A recent attempt by a campus club, the Young Conservatives of Texas, to generate discussion about the issue of undocumented immigration was called off after UT Austin administrators stated that it would violate the school's "honor code." However, publicity about the contest did spark a counter demonstration on campus, which included a pro-immigrant statement by actress America Ferrera (see this newstory for information relevant to the organization's rationale for the event and reasons for cancelling it).
Saturday, November 30, 2013
"catch an illegal immigrant" contest backfires
A recent attempt by a campus club, the Young Conservatives of Texas, to generate discussion about the issue of undocumented immigration was called off after UT Austin administrators stated that it would violate the school's "honor code." However, publicity about the contest did spark a counter demonstration on campus, which included a pro-immigrant statement by actress America Ferrera (see this newstory for information relevant to the organization's rationale for the event and reasons for cancelling it).
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
black bruin
Sy Stokes provides a spoken-word protest statement about the minimal presence of black students at UCLA, most of whom, men at least, are athletes. A recent article by Antonio Moore in the Huffington Post puts the protest in perspective, criticizing "individual merit," the rationale typically used to justify low minority enrollment at flag-ship universities like UCLA. As Moore concludes, this argument totally ignores the relevance of external resources such as cultural and social capital that commonly lie behind individual attainment:
"The problem with the merit based analysis is that merit is never truly individual; it is a composite of ability, effort, opportunity and in addition access that comes from family and community. Thus, when you do expensive computer camp at UCLA while in junior high school, live in a neighborhood of lawyers & doctors, have a grandfather that leaves a large inheritance or just have family that have relationships at the University, your personal achievement comes on the shoulders of those around you that support your success. I believe merit is very real, but the individuality of it not so much so. While we all sit down to take the test as a single person, some sit down with the unknown weight of a history of loss, while others are placed in position to as young Sy Stokes said, hit a "triple while born on third base"."
Sunday, November 10, 2013
viral homeless vet video
This timelapse of Jim Wolf, homeless Army veteran, has had over 7 million YouTube hits since Nov 6. It was placed on the Internet as a fundraising vehicle by Degage Ministries and has already generated more than $15,000 of its $20,000 goal. The Grand Rapids, Michigan charity claims that Wolf's participation in the project has also transformed his life in other ways as he is now involved with AA.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
self-sufficiency standard
Critics have long held that the federal poverty line underestimates the real level of economic hardship in our society. Based largely on the market-basket price of groceries for households of various sizes, the official poverty measure has been criticized for failing to reflect the rising cost of other basic necessities, as well as changed consumption patterns over the past 50 years. A more realistic measure, the Self-Sufficiency Standard, is now being touted as superior as it takes into consideration how much income is minimally necessary to meet a list of key expenses for households of varying size and composition across diverse U.S. places, such that households would not have to receive welfare assistance. In this recent PBS NewsHour story, Dana Pearce of the University of Washington School of Social Work, discusses the measure she developed and how it is being used.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
the most unequal place in America
This short documentary, which explores Lake Providence, LA, presumably the "most unequal place in America," is part of a recent CNN series on economic inequality in America
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/29/opinion/sutter-lake-providence-income-inequality/index.html, which in turn is a part of a larger series entitled "Change the List," a project addressing the 5 most extreme-case problems as defined by CNN viewers
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/18/opinion/sutter-ctl-vote-results/index.html .
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/29/opinion/sutter-lake-providence-income-inequality/index.html, which in turn is a part of a larger series entitled "Change the List," a project addressing the 5 most extreme-case problems as defined by CNN viewers
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/18/opinion/sutter-ctl-vote-results/index.html .
Saturday, October 26, 2013
racial profiling: stop and frisk
See the full infographic at http://www.vera.org/stop-and-frisk-study-infographic
The Vera Institute has recently published a study on stop and frisk practices in New York City based on survey interviews with about 500 young adults. The full report can be downloaded at
An excellent companion to any treatment of racial profiling is the short video, Stigma, produced in 2011 by the Yale Law School Visual Law Project.
Friday, October 25, 2013
hunger amid plenty
This recent KQED documentary details the irony of severe hunger among workers in California agriculture.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
know the chain
Modern slavery is everywhere around us, and we are likely to be supporting it in terms of the goods we purchase!
As discussed in this Free The Slave Blog article http://ftsblog.net/2013/10/21/slavery-in-your-shopping-cart-new-website-helps-you-know/ slave labor is common in the supply chain of modern production. Now a new website, Know The Chain https://www.knowthechain.org/, spells out the extent of involvement of hundreds of corporations.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
intersectionality
http://sociologicalimagination.org/archives/12975.
Monday, September 23, 2013
lobster boy: new Republican poster child
Thursday, August 29, 2013
PhDs as indentured servants
Source: Online-PhD-Programs.org
PhDs in many fields face significant obstacles to gainful employment in academia. This information graphic defines the problematic nature and scope of the current exploitation of adjunct professors.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
British social class calculator
Monday, July 22, 2013
income mobility and location in U.S.
Today's NY Times mentions a provocative new study by a team of economists from Harvard on the correlation between place of residence and intergenerational income mobility. The study suggests substantial variability across the U.S. in the likelihood of rising substantially in income. Among notable findings is that mobility among those in the South and Midwest appears to be generally lower than for those living elsewhere. The Times piece also includes some great interactive graphics.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
inequality for all
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
faces of hope
This post was contributed by SOC 3013 student, Jessica Raasch.
Before becoming employed at Haven for Hope, my thoughts about the homeless population were pretty much like those of the average American. I firmly believed that we are fully responsible for ourselves, and that if we worked hard, we would get what we wanted out of life. The homeless were therefore likely deficient in important ways as human beings. Since working with Haven for Hope, I have come to see that homeless people, like all other people, defy easy stereotypes. If nothing else, the above video asks us to see the homeless population as comprised of real people who have confronted incredibly difficult life challenges. It illustrates that those without housing are not of one race, sex, personality type, or common story. In these tough times, for example, one could lose a job and soon be out on the street, or living on the street might be far better than continuing to live in an abusive home. Those in the video admit to the world the mistakes they have made, but also suggest the compassion, empowerment, and transition brought in their lives.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)