Author: TheConversation

By Dudley Poston, Professor of Sociology, Texas A&M University For years, the official motto of the District of Columbia has been “Taxation without representation.” The residents of Washington, D.C. do not have representation in the U.S. House or in the Senate. People who live in the district, on average, pay higher federal and local taxes, but they have no say about how their tax dollars are spent, and no vote on issues such as health care, Social Security and foreign policy. As a sociologist researching demographic and political behavior, I do not think that this is fair. On May...

By Stephen Groening, Assistant Professor of Cinema and Media Studies, University of Washington Seventy years ago, Eric Blair, writing under a pseudonym George Orwell, published “1984,” now generally considered a classic of dystopian fiction. The novel tells the story of Winston Smith, a hapless middle-aged bureaucrat who lives in Oceania, where he is governed by constant surveillance. Even though there are no laws, there is a police force, the “Thought Police,” and the constant reminders, on posters, that “Big Brother Is Watching You.” Smith works at the Ministry of Truth, and his job is to rewrite the reports in...

By Laurie Marhoefer, Assistant Professor of History, University of Washington This month, hundreds of thousands of people around the world will join gay pride marches in cities big and small. In many cities, pride marches are controversial. In some – like Moscow – they are even banned. But for many people in North America, parts of Europe, Latin America and elsewhere, attending the local pride march has become an unremarkable ritual of summer. There are still good reasons to march. Few countries around the world have robust protections for gay and transgender rights. And pride marches, the LGBTQ political...

By Tristan Bridges and Mignon R. Moore • Assistant Professor, Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara • Professor and Chair of Sociology, Barnard College Since 1972, social scientists have studied the General Social Survey to chart the complexities of social change in the United States. The survey, which is conducted every couple years, asks respondents their attitudes on topics ranging from race relations to drug use. In 2008, the survey started including a question on sexual identity. As sociologists who study sexuality, we’ve noticed how more and more women are reporting that they’re bisexual. But in the most recent...

By Jelena Kecmanovic, Adjunct Professor of Psychology, Georgetown University More than one-third of American adults view social media as harmful to their mental health, according to a new survey from the American Psychiatric Association. Just 5% view social media as being positive for their mental health, the survey found. Another 45% say it has both positive and negative effects. Two-thirds of the survey’s respondents believe that social media usage is related to social isolation and loneliness. There is a strong body of research linking social media use with depression. Other studies have linked it to envy, lower self-esteem and...

By Drew Gronewold and Richard B. Rood • Associate Professor of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan • Professor of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan The North American Great Lakes contain about one-fifth of the world’s surface fresh water. In May, new high water level records were set on Lakes Erie and Superior, and there has been widespread flooding across Lake Ontario for the second time in three years. These events coincide with persistent precipitation and severe flooding across much of central North America. As recently as 2013, water levels on most of the Great...