Obama Supports Gays, So What?

I am writing a research paper for this class that explores the correlation of minority elected officials and the erasure of discrimination.  I found that blacks tend to vote within their group if there is a black candidate, (as do women, to a much lesser extent) and that this can occur even when there is extreme ideological differences.  It brought up a point which I am very interested in, but didn't have the time to explore this semester.  surely, there is a groupthink mentality that is happening when blacks vote for blacks.  Within our class, that has historically been a way we describe a fallacy.  When it comes to elected officials, it seems blacks vote for blacks because they share a common interest, as do women, asians, and white men.  Is this still groupthink? And is this an instance where it is a good thing?  I read an interesting article today that highlighted blacks support of Obama even after he has come out as supportive of gay marriage, when homosexuality has always been generally "frowned upon" by a large majority of the black community.  As the article says,  "Part of the tension between gays and blacks comes from comparisons of their struggles. Some cast gay marriage as the last frontier of equal rights for all; others counter that minority status comes more from how you look than what you do."  Blacks are feuding with gays now as to who's more repressed?  Should have included LGBT attitudes in my survey.  Anyway, here's the article.  Interesting read.  


http://news.yahoo.com/many-blacks-shrug-off-obamas-view-gays-221003333.html

Sarah Palin's Head is a Giant BBQ Pit

How would we apply critical thinking techniques to thinking about art?  It's an abstract idea I have in my head when trying to understand people's reactions to art.  Case and point, a sculpture of Sarah Palin's head as a working bbq smoker.  It's amazing, it's epic, and it's provocative, to say the least.  Of course, the only town in America that would host it indefinitely is Chicago, that city and it's tolerance of art is definitely a model of how we should think of art objectively, collectively.  As you can imagine, MANY people have a problem with this!  Perhaps in no small part because the sculpture is awesomely terrifying, and immediately makes you remember hearing that Palin supports hunting from helicopters (which the writer references).  About 10 fallacies are committed by the dopes who don't approve, the artist said, "Amid the hate speech, I have also been called 'gay' in what is I presume an attempt to insult me by a particular demographic of individuals."  Peep this it's amazing. 

http://m.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2012/04/hellish-sarah-palin-sculpture-roasts-whole-pigs-chicago/1885/

Think and Grow Less Spiritual

Our class seems to talk about religion and the belief in God alot!  It's fun, I'm not complaining but I posted a link to a scientific study that theorizes that analytic thinking can decrease religious belief.  In my case, this is certainly true.  Brought up in a fanatically Christian household did not afford me questions brought up when considering faith critically and not intuitively.  When I thought about spirituality and God in an analytical way it led me to question if the fantastic stories about spirit beings who would save me from an incredible evil created by God were true.  Though this study states anylitical thinking alone is unlikely to change the minds of "believers" it is clearly present when people do change their minds.  Very interesting!


http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/27/study-analytic-thinking-can-decrease-religious-belief/