Respect means knowing when to back off

  I’ve talked before about the ethical obligation to treat others with respect by attentive listening. Today, I want to talk about the flip side of respect: the duty to back off and accept the fact that while others should listen to us, we can’t demand that they agree with us.

  Such unreasonable demands are especially prevalent when someone in authority (boss or parent) lectures, criticizes, sermonizes, or berates an employee or child well past the point of legitimate communication. But it isn’t just people of authority who seek to impose their ideas through bulldozer tactics.

Politicians often warn of American decline – and voters often buy it

  Presidential candidates talk about national decline while campaigning. A lot. This was front and center during the June 2024 debate between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.

  “Throughout the entire world, we’re no longer respected as a country,” Trump said, as he has repeatedly.

How did Alabama’s transgender medication ban survive? The Dobbs decision.

  The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down federal abortion rights affects much more than reproductive health.

  Exhibit A: the battle over Alabama’s ban on gender-affirming medical care.

  Here’s some background. Gov. Kay Ivey signed the law, which prohibits the prescription of puberty blockers and hormones to transgender youth under the age of 19, in April 2022. U.S. District Judge Liles C. Burke blocked it the following month. The judge wrote that the statute burdened parents’ ability to make decisions for their children.

DEI policies work best when they are designed to include everyone and are backed by evidence

  As the U.S. becomes increasingly polarized, diversity, equity, and inclusion – also known as DEI – efforts have been touted as a way to bridge social divides and promote a sense of belonging for everyone, especially for those who have been traditionally excluded or marginalized.

  But in recent years, a backlash has set in, with many institutions defunding their diversity and inclusion efforts in response to pressure from workers, lawsuits, and even state governments.

Steve Flowers: Inside the Statehouse - Remembering 9/11

  It was 23 years ago on September 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked our country. It was a day in infamy and a wake-up call for America. Allow me to share some memories from that day from famous Alabama political figures. 

Toxic bosses are a global issue with devastating consequences for organizations and employees

  Toxic leaders are a widespread issue plaguing employees and organizations across various industries. A 2023 survey found that 87 percent of professionals have had at least one toxic boss during their careers, with 30 percent encountering more than one. Another survey found that 24 percent of employees are currently working under the worst boss they’ve ever had.

  These individuals can be found at all levels of leadership, from first-time supervisors to CEOs.

Project 2025’s plan to gut checks and balances harms veterans

  Project 2025 is a plan to gut America’s system of checks and balances in order to enact an extreme, far-right agenda that would hurt all Americans. The plan proposes taking power away from everyday people to give politicians, judges, and corporations more control over Americans’ lives. Here are specific ways that Project 2025 harms veterans in America.

As humans, we all want self-respect – and keeping that in mind might be the missing ingredient when you try to change someone’s mind

  Why is persuasion so hard, even when you have facts on your side?

  As a philosopher, I’m especially interested in persuasion – not just how to convince someone, but how to do it ethically, without manipulation. I’ve found that one of the deepest insights comes from the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, a focus of my research, who was born 300 years ago: April 22, 1724.

  In his final book on ethics, “The Doctrine of Virtue,” Kant writes that each of us has a certain duty when we try to correct others’ beliefs. If we think they’re mistaken, we shouldn’t dismiss them as “absurdities” or “poor judgment,” he says, but must suppose that their views “contain some truth.”

How Jefferson and Madison’s partnership – a friendship told in letters – shaped America’s separation of church and state

  Few constitutional principles are more familiar to the average American than the separation of church and state.

  According to the Pew Research Center, 73% of adults agree that religion should be kept separate from government policies. To be sure, support varies by political or religious affiliation – with Democrats supporting the principle in much higher numbers – and depending on the specific issue, such as prayer in public schools or displays of the Ten Commandments monuments. Yet only 19% of Americans say the United States should abandon the principle of church-state separation.

  That said, criticism appears to be on the rise, particularly among political and religious conservatives. And such criticism comes from the top.

The complacency of the Alabama Public Service Commission

  Imagine there’s a leak in your bathroom. You can’t figure out the cause, so you call a plumber and give a detailed description of the flooding before you.

  “Yeah, I know what’s causing the problem,” the voice on the other end replies. “It’s clearly the woke agenda.”

  You’d likely call a different plumber.

  Alabama faces something similar with our Public Service Commission.

Loopholes and slippery slopes

  As a former law professor, I know all about loopholes.

  I trained students to find omissions and ambiguities in wording — a perfectly legal way to evade the clear intent of laws and agreements. After all, that’s what lawyers are paid to do. And despite commonly expressed disdain when lawyers do this, that’s precisely what most clients want and expect when they hire a lawyer.

The real ‘Big Bang’ of country music: How Vernon Dalhart’s 1924 breakthrough recordings launched a genre

  Country music’s origin story has been heavily influenced by a romanticized notion of authenticity. Today, celebrations of the genre’s origins tend to focus on one event: recording sessions in late July and early August 1927 in the small Appalachian city of Bristol, located on the Tennessee-Virginia border.

  The musicians were working-class Southerners, and depictions of the sessions often portray a savvy record company producer discovering talented but unknown performers.

Why is free time still so elusive?

  There have been massive gains in productivity over the past century.

  So why are people still working so hard for so long?

  Output per worker increased by almost 300% between 1950 and 2018 in the U.S. The standard American workweek, meanwhile, has remained unchanged, at about 40 hours.

5 unsung films that dramatize America’s rich labor history

  Unions are more popular now than at any time since 1965, and the U.S. is in the midst of a new upsurge of union organizing. Is a Hollywood drama about angry Starbucks baristas or frustrated Amazon warehouse workers far behind?

  Hollywood studios and independent producers have long depicted the collective efforts of working people to improve their lives and gain a voice in their workplaces and the larger society.

It’s your job to enjoy your job

  Labor Day is, first and foremost, a day off from work to do something you enjoy or to catch up on domestic tasks awaiting your attention.

  It’s also an ideal time to think about the role that work plays in your life.