9.11 and its
Aftermath

11.16 
From
Hell and Back
Hell hath no fury like the
power of context. It can make what was once unsavory acceptable and turn the
innocuous into the inappropriate. It determines meaning. It redefines good
taste. And in the days and weeks AS11 (After Sept. 11), it has made us, as
consumers of mass media, reconsider our interpretation of cultural propriety
by Douglas L. Howard

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11.16 
Coming
Home, With Colors Flying
I’ve come to the conclusion that it is time to buy a new car. Not that there
is anything wrong with the mechanics of my Toyota, but it lacks an essential
piece of wartime equipment: a radio antennae. Without one, it is impossible for
me to fly a flag that will flutter in the wind
by Richard C. Crepeau
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11.14  Lessons
from Indian Cinema
You could escape into pop
culture disasters and urban destruction only if you lived in a cocoon of safety.
Now that the cocoon has been disturbed, the escape has to be a positive one. The
sentiments of Bollywood — with the resources of Hollywood — can make it all
quite pleasant
by Vamsee Juluri

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11.14  The
New New West
I remember drifting off to sleep listening
to someone describe our allies in the war against terrorism as totalitarian
regimes and George W. Bush saying that bin Laden is wanted ‘dead or alive.”
Then I guess I nodded off for good. Next thing I knew, it was 1881 and I was in
Tombstone, Ariz. … 
by Steven C. Day
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10.31  God
Doesn’t Make Cars Crash  
The tendency to blame (or credit) God for recent events reminds me of last
season’s finale of NBC’s West Wing
by Steven C. Day
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10.31  Lack
of Words  
While it’s good to see famous writers donate their time, one can’t help but
wonder what has happened to some of our more profound cultural barometers when
we need them the most
by Paul McCleary
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10.26  World
Chicken in the First Frontier  
Visitors to the annual World Chicken Festival in London, Ky., vie to win Col.
Sanders look-a-like contests. Meanwhile, in Islamabad, another KFC burns
by Jimmy Dean Smith
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10.26  Living
in a Fear Factory  
I want to remain rational about the possibility of terrorism, but is it wise to
apply rationality to irrational acts?
by Bob Batchelor
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10.12  Meet
the Allies  
There are numerous challenges to relying on the Northern Alliance, just as there
were to backing the South Vietnamese
by Bob Batchelor
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10.2  Reaching
Beyond Ourselves  
Compassion becomes more difficult when it involves the suffering of strangers,
especially those we harbor grievances against
by Steven C. Day
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10.1  Lost
and Found  
Following periods of national crisis, Americans have managed to regain their
innocence, only to lose it again in their next bout with reality. Will it be any
different this time?
by Richard C. Crepeau
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9.30  In
Need of Recovery  
How the apparently meaningless struggles of a recuperating celebrity take on a
strange importance
by Cynthia Fuchs
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9.28  Growing
Up, With Our Own Big Moment  
When I was a teenager, obsessed with the 60s, I used to long for something “big”
to happen in my time. Now I’m sorry I asked
by Rena Kraut
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9.28  The
Date That Marks X  
For years, Generation Xers have been told they are cynical, apathetic,
unaccustomed to dealing with serious struggles and unpatriotic. All of that
changed Sept. 11
by Jen Chaney
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9.25  Traveling
to Higher Ground  
After I watched it happen on TV, after I called everyone I knew in New York,
after I made sure my parents knew I was fine, I hopped on my bike, and, along
with my roommate, rode west down King Street
by Scott Cullen
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9.21  Watching
Baseball on TV  
We can simply watch a ball game or we can pay attention to it — the real
affront is when we have to pay attention, when a mundane thing has to
mean so much, when America has to signify to be America
by Jimmy Dean Smith
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9.20  An
American Story  
I am an American in experience and education, language and speech, customs and
culture. But at this moment it’s the superficial differences that matter most
by Dibya Sarkar
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9.18  Why
We Watch  
When real TV coverage trumps ”reality TV” our desires remain the same
by Alana Kumbier
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9.12  Now
Rolling  
Pop-cultural representations of Manhattan and Washington, D.C. — especially
those involving terrorist threats and attacks — have simultaneously prepared us
for this type of tragedy and distanced us from feeling and understanding
its impact
by Bernie Heidkamp