As soon as a woman's primary social value could no longer be defined as the attainment of virtuous domesticity, the beauty myth redefined it as the attainment of virtuous beauty. It did so to substitute both a new consumer imperative and a new justification for economic unfairness in the workplace where the old ones had lost their hold over newly liberated women.

Since Madonna is positioned as always "cooler than thou", we all are primed for schadenfreude if something in her fabulous life goes amiss.

It is foolish for people to think they can align themselves and be safe in a police state.

Women who love themselves are threatening; but men who love real women, more so.

Conservatives' views of liberals are just as distorted as ours are of conservatives.

Pain is real when you get other people to believe in it. If no one believes in it but you, your pain is madness or hysteria.

With the Internet there is even more fractioning since we are in echo chambers. With so much propaganda it is hard to calm down enough to listen.