Archive for January, 2011
Survival of the Nice Guys
As a sociologist I often get heartburn listening to others talk about evolution. As every sociology student knows, from the time Herbert Spencer first coined his “survival of the fittest,” Darwin’s thoughts have been used, misused, and exploited in service of the status quo. You beat somebody down? You dominate another in business? You accumulate obscene wealth? You create a thousand losers for every winner? That’s the natural order of things. Like Darwin NEVER said, survival of the fittest. But times they are a changin. From over due behavioral corrections, fresh air research onthe stupidity of competition (ya I said it), to this provocative article that suggests that having “big winners” is bad for our general survivability, we scientists are starting to reclaim our truths from the social classes that have exploited it. Yay team!
Calling a rose a rose
What makes us put up with violence? Why, when we see abuse around us do we pretend it’s not abuse. This is a question that as a sociologist and parent of two school age children I find myself asking a lot. Why don’t we see the violence that our kids are subjected to on a daily basis? Why do we normalize, minimize, and ignore abuse? What’s even more of a concern, why can we see it for what it is in some situations, but be totally oblivious in another. Inquiring minds, research scientists, and concerned parents want to know.
The Game of Survival – Inequality Equations and Miss-Calculations
Iisms and Schisms and postmodern standpoints. We live in spineless world were we all “go along” just to get along and where “playing the game” (i.e. complying with social conventions, avoiding confrontation, and letting the status quo exist unchallenged) is seen as a sign of virtue rather than a character weakness. We bend over for The System, but is the plum we get for being the good boy or girl really worth it. In a world characterized by the destructive excesses of our consumer capitalist society, perhaps its time to re-evaluate our perspectives and begin living according to principles, values, and core Truths once again.
Why it is Impossible to be “A Good Person”
Morality – Has it ever occurred to you how difficult it is to be a good person? In fact it seems that even the best people amongst us, cannot be good all the time – how many times have we not heard of priests, ministers, politicians or soccer moms, whom everyone around them, saw as [...]
Mall Culture and Identity in Malaysia
Shopping mall culture in Malaysia is ever growing, so much that one could hypothesise about the emergence of a subculture centered on the shopping mall. More and more mega mall projects are coming up as bigger portions of the population is urbanised. In this new urban jungle, identity and meaning can be purchased, for a price. Nothing new here. We’ve been doing this on North American soil ever since the collapse of the counter-culture, the rise to dominance of corporate individualism, and the explosion of depression, neurosis, and psychological dysfunction. The question must be asked, can you really purchase and wear your identity?
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