Progressive Mentality

We scope out future trends and draw connections.  Speculations on the 21st century.  Science/technology, culture, progressive politics and lifestyle.  

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To My Friends And Family Who Supported Trump

To My Friends And Family Who Supported Trump

I come from Tennessee, a state which overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump in the presidential election.  Consequently, I see a lot of people in my life who are upset and frustrated by liberals that are demonizing them.  Liberals who can’t seem to “suck it up” and get over the fact that Trump is their president. I also attend an extremely liberal (from my perspective) university that reeled in…

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Who Should The Left Blame?

Who Should The Left Blame?

It’s safe to say the the nation is in a state of collective shock.  Whether you were one of the 25% of Americans who voted for Donald Trump, or one of the 75% who voted against him or not at all, most of us weren’t expecting his win.  Now, the left is full of questions.  What comes next?  How do we stop him?  Do we give him a chance?  Who’s to blame? It’s a complicated election, and the correct…

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Wake-Up Call: It's Time For Liberals In America To Switch Gear

Wake-Up Call: It’s Time For Liberals In America To Switch Gear

Alright America.  We did the thing.  All we can do now is move forward in the way that is best for our entire country. And in the spirit of doing what is best and saying what needs to be said, I’m going speak to liberal America from the perspective of a leftist Progressive from the South. I want to urge liberals to not give into the temptation to respond to the election of Donald Trump in the…

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Choosing Hillary Clinton: Thoughts On The 2016 Presidential Election

Choosing Hillary Clinton: Thoughts On The 2016 Presidential Election

It is just two days before our official presidential election.  If you are like me, you are feeling weary from the these many months of campaigning between two of the most unpopular candidates ever nominated by our two major political parties.  I recently watched “Michael Moore in Trumpland” and felt good that I voted for Hillary on the first day of early voting here in Tennessee. Like Michael…

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In Defense Of (Voting For) Hillary Clinton: A Progressive's Case

In Defense Of (Voting For) Hillary Clinton: A Progressive’s Case

Anyone who knows me knows that I am an avid Bernie Sanders supporter.  And whether I am supporting him as a presidential candidate or a U.S. Senator, I am still an avid Bernie Sanders supporter. That said, my sincere hope is now that the American people will vote Hillary Clinton for president. This isn’t a pro-Clinton position.  In all honesty, though I certainly align with her on a few issues…

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A Plea To White America: We Have A Choice To Make

A Plea To White America: We Have A Choice To Make

I am going to be honest.  I have been thinking about this post for nearly a week now.  I’ve been trying to decide how to approach commentary on this issue.  It’s heavy, it’s hard, and by nature I just can’t actually understand the full scope of this awful American crisis.  I’m white, and my blind spots are too many to count. But here I go – absolutely certain that I have a duty to speak to my…

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Grassroots Action: How You're More Powerful Than You Think

Grassroots Action: How You’re More Powerful Than You Think

It’s easy for us to feel powerless to make real change in our communities, country and world.  We often think of the government and societal institutions as elitist-controlled monsters that dominate our lives. There is truth to this, but the deeper truth is that we each have a much bigger effect than we imagine, and we’re doing it…

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Progressive Mentality: Who We Can Be

Progressive Mentality: Who We Can Be

Progressive Mentality is taking a new direction.  Along with developing a YouTube channel alongside the existing blog, we hope to begin involving our audience in the conversation. We can create a vibrant online community of people with a vision for the future.  Each one of us, in the way we live our lives, contributes to changing…

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In Defense of Bernie or Bust

In Defense of Bernie or Bust

“There are millions and millions of people who are tired of establishment politics, who are tired of corporate greed, who want a candidate that will help lead a mass movement in this country… What people are saying is, ‘Enough is enough. The billionaire class cannot have it all.'” -Bernie Sanders After witnessing fellow Sandernistas on social media become increasingly agitated and visceral, with…

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Reflections on Orlando From Johnson City, Tennessee

Reflections on Orlando From Johnson City, Tennessee

Tonight, I attended a candlelight vigil to honor the victims of the Orlando LGBTQ+ terror attack.  What I saw, felt and understood there, surrounded by more then 300 of my fellow Northeastern Tennesseans, was unmistakeable.  It was hope. As one of the attendees sang John Lennon’s “Imagine”, I pondered on the significance of such a crowd standing in solidarity with non-violence and the LGBTQ+…

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Injustice: 4 Outrageous Failures of the Democratic Primary

Injustice: 4 Outrageous Failures of the Democratic Primary

Bernie-critics, the media and much of the Democratic party seem to have one loud and clear message for Bernie Sanders and his supporters: get over it and step down, you lost fair and square. To simplify the situation at hand to a “fair and square” loss is quite frankly a mockery of the truth and a caricature of what people hate so much about the establishment. They can argue that Clinton won the…

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A Plea to Sanders Supporters: Now is Not the Time to Bow Your Heads

A Plea to Sanders Supporters: Now is Not the Time to Bow Your Heads

As it appears, the 2016 Democratic nomination process is over.  While Hillary Clinton has not secured all of the delegates needed to avoid a contested convention, she won handily in New Jersey and California last night, making a win for Bernie Sanders look nearly impossible. As an invested Sanders supporter and a local organizer for my region, I am trying to be calm-headed as I take this…

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As Clinton Allegedly Takes Nomination, Progressives Are Stronger Than Ever

As Clinton Allegedly Takes Nomination, Progressives Are Stronger Than Ever

After a contentious Democratic primary, the media has declared Hillary Clinton as the winner of the Democratic nomination.  But it is not time for Progressives to give up. I have been highly invested in the Bernie Sanders campaign since the very beginning.  I served as an organizer of the Sanders campaign in my region, where our campaign won three of the only counties in my state of Tennessee.…

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The “European” Refugee Crisis: An Overview

If there is one issue in the world right now that’s difficult to wrap your head around, it might just be the European refugee crisis. Due to horrific civil wars and living conditions in parts of t…

It's a conflict with no easy answers:

A quick rundown on the international refugee crisis.

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Nanotechnology: A Transformative Industry?

Quietly making its way into the mainstream, nanotechnology, at least conceptually, has been around for decades. In fact, the field is credited to a man named Richard Phillips Feynman who first pro…

In the realm of technology, one of the most exciting new developments is nanotechnology.

Could these tiny engineered particles create products like we've never seen before?

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The Shifting United States Electorate and What it Means to Future Politics

One of the most fascinating things about democratic politics is the way they sway with the changing demographics and political perceptions of the country. In years and centuries past, as immigrati…

US voters are changing in a major way in terms of demographics and opinion.

What will this mean for the future of politics?

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A Spirituality for a Brighter Future

I have spoken here about my own form of spirituality, which is in no way shape or form the “perfect” or “true” perspective. There was a time in my life when the word “spirit…

Could a new perspective in spirituality move us in the right direction politically?