BREXIT IS JUST ANOTHER SYMPTOM OF A DISEASED GLOBAL SYSTEM Yesterday I sat down to make sense of the Brexit vote. This was asking a bit much as the "leave" vote seemed such a clear folly that it is mind-boggling that it happened at all. So I sat behind my computer and tried to concentrate... Continue Reading →
DISCUSSING THE 2016 PRIMARIES AT THE KAMINSKI CODE PODCAST With Joseph Kaminski and Elliot Declet. And they were good enough to edit out my colossal sneeze about half way into the discussion! It was great fun sitting down with serious students of the political scene and sharing my wisdom and having a few laughs while... Continue Reading →
TORTURE IS THE FIRST TOOL OF THE TYRANT The New York Times reports today that the government has declassified some transcripts from torture victims at Guantanamo Bay. Predictably, the transcripts remain heavily redacted, limiting their value. However, some new information does come to light based on an analysis of the documents. Equally predictable, the new release... Continue Reading →
APPLYING REASON TO THE IRRATIONAL During a Facebook conversation with a right-wing friend of mine (yes, I do have right-wing friends), he pointed out "while we prayed for the victims, you prayed the shooter wasn't a Muslim." I have to admit, he wasn't entirely wrong. I'm not one for prayer, and clearly I had deep... Continue Reading →
THE SIMPLE SOCIOLOGY BEHIND TRUMP RALLY VIOLENCE In sociology we have a useful tool called the Thomas Theorem. It's really a quote from the sociologist W. I. Thomas, "If men[people] define situations as real, they are real in their consequences," that has become a sociological staple. This simple sentence really is a valuable tool for understanding... Continue Reading →
ALI'S MOST DARING FIGHTS WERE OUTSIDE OF THE RING Ali the Athlete All right. I have to admit to a singular guilty pleasure--boxing. I love boxing. I love the visceral intensity of this most brutal of all sports. Two men enter the ring, each having been trained to do three things and three things only:... Continue Reading →
BEING RIGHT ISN'T ALWAYS A GOOD THING I was going through some old posts on the Original Mad Sociologist Blog. I'm planning on publishing some retrospectives and I'm compiling some of my work. That's when I stumbled upon this post from December 2014. The post is a response to a Facebook conversation that I had... Continue Reading →
YES, IT WAS THAT BAD Rachel's recap of the 2016 Republican Primary shows the Keystone Cop influences on the party.
