Why is it so difficult for people to forgive or makeup with others over fairly asinine and petty causes? One of the major reasons, it seems, is a cognitive bias known as the “End of History” bias which has that people, mostly, see their current selves as the epitome of their lives and that theirContinue reading “The Science of Forgiveness”
Tag Archives: Anthropology
Metaphorical Cocaine: The Social Effects of Dopamine’s Zombies
Almost everyone who went to my high school hated it and I have written repeatedly as to my own experiences and why I came to hate it. I have analyzed the cognitive biases and insularity of cliques and ingroup/outgroup biases. Yet, possibly, on the most fundamental level the reason why people were so cruel andContinue reading “Metaphorical Cocaine: The Social Effects of Dopamine’s Zombies”
Tipper Gore Versus Burning Man
I spend my life on the political left and usually find myself on the libertarian side of it. One of the first articles I posted on this website was The Death of the Libertarian Left. There is a huge divide on the left between the libertarians and the not. Those who want Woodstock and TheContinue reading “Tipper Gore Versus Burning Man”
The Science of Credulity
Malcolm Gladwell’s most recent book was Talking to Strangers. Given the content, I disagree with the title. So long as it’s daylight and there is no fear of danger, strangers should be talked to as that makes people more multicultural, worldly, and empathetic to people of diverse backgrounds. Without question, as long as it’s safe,Continue reading “The Science of Credulity”
Will Sex Return?
One of the great less broadcast questions infecting the minds of sociologists is whether the decline in romantic relationships and sexuality is temporary or not. It seems that the decline will never fully reverse and human sexuality will seldom return to late-twentieth century levels. Some of the reasons are more physical than sociological, theContinue reading “Will Sex Return?”
The Universal Boogieman: Autism, Pseudoscience, and Why They Go Together
It has been a while since I last wrote an article pertaining to autism and life on the spectrum. I prefer to not reduce my class of people to their conditions and nothing more. Yet, in a pandemic of increasing conspiracy theories one Aspie experience becomes creepingly obtrusive. That is being the universal boogieman. MostContinue reading “The Universal Boogieman: Autism, Pseudoscience, and Why They Go Together”
The Testament of a Gentrifier
Gentrification is both beautiful and ugly, each in many senses. It brings aesthetic benefits and social liberalism to areas formerly devoid of those things and it often drives the weaker members of our society from their homes and into less humane circumstances. Myself, I am gentrifier, I live in an apartment in the East CentralContinue reading “The Testament of a Gentrifier”
The Encroaching Green Angel: How to Make Super-Blocks and Pedestrian Malls Politically Feasible
The greatest challenge to creating a psychologically and environmentally healthier land for people to live in are NIMBYs and their tendency to oppose density and physically and socially interconnected and interdependent communities. As a political scientist and worker, I count the result of political challenges to be as much on the shortcomings of my ownContinue reading “The Encroaching Green Angel: How to Make Super-Blocks and Pedestrian Malls Politically Feasible”
How the Police Caused the Virus
This summer has seen two major political crises, that of the virus and that of the police (and racism generally). From the surface, it doesn’t look like these have much in common but if one steps aback, they do. One of the great criticisms of the police is that they have become the primary socialContinue reading “How the Police Caused the Virus”
John Smith Hits Rock Bottom: The World of Universal Celebrity
I have a relative disdain for celebrity culture but, in recent years, as celebrities have not only become political but Hollywood has become another branch of government. Selena Gomez is effectively a US senator along with ever other A-list celebrity. While the nature if celebrity has changed in the recent cultural shift, the condition ofContinue reading “John Smith Hits Rock Bottom: The World of Universal Celebrity”
The Autistic Resistance 