Welcome to the South

Welcome to the South ​ During a research trip in the south I encountered a culture I had read and heard about, but had never directly experienced.  As a result I did experience a degree of culture shock.  Throughout the experience I spoke with a few different people about some sensitive issues and had to … Continue reading Welcome to the South

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Joking About Race

Joking About Race Comedians frequently joke about controversial or sensitive issues.  However, is joking about race ever acceptable?  Do people who frequently make racial jokes on some level actually racist?  Does it perpetuate stereotypes and negatively effect social integration in the western world?  I recently encountered a situation that made me re-think many of these … Continue reading Joking About Race

The “Othering” Process

The "Othering" Process It is a natural tendency for humans to 'other' i.e. to believe that the group (race, religion, ethnicity, culture, gender, country, sexual orientation, species etc.) that they are a part of is inherently the ‘right’ way to be human or to exist.  For important evolutionary reasons this tendency is still ubiquitous today.  However, … Continue reading The “Othering” Process

A Historically Contingent Discrimination

A Historically Contingent Discrimination Over the past few decades western society has made great strides to eradicate discriminatory practices and policies directed towards non-heterosexuals.  However, we have to understand why this was even necessary in the first place.  Why did people throughout the western world discriminate against non-heterosexuals?  Is it inherently human to discriminate against … Continue reading A Historically Contingent Discrimination