Published in Age of Awareness·PinnedMember-onlyUnderstanding Instagram’s Effect on Teen Girls and What Parents Can Do About ItThe Wall Street Journal is publishing a series of articles critical of Facebook entitled “The Facebook Files.” In its eighth installment at the time of this writing, the series is based on internal documents from the company, including “research reports, online employee discussions and drafts of presentations to senior management.”Facebook6 min readFacebook6 min read
PinnedMember-onlyThe Big Smush: Why Everything Is So PoliticalI can remember those first few years, always looking for blazers. I was a newly minted Ph.D., and I wanted to look professorial. I was a member of a category of people called “professors” or “academics.” I wasn’t trying to fake it. I was a legitimate member of this category…Politics11 min readPolitics11 min read
Published in Age of Awareness·PinnedMember-onlyConfessions of a Former Colorblind RacistWe see a lot of talk about critical race theory in our educational system these days. These conversations have been brewing for some time. Many online personalities such as Christopher Rufo and James Lindsay have done an excellent job building up a groundswell of concern. These concerns have recently spilled…Critical Race Theory8 min readCritical Race Theory8 min read
Published in The Startup·PinnedMember-onlyThinking About Data-Driven Policing in an Era of Social JusticeIntroduction — Over the past several years, police in the United States have come under increased scrutiny. The Black Lives Matter movement and those sympathetic to its cause have charged police with bias against black and brown people. Community leaders, scholars, and activists assert that American policing practices overpolice black and brown…Racism8 min readRacism8 min read
PinnedMember-onlyThe Problem of Privilege Discrimination and The Solution of “Evidence Based Discrimination”I am a professor at a university in the American South. I am in my sixth year there. In that time, I have served on numerous hiring committees. For readers outside of academia, hiring a new faculty member is an extensive vetting process that can take several months. You are…Social Justice14 min readSocial Justice14 min read
4 days agoMember-onlyNo Country for Young MenIn my last piece, I critiqued our national narrative about “young men behaving badly.” These are the young men who make headlines for mass murders. Later, when the dust settles, we find that these men are struggling with social isolation and rejection by women. Internet sleuths almost inevitably find that…Manosphere6 min readManosphere6 min read
Dec 21, 2022Member-onlyWorking Hard Means You Move Hard — Not Move UpI woke up this morning with thoughts about whether I should buy more Christmas gifts. I never feel I bought enough for my loved ones. As I made my breakfast, thoughts of whether I should clean my home before or after my trip to South Carolina rattled around my head…Income Inequality6 min readIncome Inequality6 min read
Dec 18, 2022Member-onlyWhere Boxers Come From: A Sociological ExplanationThe first person recognized as the World Heavyweight Champion of Boxing was John L. Sullivan. According to Wikipedia, he was “a cultural icon of the late 19th century America, arguably the first boxing superstar and one of the world’s highest-paid athletes of his era.” Sullivan was the son of Irish…Boxing7 min readBoxing7 min read
Nov 18, 2022Member-onlyIs It Time For “Conservative Studies”?A common political narrative is that college campuses are hostile to conservative students and ideas. Consider the website Professor Watchlist. On that website, you can search a database of professors labeled radical. Consider the entry for Dr. Anna Kirkland, a professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of…Education Reform11 min readEducation Reform11 min read
Feb 15, 2022Member-onlyAmir Locke deserved the dignity of a knockAnother week, another state crime. Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black man, was killed by police in a Minneapolis apartment building. Shortly before 7 in the morning, a SWAT team approached the apartment door where Locke was staying. According to Interim Minneapolis Police Chief Amelia Huffman, it was assisting the city’s…Amir Locke5 min readAmir Locke5 min read
