Words Per Minute
Whether a typing exercise might become a manifesto.
Nov 27, 2023•2 min•Ep. 348
Inappropriate Conversations
Too often, political and/or religious ideologies stop open dialog. It’s time to speak freely and break down the barriers that keep people separated. Let’s have an inappropriate conversation about …
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Episodes
Authorial Intent
(A Neosurrealist Revising a Will from His Death Bed) The Author, 1979-1986
Nov 20, 2023•25 min•Ep. 347
Part Time (March 13, 1986)
While this neo-surrealist, and formalist, short story dates back to 1986, it was World Storytelling Day 2016 that led me to read it out loud. #IC 181
Nov 12, 2023•7 min•Ep. 346
Stop The Bleeding
It's definitely a cliche, but this is based on a true story.
Nov 05, 2023•3 min•Ep. 345
Disappear Here
The concept of "reunion" can generate a very specific type of anxiety. For me, it has always been an underlying sense of wanting to be there and wanting to be invisible at the same time. That paradox has inspired essays, some short fiction, and this poem. "Disappear Here" (1989) 122: 'Past Tenths' of 'Disappear Here'
Oct 30, 2023•4 min•Ep. 344
Old-School Thrillers Need To Rise From The Dead
For this perspective on how modern horror movies have squeezed out traditional thrillers, I've called the selection a 6-pack while sneaking in a few extras within the anthology film entry. The essay was written in 1999 and shared on an Inappropriate Conversations podcast in 2012. The films: A Cold Night's Death Carnival of Souls Invasion of the Body Snatchers The Scarlet Claw The Other Asylum The House That Dripped Blood Trilogy of Terror #IC 103: The Thriller Is Gone...
Oct 23, 2023•29 min•Ep. 343
Well, It’s In The Bible
Solomon's Song Of Songs Man: Greg Woman: Karen Friends: Laura https://www.inappropriateconversations.org/e/81-singing-a-song-for-lovers/
Oct 15, 2023•16 min•Ep. 342
A Return of Sorts - 10 Areas Of Agreement
As I've noted in the (old, but) most recent Inappropriate Conversations podcasts, work-life balance and other issues have led to a pause in postings. Work-life balance has shifted again, recently. I can't say yet whether or when this will lead to new episodes of Inappropriate Conversations or Walk The Earth, but I do now that content will be starting to flow again. Starting today, I'm planning to post at regular intervals. During what turned out to be a hiatus, I pulled the plug on promotional c...
Oct 08, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 341
234: Differences That Make a Difference
It's a sinking feeling to realize your actions would be the same if you were trying to undermine your values, that just doing what you've always done fits a narrative you would reject if given a chance. Sometimes the matter can be as small as "has my show pod-faded without me realizing?". Sometimes it's a matter of life and death where thoughtless actions line up with death, even unintentionally. Slight differences in choices or behavior can change things for the better. Failing to take such act...
Jul 23, 2022•52 min•Ep. 340
233: Judicial Abuse
The politics of abortion has long been a game of state legislatures passing laws they know are unconstitutional. It's a bit like asking a question over and over again when you already know the answer. The situation has now devolved into something worse, an abuse of concepts like "standing" and "damages" in civil litigation. And the current U.S. Supreme Court seems to be aiding and abetting Texas in what could be called, at best, a foolish mistake. Different Drummer: George Carlin Your questions ...
Sep 11, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 338
TalkBack 48: Four Things I Know
One reason to share this early episode of Inappropriate Conversations is the way the Different Drummer segment relates part of a story I've revisited in multiple ways -- my testimony, so to speak. I intend to "TalkBack" to other episodes in upcoming months that tell the story more directly. Another reason is the topic itself: types and forms of knowledge. Along those lines, new introductory material looks at opposition to vaccination from a perspective that, frankly, presumes hypocrisy. Many of ...
