Taleban closing girls’ schools in Pakistan

The Taleban has been closing girls’ schools in the northwest  Swat district of Pakistan, and threatening to blow up schools which do not comply. Scores of schools have already been burned to the ground. This is a further putting-into-effect of the policies of Mullah Fazlullah, whose fundamentalist brand of Islam is propagated through the region … Continue reading →

How not to properly satirize wife-beating

I would be grateful if someone could explain to me the redeeming satirical message underlying Robert Fiorentino’s instructional video, “How to Properly Slap a Woman.” I have three theories: the makers of this video misunderstand the nature of satire, i.e. that it should embarass those who espouse the beliefs being lampooned the makers of this … Continue reading →