It's hard to know just exactly what role race played in the well publicized arrest of Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. Race is one of those variables that so imbues life in the United States that rare is the sociological research that does not have to control for race. We are socialized to see... Continue Reading →
Air Polution and IQ
For a few years now I've suggested changing track when it comes to the hydrocarbon debates. It's not that I've changed my mind about Global Warming. Global Warming is very much a reality and may be happening even faster than experts have predicted. When it comes to the discourse, however, the lines are pretty well... Continue Reading →
On Baseball and Teaching
I love baseball. I really do. I grew up with the game as a kid, whether I was playing in my neighborhood street with a waffle bat and ball of tape, or a sandlot, or playing for the worlds worst little league team (we were 0-9. We would have been 0-10 but for one... Continue Reading →
I can't tell you how glad I am that the bankers are making money again.
Really, I can't. It does not come as a surprise to me that vast resources were put into play to maintain the integrity of the economic elite by the power elite. In less than a year, those who actually created the economic crisis appear to be back on their feet. According to Nobel Laureate, Paul... Continue Reading →
A Classic Sociological Question: Are Humans, by nature, Warlike?
Every semester I face the same challenges from students who are steeped in the the cultural awareness that much of human behavior is biologically and even genetically determined. Oftentimes in my discussions about social problems or the foibles of society I hear the comment, "it's just human nature." That sparks a response and a challenge... Continue Reading →
Secrecy is about power, not protection
Have you ever been a part of a group in which secrets were being shared? Where were you in relation to those secrets? Were you the person sharing the secrets? The person learning the secrets? Or were you out of the secrets loop? Perhaps you were the subject of the secrets. Regardless, where you are... Continue Reading →
How Late Term Abortion Saved My Life
This is a very important and divisive issue. It is crucial that we hear stories of all involved. Unfortunately it seems that those who have abortions remain silent about their experiences and motivations. This is a very deliberate process of stigmatizing and shaming women into not sharing their experiences and thereby limiting the discourse. Read... Continue Reading →
The Mad Sociologist Blog 