Aug 13, 2021•57 min•Ep. 337
TalkBack 107: Eulogy for Homophobia
It's always a risk to post a TalkBack episode from almost 9 years ago without reviewing it first. For Pride this year, I'm taking that risk. Since #IC #107 focused on moments in my past I'm not proud of, interacting with gays without recognizing and checking my ingrained homophobia, I figure this one would have embarrassing elements either way. It is a direct follow-up to the previous TalkBack episode. These two Inappropriate Conversations were intentionally released in the same week originally....
Jun 26, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 336
TalkBack 106: The Violence of Denial
My plan is to observe Pride this year with TalkBack episodes that address homophobia pretty directly. This one is my rejection of someone I've named a Different Drummer in the past. His podcast hesitantly, but I also would say proudly, proclaimed some highly misinformed views about human biology, scripture, and more. I believe the result, if not the intent, could be very harmful to a broad range of LGBTQIA* people. So, as an ally, I spoke up. It wouldn't be the last time, either. http://www.inap...
Jun 20, 2021•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 335
TalkBack: Walk The Earth 26
In 2021 for most American Christians, Christmas will be celebrated on December 25th. No surprise there. For those with good recent memory, Easter was celebrated on April 4th. Not as easy to recall as 12/25, but a simple date to find on any secular calendar. This upcoming Sunday, May 23rd, is Pentecost. I'd bet that very few Americans know that, including politically-active Christians who are outspoken about perceived attacks like "cancel culture" as a form of marginalization. I'd argue that the ...
May 18, 2021•50 min•Ep. 334
TalkBack 9: An Overview of the Decades
There is a certain laziness in summing up an entire decade to a simple phrase, like "the Me Generation" for example. At the same time, we sometimes miss the connections in how one sub-generation reacts to what they see from the group before them, too old to be peers and too young to be elders. http://www.inappropriateconversations.org/e/9-overview-of-the-decades/ Don't Discount Evangelicalism as a Factor in the Racist Murder of Asian Spa Workers in Georgia this year...
Apr 23, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 333
TalkBack 8: The Christian Response to the Sexual Revolution ... or Not
I have a sense that I have maintained a fairly consistent worldview despite knowing that I've continued to grow and evolve. New information, encountering different people, and challenging assumptions will do that. One way to consider the scale of any shifting perspectives is this TalkBack series. What did I have to say on a topic like this in 2010? And if my position has remained fairly consistent, then what does that say about how American Christianity has shifted from where it was a decade ago...
Apr 14, 2021•55 min•Ep. 332
TalkBack: Walk The Earth 25
Considering whether Easter is the most important day on the church calendar, I lay some groundwork on the difference between a disciple having a Good Friday worldview versus an Easter worldview. Even this comparison feels too narrow, not quite a false dichotomy but insufficiently broad in perspective. The answer to which day on the church calendar I find to be the most significant probably explains why. http://www.inappropriateconversations.org/e/walk-the-earth-25/...
Mar 28, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 331
TalkBack: Walk The Earth 9
It's too easy within the church and among politically-active Christians to find examples of people preaching that children should be "seen and not heard" rather than smiling and saying "let the children come" as Jesus did. Then again, these are many of the same people who want to make it a crime (in Georgia, for one example) to give free water or snacks to anyone stuck in an hours-long line on election day. Make me think they have no idea what Jesus said about feeding hungry people or giving the...
Mar 11, 2021•49 min•Ep. 330
TalkBack 66: Child's Play and Imagination
This early Inappropriate Conversations episode gently suggests that we don't value imagination sufficiently in a world where entertainment is as pre-packaged as it is today. We take our fun seriously, as Jello Biafra once sang for Dead Kennedys. Perhaps the introduction to this TalkBack episode implies that too many adults are waiting for directions, hesitant to hold elected officials accountable or literally following marching orders to "take back your country" by putting up a "fight" at the U....
