This is an old picture. Neither of us look like that anymore.
My name is Kyle Callahan and what I do is write. I’m a father, a husband, a son, and a brother. I’m a grandson, a nephew, and a cousin. I’m also a friend and a neighbor, and some people pay me to be their teacher.
But what I do…what I do here…is write.
I write lots of words on what I hope are lots of things, though being who I am and interested in what I’m interested in, those things generally involve politics and social justice; gods, God, and no God; philosophy and semantics; storytelling as both an art form and entertainment service; creative writing in both the general and particular; music and standup comedy; science and technology (from an informed layman’s perspective); and teaching as both an experience and a profession.
I tend to write in what I hope is a confessional style, and I try to write it to you, my confessor.
My political slant is on the radical side of things. My uncles routinely (and lovingly) call me a communist, but I’m a pretty firm pacifist and most of the communists I know (and I do know some) would generally applaud the public hanging of the world’s billionaire class, whereas I would not. I’d like to see our government take control of 90% of their money and reinvest it in the community, but I wouldn’t want to see them hanged.
Is that a radical position? Is it radical to suggest that one’s ability to generate private wealth ought to cap out at $100 million? And is it radical to suggest that any individual who desires to earn more than $100 million ought not to be trusted with that kind of money?
Okay, so maybe I’m a radical, but I honestly think everyone who’s thinking about the state of the world ought to think the same things.
So yeah, that’s generally my political slant.
I’m also pro-choice and pro lots of other things. I’m also anti-fascism, anti-nihilism, and anti-creationism. I’m radically democratic, and I appreciate the complexity of the gun rights debate while adamantly believing the best cure for mass violence lies not in extreme gun control but in better supports for those who struggle with anger, loneliness, and other forms of societal discontent (in the meantime, however, I do support common-sense gun-control laws).
My stance on the biggest debate of our time remains inconclusive. I’m willing to accept The Wire, Deadwood, Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones as possible answers, with more than a dozen other series recieving some kind of honorable mention (Twin Peaks and Arrested Development [Seasons 1-3], I see you there; you too The Sopranos and Northern Exposure [The Fleischmann Years]).
I prefer The Grateful Dead to Phish, and Do Make Say Think to anyone else, but one of the things I’m most proud of is having one of my former students tell me that I had the most eclectic taste in music she’d ever heard (she was only 16 at the time and living in rural Vermont, so her exposure to eclecticism was questionable, but I still took it as a great compliment).
I think the stand-up comedy roost is ruled by Dave Chappelle, his reactionary jokes about the #MeToo movement notwithstanding.
And while Tom Brady has undoubtedly been the greatest sportsman of my lifetime, Muhammad Ali will always be the G.O.A.T.
I’m also an Apple guy, and I have been since I first fell in love with computers back in the early nineties (before the return of Steve Jobs and his introduction to the world’s first lickable computer). They’ve lost their way since the demise of the original Macintosh Human Interface Guidelines, but I still prefer using Apple products to any other device maker’s, and so I still send them lots of my hard-earned money each year.
What else? Oh, is that enough?
Hey, you’re the one who clicked on a link titled “About Me” — what the hell else did you expect?
Fine.
Enough about me. It’s your turn. Click around until you find something.
I truly hope you like it.