Orange Juice. A Sociologist Approaches a Concrete Case of Murder
Friday, March 28th, 2008 Posted in Concrete incident or process, Anti-Experiment, Family Forms, Murder | No Comments »Like most cases of crime and deviance the OJ murder case appears on its face to be irrational. The shocking element: what seems to be a sane and ordinary person is acting against common sense. Why would a mature, ...
On the Edge of a High Place.
Thursday, March 27th, 2008 Posted in Cadre, Alternate Worlds, Prostitution, Concrete incident or process, Anti-Experiment | No Comments »In the movie "A Man for All Seasons" an historical event is transformed into a dramatic narrative. Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) engages in a political disagreement with King Henry VIII of England (1491-1547) over divorce and ...
Anti-Experiment
Saturday, March 22nd, 2008 Posted in Anti-Experiment | No Comments »Governor Spitzer's ordeal in what might have been a politically motivated rush to judgment is, within in the news cycle, simply another story albeit of star quality. Starkly riveting. Large numbers attended it as, like ...
The Governor and the Whore. An Observation
Thursday, March 20th, 2008 Posted in Prostitution, Politics, Concrete incident or process | No Comments »This story, so riveting in the moment, flashed through the public consciousness like a transient case of dysentery. Correct medical treatment and it goes away. The governor resigned. Stop press. Story over. His attacks on Wall Street firms and ...
Speculation on Fundamentalism
Wednesday, March 12th, 2008 Posted in Religion | No Comments »The famous W.C. Fields tombstone message "On the whole I'd rather be in Philadelphia" was based on the blue laws (preventing commercial activity on Sunday) that seemed to close down a large city to the quiet of a small village, ...
Notes on the Sociology of Religion
Friday, March 7th, 2008 Posted in Religion | No Comments »A bright moment, religious scholars welcoming Derrida into their midst ^^^^^ We attend mystery when it appears, sometimes as threat or danger, sometimes as pleasure, sometimes as a promise of a long Methuselah-like life. ^^^^^ In earlier civilizations religion was anchored within specific tribal ...
Toward Describing the Competent Society
Saturday, March 1st, 2008 Posted in Competence | No Comments »Competence. An emphasis on the assured skill and ability to perform a particular action or to engage in a particular craft or profession. Incompetence is the lack of skill to get the job done. But competence is ...