Feb 23, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 329
Audio Promo: #IC 233
Next up on Inappropriate Conversations and Walk The Earth: pandemic lockdown in perspective, and some TalkBack episodes. Some Assembly Required (A Neosurrealist Forsaking a Habit for Lent)
Feb 13, 2021•20 min•Ep. 328
TalkBack 60: Abortion Agreements, Part 2
Ten Areas of Agreement about Abortion, Part 2 Or, both parts edited together for SoundCloud
Jan 29, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 327
TalkBack 59: Abortion Agreements, Part 1
Ten Areas of Agreement about Abortion, Part 1 Or, both parts edited together for SoundCloud
Jan 28, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 326
232: Indecision 2020
How to summarize everything related to the 2020 presidential election in the United States? So much happened from before November 3rd until today, January 20th, and yet so little seemed certain along the way. One thing is certain: 11,780 additional votes in Georgia wouldn't have accomplished anything for the former president, and the fraud he was pushing certainly wasn't worth the risk of criminal charges. Reasons should be obvious, but I cover some anyway. Different Drummer: Stacey Abrams ALL I...
Jan 20, 2021•54 min•Ep. 325
TalkBack 134: Gender Segregation
As they were in December 2013, this episode of Inappropriate Conversations and the previous Walk The Earth post are back-to-back within a few days for a reason. The experiment then was looking at ways women have been walled off from leadership in the church from both a religious perspective (#wte) and this more open-ended #IC approach. I had not yet envisioned the long-form Opening The Scriptures episode, but this is clearly a precursor. It's worth noting that the subsequent 3.5-hour podcast loo...
Dec 26, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 324
TalkBack: Walk The Earth 6
Ignoring the spiritual gifts of women is a mistake I do not tolerate. While this wasn't foremost in our minds when my family left one congregation, and denomination, to find a new church home. As this early Walk The Earth episode documents, it quickly became impossible to ignore -- sometimes from first impressions, but often from more lasting ones. http://www.inappropriateconversations.org/e/walk-the-earth-6/...
Dec 22, 2020•46 min•Ep. 323
TalkBack13: Companionship Marriage
Finding things to be thankful for will be a challenge for many in 2020. It has been a difficult year. An argument can be made that the trend over several years has been challenging. This TalkBack episode returns to the first May of Inappropriate Conversation, including what I am most thankful for. Authorial Intent (A Neosurrealist Revising a Will from His Death Bed) http://www.inappropriateconversations.org/e/13-companionship-marriage/...
Nov 25, 2020•59 min•Ep. 322
TalkBack 55: A Better Way to Debate
I never took a class in debate or participated in a club when I was in school. I've also never seen it as some sort of sport. To me, matters worth debating should be taken more seriously than that, and we ought to commit to higher standards than anything we've seen on television in decades. I'm not only referring to the presidential election cycle. No, my complaint covers punditry today in its entirety. Introductory material includes perspectives on this and the previous presidential election, r...
Nov 04, 2020•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 321
TalkBack 152: Anticipating The Bang
We have become so accustomed to the twist ending that some film critics seem to dismiss films from recommendation for no other reason. I consider this a "sixth sense" effect, referring to M. Night Shyamalan. Done properly, though, stories of this sort can deliver two good movies, even great ones, from different genre within the same film. This Halloween-themed episode from 2014 celebrates one of the best. Introductory material encourages voting in 2020, even from registered voters who despair fo...
Oct 29, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 320
TalkBack 103: The Thriller Is Gone
I grew up in the Central Time Zone in the United States. The late news was at 10 p.m. On Friday nights, one of the local stations would start a movie at 10:30, and it was often quite thrilling to a kid my age. Some themes were supernatural, others science fiction. Endings weren't always as happy as the Disney and Pink Panther movies my parents preferred for a family outing to the cinema. Halloween in particular was peak season for this "late night" Friday movie of the week. Cases in point: A Col...
Oct 23, 2020•58 min•Ep. 319
TalkBack 42: Made For TV Program Direction
When Inappropriate Conversations #42 was released in January 2011, I named it "The Morning After for Classic Made-For-TV Movies" and that title still works based on the flow of the show. I wanted this TalkBack episode to also note a relatively recent Facebook venture, a public group called Made For TV Program Direction . The idea is to accumulate what will be a long list of citations, nostalgic memories of past television program -- some seemingly forgotten. Feel free to join in if this podcast ...
Oct 15, 2020•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 318
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