An indicator of civilization is the presence of consent over coercion. Civilized people persuade, savages punch. Those who conflate force with reason are bipeds that happen to talk. Their language is a meaningless skill since they rely on physical supremacy to fulfill their desires. Less than five minutes into the first episode of The Sopranos' fourth season, director-writer David Chase shows its protagonist to be a talking biped. During breakfast, Anthony Soprano asks his son, A.J., if he's passing social studies. (A.J.'s at a new school after being expelled from his previous one.) A.J. responds, "You just reveal your own … Continue reading Still a Thug after All These Years