Category Archives: Opinion

St. Louis environmental writer Don Corrigan always learns from the seminar offerings of the American Culture Association / Popular Culture Association’s annual conferences. The ACA-PCA’s Ecology and Culture Interest Group always has topical offerings on media and the environment.

The conference interest group examines portrayal’s of a planet facing environmental challenges as depicted in  literature, film, streaming and even poetry, dance and song. This year, Corrigan was surprised to learn that his own literary output was singled out for examination and plaudits.

Author Corrigan’s study, In Search of Manhood: American Men’s Movements Past and Present, has been selected as top pop culture book among those published in 2024. Award recognition was slated for April 18 at the New Orleans convention of the Popular Culture Association.

Choice magazine describes Don Corrigan’s book as “a succinct, accessible chronicle of American men’s constant construction and reconstruction of masculinity and manhood, and a welcome addition to the ever-growing field of men’s and masculinity studies.”

The identity crisis of men and boys in America has attracted media attention nationwide, as American males suffer economic, social and psychological setbacks. Corrigan’s analysis joins those of writers such as Scott Galloway, Richard Reeves, Leonard Sax and Warren Farrell.

Corrigan devotes considerable attention to examining the role that male movie and television icons have played in male self-conceptions. The author details how these iconic figures have been incorporated into a range of men’s movements.

He chronicles the Promise Keepers, Million Man March and fathers’ rights groups of last century. He then examines the rise of more militant contemporary men’s groups including Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Alt-Knights, and the growing militia movement.

The author also reviews media reaction to U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley’s book on manhood that takes a biblical perspective. Corrigan explores the rise of toxic masculinity in America and suggests new masculine icons be summoned and widely adopted.

Corrigan notes that toxic masculinity is manifest on the environmental front by attitudes that the earth and its creatures are there for exploitation. A new environmental ethic for masculinity would put an emphasis on men as stewards of the planet and its varied wildlife.

“Don Corrigan’s latest book is a welcome and thought-provoking contribution to McFarland’s gender studies list,” said Karl-Heinz Roseman, vice president of sales & marketing. “We’re delighted that his work is being honored by PCA.”

“This book is also a good example of the journalism and academia combo that makes Don Corrigan special,” said Roseman. “For example, he draws upon his background as a newspaper reporter in interviewing members of different men’s groups.”

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By Don Corrigan

Mark Twain, an experienced steamboat captain, said rivers are not so glamorous as people often think. In fact, Twain insisted that rivers were treacherous – and not at all to be trusted.

While plying the Mississippi River, Twain saw many boats bottom out, get caught in snags, run aground in swift currents when attempting to round bends. More than 250 steamboats are estimated to have sunk on the Mississippi River during the 19th century.

Like the Mississippi, the Missouri River has had no loyalty to anything other than the whims of nature. It has changed course overnight and left ports high and dry. It has flooded farmland and destroyed an entire harvest.

More than 300 steamboats sank in the Missouri River in the 19th century, between Omaha, Nebraska and St. Louis, Missouri. The Missouri was known as a steamboat graveyard, and most of the boats sank after striking snags.

A steamboat wreck on the Missouri River that has become famous among Midwesterners is the sinking of the Arabia. Two riverboat authors from St. Louis found this out when they penned an account of river wrecks.

Vicki Berger Erwin and James Erwin, discovered the notoriety of the Arabia when researching and writing their 2020 book, “Steamboat Disasters of the Lower Missouri River.”

“The first question anyone asks when they hear we have written a book about steamboat disasters is: ‘Have you heard of the Arabia?’ We have,” said James Erwin.

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By EE Staffers

Environmental writer Don Corrigan recently appeared on the podcast, “Best Part Of The Book,” hosted by Mark Perzel. Veteran broadcaster Perzel keeps the interview lively and fun, but it occasionally veers into serious environmental territory.

For example, Perzel asks about increasing concerns over the cattle industry’s growth worldwide – and the resulting hikes in methane, a gas that contributes to climate change. The methane comes from cattle flatulence.

As weird as it sounds, “farts” are indeed a source of global warming. When cows fart, they release CH4 into the atmosphere. In America, about 20% of the methane emitted in the country comes directly from cows.

Although methane isn’t the number one cause of global warming, in the aggregate, it’s a serious contributor. It’s also a source of emissions that could be addressed easily with science and technology.

Here’s a link to the podcast; it’s a real  gem:  https://link.chtbl.com/BestPartOfTheBook

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