Mark Twain On Propaganda While he does not use the word outright, his description is a dead-on description of our discussion, the application of propaganda to Goffman’s impression management in the frame analysis of small groups. Indeed, it’s still a “duck,” as they say. “In religion and politics, people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at… Read More
Reflections on Transgender Inequality in Schilt’s Just One of the Guys? Part 2 In the remaining chapters of Just One Of The Guys?, Kristen Schilt offers her conclusions as she discusses the effects and reception of open transgendered men in the workplace in addition to her concluding chapter. I will stop here, for a moment, and relate an incomplete anecdote when I was living in Austin, TX working… Read More
Propaganda as Musical Pop Culture Part 1 These songs scream propaganda to me and I have been fascinated by them for many years. I am sure there are others. If you encounter others, please send them my way. My friend, Ian Sklar, gave me something to ponder when he wrote, “Made me wonder whether the songs were meant to influence the listener… Read More
Habermas’ Grand Theory? While social theorists attempt to incorporate all aspects of a given society to generate a grand theory that functions for all people all of the time, invariably, because the theory in question is so grand, there are elements that are excluded, misplaced or forgotten. Jurgen Haberamas is no exception. I will argue that, while his… Read More
Reflections on Transgender Inequality in Schilt’s Just One of the Guys? Part 1 While Kristen Schilt offers a broad overview of the experiences of transgenders, and it is impossible to represent all experiences of equality or inequality, this is a fascinating work. I do agree that in some rare instances that she cites there is an increase in equality in certain professions (Schilt 2010: 2), but we are… Read More
In The Company Of Men Analysis Neil LaBute’s In The Company of Men is described as black comedy. In some twisted universe, perhaps this is a comedy of a sort, but I see something else, perhaps several things. This is an exploration of masculinity, yes, but it is also an exploration of stereotypical locker-room, hate-filled testosterone-filled masculinity, one that describes men… Read More
The Debates I Would Like To See If only Mack Sennett were alive today to moderate and fact check. Oh, joy!… Read More
Reflections on Declining Homophobia in Mayeda’s Declining Homophobia Among Male Athletes and McCormack’s The Declining Significance of Homophobia While McCormack’s main premise is that there is a decline in homophobia, I would clarify that it has only declined in specific areas due to their nature, be they be large cities with a strong progressive element such as San Francisco or New York or specific schools that he analysed first hand. However, and unfortunately,… Read More
Reflections on Readings In Inequality from Manza and Sauder’s Inequality and Society and McCormack’s The Declining Significance of Homophobia While segregation has been mostly and forcibly eradicated in education, categories of segregation (or queues) have not been eliminated in the work place (Manza, et al: 415). Primarily in the control of the employers’ and their representatives, they stereotypically categorize women and minorities in various rankings of lesser importance, visualizing the segregation and prejudice as… Read More
Ma Vie En Rose Analysis Ma Vie En Rose, directed by Alain Berliner, is a Belgium film produced in France. While this film is obviously in French, the surrounding set design embodies an “American” look and feel for most of the film. The characters also appear to be atypically “American” in their extreme negative reactions to Ludovic’s realization that he… Read More