Hot Topics
Hot topics are “hot” for a reason - no one wants to touch them!
They are controversial and emotionally charged.
They are deep and wide.
They are hard and exhausting.
They matter.
And mattering is what makes them worth the effort.
When I’m approaching a “hot topic” as part of my own self-study, I follow a 3-step process …
Text, Context, Conversation.
Text
Read and re-read the primary source documents and seminal works on the issue at hand.
Context
Place the text and issue in historical and cultural context.
Conversation
Engage with others fairly and persuasively.
Fair means you include all of the relevant facts, not just those that support your opinion.
Persuasive means you present an actual argument, complete with major and minor premises.
This is the exact same process I will use on this platform as I share my journey with you.
Most of the time, the original text is a legal opinion, government document, or the seminal work that gave birth to an idea or a movement.
I read everything through the lens of a lawyer, so I may pick up on things you don’t see, and I may miss things you do see. I trust you will engage with me on “all the things” to be sure we have a healthy full dialogue.
And, remember, I don’t have the answers, I’m searching for them too.
If I did have them, I wouldn’t be writing here … I’d be sipping mai-tai’s in Tahiti!
Running List of Topics
Here’s a running list of “hot topics” that I’ve engaged at various times in my life, but with more intention over the last 6 months. I suspect each of these will show up in various ways in my content. I’ll be editing this document as this publication grows to keep it current and fill in the gaps.
Western Culture & The Clash of Ideas
The Age of Enlightenment
Postmodernism
Fundamental Rights in America
Constitutional
Enumerated
Unenumerated
Codified in legislation
As distinguished from Privileges & Immunities
Community claims: Women, BIPOC LGBTQIA2S+,
Truth
Epistemology
Knowledge
Language
Existential
Objective / Subjective
Education
Knowledge gap
Parental rights
Affirmative action
Access
The Right to Personal Privacy
Marriage
Sex
Family
Birth Control
Abortion
Culture and Worldview
Critical Theory
Critical Legal Studies
Critical Race Theory
Identity Politics
Radical Feminism
Intersectionality
Social Justice
Multiculturalism
The Workplace
Gender Pay Gap
Paid Maternity / Paternity Leave
The Kitchen Table
Economy
Crime
Drugs
Immigration
Healthcare
The Supreme Court
The Process
What cases the court accepts?
The Constitutional Role of the Court
The Personal Sphere
The Legal Profession
Mental Illness
Addiction
Why I Have Way Too Many Shoes (see Addiction) :-)
