Several bloggers are commenting on this article in the Times fashion series, and today is the obvious day to talk about it. The piece discusses sociologist Adie Nelson’s study, The Pink Dragon Is Female: Halloween Costumes and Gender Markers (read the abstract). Nelson finds in a content analysis of nearly 500 children’s costumes, that they [...]
Ok, so this isn’t really that sociological, even by this blog’s standards. I’d probably have to look at time-use surveys on DST weekends, analyzing them across categories of race, class, gender, and sexuality. That seems like a longshot, so I’ll stick with my one observation of the weekend. Every Hour is a Totally Free, Unaccounted [...]
Blac(k)ademic and Mireille reported this a while back, but I only just heard of it myself. Seems that Queen Latifa is starring in and producing an upcoming movie (2007) called.. I can’t even say it. Welfare Queen. Ugh. not sociology 1
It’s election time! Let the slander begin. NPR ran a segment about this controversial ad against Tennessee Rep. Harold Ford, complete with an interview by the chair of the Republican National Committee. The ad was pulled, justifiably so, due to accusations of racism. I mean, is this the same party that recently insisted Martin Luther [...]
(Best of Pearls Before Swine by Stephen Pastis, click on Rat to read) These days I don’t really blog instantly when I think of an idea. Instead I save up for when I have the time. I had been planning to address this issue of “Long Post, Short Post” by Carly Confused , you know, [...]
I made the mistake of watching the Today Show this week, and was reminded why I don’t watch TV. I watched, because they were running a segment on the high cost of student loans*. But rather than digging deep into the loan industry itself, they emphasized that parents should do a better job of saving [...]
Here’s a companion post to Gimmyabreakopoly. I’ve been meaning to write about the selling out of Chicago’s public transit system for a while now. And today, I remembered why: I looked up at the Red Line on my way home just in time to witness the newest manifestation of The Product Which Shall Not Be [...]
I don’t know why the U.S. Army ever decided to lose it’s 20 year slogan of “Be All You Can Be.” But a few years back they did, in trade for the ultra confusing “Army of One.” Today, however, NPRs Marketplace reported that after a brief stint, the motto has retired. The Army rested partial [...]
The most popular emailed link at the New York Times online this week is this article, about the social structure of elephants. Here is what I learned today: First, elephants live to be 70 years old. Second, they bury their dead and then visit the grave site for years after the death. Third, they are [...]
I can’t wait to visit the smell tour of Chicago! The Chicago History Museum has a new Sensing Chicago children’s exhibition. Here’s a description from one of their fliers: Sensing ChicagoDid you know that history is beautiful, noisy, rough, stinky, and delicious? Sensing Chicago, the new children’s exhibition, encourages children to use their five senses [...]
