barber shop
Photo by S.L.M.
Got a chance to appear on the Barbershop for the first time in a while. First time since the book came out (I’m now Lester Spence, Assistant Professor, blogger and author). Also taped a commentary on Father’s Day. Quick points:

1. I was pretty clear that there are other political examples of lying worth focusing on, as well as other political issues more worthy of coverage. But I wish I could’ve dropped this bit in. Imagine the fallout if the story of the day wasn’t Weiner’s weiner…but Clarence Thomas’ lawbreaking?

2. The Father’s Day commentary (available at 3pm EST) I wrote was longer than the one that aired. I took a bit more time in describing my oldest son–I depicted him (accurately) as a smarter, more discerning, less socially awkward (at his age), version of myself. And my original version was much more political–ending with a critique of Obama’s Father’s Day comments. The politics are still in there, but they are subtler than I’d like them to be. While my family circumstances are unique–there aren’t that many folks outside of Utah with five children–the anxiety I feel is not. And while I deal with it better than most, I know my family (my wife in particular) suffers because of it. A conservative could plausibly argue that we made a decision to have the children we have, and that we should bear the risk. I understand this argument, but disagree with it strongly. We all benefit when I have the ability to raise my kids without fear.