ABOUT | ERICSOC

Time 2020-11-13 06:03:00

Web Name: ABOUT | ERICSOC

WebSite: http://pinxit.com

ID:114276

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ABOUT,ERICSOC,

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Brief BiographyWelcome to my small niche in the muddy whirlpool of humanity. I have this site because, besides teaching in the classroom, I don't know how better to store my thoughts. And those be many. But most of all, I think, like so many of us, and see, and hear, and read pretty much all things pointing to a very dark place. To teach and to write is my way of feeling less disempowered from it all. It isn't enough to share a meme on Facebook, or to sign one of the hundreds of petitions running around the ethernet. Something a little more committed is needed for me to feel more on top of the game. I tell my sociology students that the class is mostly bad news. Strangely most stick around anyway. It really doesn't matter what the topic is. The sociology of race, an introductory class, social problems, it is all the same. It is all so interconnected and intertwined that whatever specific issue, problem or topic you focus on, the others all come running out of the woodwork.The objective of my classes really is two fold: first to make the students aware of the forces out to control and exploit them, and second, to empower them with the knowledge that they have more power than they think. Another reason for this site with blog and various resources, such as articles and videos and links to other sites, is that it is fun. Imagine that. Discovery is fun. Even many of those horrors created by humans and society (civilization?) are still interesting. We are now, with the immensity of media and social media, overwhelmed with data. That is, the "what." Needed more than ever is the "why." Take for instance, the number 42. It is data. But what does it represent? If you recall from a very popular book and film from several decades ago, it is "the answer to life, the universe, and everything." If you didn't know that, you do now. Look it up. Why is the the answer to life, the universe, and everything 42? That is never answered, and that is the point. We are data driven, but we are also, and more and more, encouraged to merely accept that data, and to ignore the "why." My job is not to tell you or the student "why." My mission, as it were, is to help others find that "why" themselves. I think it is time. Time to, once again, get mad as hell. It is time for people to take on some responsibility, and to utilize what little is left of a representative democracy. You, and I, must choose, on a daily basis: ESPN after work, or the school board meeting; modify your consumption with political awareness; buy things and stay home, or have a conversation with your neighbors; suck it up at work, or work with your union; let other's hit the street to protest the latest war, or make a sign, put it on a stick, and go marching. Regardless, whatever you don't do, others will do for you, and too often, not in your best interests. Too many elections are won by people not voting than voting. Simply look at polling numbers on important issues, and then look at the total disconnect with how your representatives vote. It isn't hard. The data is out there. The sermon is over - for now, anyway. Poke around this rather maze like, unsophisticated site, and contact me. I actually, upon occasion, listen as well as talk. On a parting note: Is ego a part of this? Yep. Undeniably. Hey, you know. Now go put a picture of your cat on Facebook. Or don't.12032016

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