The Mad Sociologist Blog

  • RIP Nelson Mandela

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  • So You Want to be a Model?

    Just Hit the Genetic Lottery! Read more

  • The Privilege of Silence: A Sociopoetic Observation on Race

    How Privileged it is to Never Have to Think About Race I’ve always thought that there’s a great deal of poetry in the practice of sociology, and perhaps an even greater influence of the sociological imagination on the practice of poetry. I’m also a big fan of open mic poetry. So when I find a… Read more

  • An Open Letter to Congressman Trey Radel

    On Embracing an Opportunity to Learn Dear Congressman Radel: I am one of your constituents from Southwest Florida, though as a liberal, I haven’t been particularly well represented by you and your office. Perhaps that goes without saying. Regardless, I certainly cannot fault you for being a conservative politician, elected from a conservative district, for… Read more

  • Put an End to Bubble Thinking

    Standardized Testing Encourages Shallow Thinking I have a sign up in my classroom titled “NO BUBBLE THINKING!” Bubble Thinking is defined as proposing explanations that offer simple, concrete answers to otherwise complex phenomena. History, my students discover, requires a more nuanced thinking. Students must understand context and multivariate causations. They have to understand that the… Read more

  • Don’t Feed the Animals

    Beasts are still beasts, despite the cages   So a cadre of Democrats and some not totally insane moderate Republicans beat Dr. Moreau’s Tea Party animals back into their rickety cages. Yes, I’m imagining Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell in pith helmets with tranquilizer darts and electric prods. I wish that meant I could lay… Read more

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