday exclusive.  To read the full post, subscribe to my SubscribeStar page for $1 a month or more.  For a full rundown of everything your subscription gets, click here.

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Proverbs 31:10-31, the famous passage about the qualities of a good woman.  As verse 10 reads, “Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.”  The implication is that a true “Proverbs 31 Woman” is a rare and precious thing.

Based on earlier chapters of Proverbs, which extensively detailed the dangers of a wanton floozy, it’s pretty clear that a bad woman can be quite destructive.  Proverbs 7:6-23 is an entire cautionary tale about a foolish young man who dies when a harlot stabs him after a night of passion!

Too many men (myself included) fall for the allure of a pretty face, which is probably why there are three or four chapters in Proverbs warning us off of them (and only one chapter about a good woman).

Such is the potentially corrosive effect of a loose woman that one nearly destroyed a monarchy.  The short-reigned King Edward VIII, who ruled in 1936 for barely eleven months.

The controversy over King Edward VIII’s decision to marry a twice-divorced woman (still married at the time of Edward’s abdication in December 1936), Wallis Simpson, threatened the House of Windsor, and nearly resulted in a constitutional crisis for the British Empire.

To read the rest of this post, subscribe to my SubscribeStar page for $1 a month or more.

Phone it in Friday XLII: An Appeal to Readers

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The following is an adaption of an e-mail I sent to paid subscribers on 1 August 2023.  I’m working hard to provide quality content on a daily basis, and am hoping to increase my subscribers.  There are real financial costs associated with maintaining The Portly Politico, and ad revenue does not come close to covering those costs.  Subscriptions are what keep the blog self-sustaining; without them, it would require a substantial financial outlay from yours portly to keep the blog going.

There is also a substantial amount of time that goes into maintaining the blog.  It takes hours each week to write, edit, and promote the blog and my related ventures.  Subscriptions certainly help financially, yes, but they also motivate me to keep going.  I want to provide a quality product in exchange for your hard-earned dollars.  It is difficult, at times, to churn out post after post, day after day.

As conservatives, we should support conservative creators.  The Left is eating our lunch in the culture wars (well, they were until everyone started waking up in the last couple of years) in large part because they support their own.  Maybe it’s not me you choose to support, but I would be humbled to receive your support.  Remember, Ben Shapiro, Turning Point, Dennis Prager, etc., etc., have plenty of resources already.

As the below e-mail/post relates, I am a good steward of the money sent my way.  I don’t blow it on fancy parties or glossy promos.  I use it to maintain the blog and to obtain necessary supplies, and occasionally to commission works from other creators for the blog.

Thank you for taking the time to read this appeal.  Even if you are not in a place to subscribe, please forward this message to others who might be interested.  Every little bit helps.

Regards,

TPP

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TBT^2: Rebuilding Civilization: The Hunter-Gatherer

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It’s interesting to come back to the question of the value of civilization from time to time.  For what it’s worth, I think civilization is definitely worth maintaining, even with the inevitable social ills that come with it.  Better to live a life abundant in not just material well-being, but also with opportunities for self-improvement and finer pursuits, like literature and art, than to be scrounging around for every meal.

Of course, the few remaining peoples that live the hunter-gatherer life would disagree—if they were even capable of conceiving of a different lifestyle.  As difficult as it is for us in the “civilized” world to imagine the hunter-gatherer’s life, how much more difficult must it for be for the hunter-gatherer to conceive of our life?

I doubt either one would trade places with the other, which is what makes the situation so intriguing.  Both ways of life have merits and pitfalls.  Beyond that, that human beings could live such vastly different lives is a testament to the incredible diversity of our own species.  It’s fascinating to consider that we have, essentially, living ancestors in the world today, people who live largely as all humans did in the remotest past of our time on this planet.

All interesting, conceptual things to consider.  Which life would you choose?

With that, here is 18 August 2022’s “TBT: Rebuilding Civilization: The Hunter-Gatherer“:

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Myervision: Puzzling

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About a month ago, Audre Myers left a wonderful comment on my post “TBT^2: Modern Art and Influence.”  She made some incredibly insightful points about modern art through the lens of puzzles, specifically a solid white puzzle that is, apparently, a major challenge because there’s no reference to follow.

I asked her to expand that comment into a post, thinking she might dive into modern art versus real art in a bit more detail.

Instead, she sent me this post about puzzles—and I couldn’t be more delighted.

I trust you will be as well.  Who cares about the nature of art when we can do fun puzzles?

With that, here is Audre on puzzles:

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Open Mic Adventures XLIV: “Skeleton Dance No. 1”

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Ah, yes—another Tuesday, another edition of Open Mic Adventures in which I thwart Ponty’s dreams and feature a super short, experimental piano miniature instead of a gutsy, flabby live performance.

No worries—there will (probably) be more sweaty, robust live performances soon.  But as we endure the heat and misery of August, I’m already looking ahead to the coolness and fun of Halloween.

So, what better way to get in the spooky mood than with a little skeletal gyrating?

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