Doctor RJ
Daily Kos
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Past articles by Doctor:
'Suicide Squad' is a semi-fun mess which touches on executive meddling, sexism, and bad choices
Bad art happens all the time. At least the bad art people usually complain about. Radio has crappy songs playing in rotation, a lot of TV is unwatchable, and many of the books on bestseller lists ... → Read More
'Star Trek Beyond' is formulaic but closer in spirit to its source material
For those that might have been living under a rock for the past 50 years, the collective seven television series and 13 movies based on Star Trek feature a Utopian future, in which ... → Read More
The political convention as infomercial and source of television drama
Political conventions have been televised since 1948. Since then, the major parties have transitioned from using the conventions to hash out differences and determine nominees to using them as an ... → Read More
Check out our slate of Daily Kos-endorsed candidates
One of the things that amazes many people about politics is the idea that a significant part of the population votes against their own interests. However, this proceeds from a fallacy that ... → Read More
'The Star-Spangled Banner' as the national anthem, and the debate over whether it should be
On September 13, 1814, the Royal Navy began bombarding Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor. Just a few weeks earlier, the British had invaded Washington, D.C., burning the United States Capitol ... → Read More
Where is the line between inspiration and infringement?
A somewhat controversial idea is the contention that all of literature, theatre, and film can be broken down into seven basic plots —overcoming the monster, rags to riches, the quest, voyage and ... → Read More
American culture is not under attack by political correctness, but by fools and their dumb opinions
Yesterday, I was in the electronics department of a store at around 11 AM. The television sets were turned to CNN’s coverage of the Orlando nightclub shooting. An elderly man and his wife were ... → Read More
The legalities of smoking and drinking continue to be contentious issues of debate
In November, up to 12 states may vote on initiatives which would open the door to either medicinal or recreational use of marijuana. This year’s presidential election has been called “ the most ... → Read More
It's a long way down holiday road
Today is a day for reflection and remembrance. It’s a day where we’re supposed to put aside differences to pay tribute to those who’ve sacrificed everything for a world where there can be ... → Read More
The power of the 'one percent' to silence? Or the chickens coming home to roost?
For the past three years, pro-wrestler Hulk Hogan —real name Terry Bolea— has been involved in a civil suit against Gawker Media. In 2007, Hogan was taped having sex with the wife of radio “shock jock” Bubba the Love Sponge. The video was made and... → Read More
Who holds the title of being the worst leader in history?
In an election year where significant segments of the population seem dissatisfied with the status quo , there is talk of revolutions and making things great again, and fears of fascism and ... → Read More
Who are the worst pundits?
This election season has been dominated by media pundits perplexed by the results , since they’ve been consistently wrong in thinking the Republican Party wouldn’t be dumb enough to ... → Read More
'Captain America: Civil War' uses the fun of superheroes to explore power and its consequences
A common interpretation of the superhero genre is that its appeal is based in being a modern-day equivalent of the legends of ancient mythology . Both are fantasies which use outlandish ... → Read More
Race and sexual orientation continue to be contentious issues for Hollywood
This morning GLAAD released its annual report on diversity and LGBT representation , measuring the 126 movie releases by the major Hollywood studios in 2015. As part of its classification of ... → Read More
Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' is both personal and political
About two-months-ago, many police unions around this country became so enraged about what they perceived to be an indignity on the character of law enforcement they announced multi-city boycotts ... → Read More
'Confirmation' returns to a watershed moment for the debate over sexual harassment in the workplace
Just recently, both an article at the A.V. Club and an episode of The Next Picture Show podcast debated whether the humor in Robert Altman’... → Read More
Love in a time of political warfare
My girlfriend and I rarely argue. I am at a loss to express in words how deeply I love her, and there’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for her, but like most people we sometimes don’t see eye to eye. We tend not to discuss The Walking Dead often,... → Read More
The persecution complex in faith-based filmmaking
When I was in the fifth grade, I attended a public school in my mother’s hometown of Falkner, Mississippi. It’s a really small town, with only a few hundred people. One day a week, for an hour, → Read More
'Batman v Superman' depends on things blowing up and a plot that makes little sense
The essence of a thing is what it is said to be in respect of itself. Aristotle said something along these lines about 2,400 years ago, and it’s a fundamental aspect of metaphysical arguments about identity. When someone defines a thing as a thing, it’s p → Read More
The angry white man
The past 20 or so years of television have been lauded as a “Golden Age” in terms of quality, which moved television toward putting the audience in the shoes of morally compromised people. In many of the top-tier programs during this period, the protagoni → Read More