The Global Sociology Blog

So, while I am debunking a bunch of commonly accepted, yet false ideas, let’s look at the impact of immigration on wages, thanks to the Economic Policy Institute:

As Anna Turner explains,

Immigration helps boost relative wages of U.S.-born workers at all levels of education via kwout

This is interesting (and cited everywhere already):

Economist’s View: Inequality and “Guard Labor” via kwout

I would argue that in the context of the surveillance society, this notion needs to be broadened beyond protecting private wealth to other forms of power preservation.

And nice debunking of the functionalist view of inequalities. Actually, the idea of imposing discipline is a nice illustration of the role of the neo-liberal state provided by Wacquant in Punishing The Poor.

Also, the idea that inequalities are actually detrimental to society as a whole, including the wealthiest segments is thoroughly explained in The Spirit Level.

Furthermore:

Economist’s View: Inequality and “Guard Labor” via kwout

Take a look at this neat graph from Baseline Scenario:

Conclusion: it’s a lot more complicated than “tax cuts = growth” (I know, it is going to be obvious to a lot of people but this view still dominates socially acceptable economic discourse, so, it’s nice to see some clear debunking).

The post also has another graph that demonstrates that there is no correlation between tax rate and unemployment rate among OECD countries.

One can also refer to Lane Kenworthy’s Egalitarian Capitalism for more on that subject.

Anyone teaching sociology must watch this series on CBS and make students watch as well:

It’s all there: the organizational, gender and class disconnect between the company’s layers. How the gender of workers is assumed when rules are made up (male is default). How treating workers like human beings improves morale and productivity more than dumb clock rules as well the embedding of labor into other parts of the social structure.

At the same time, the usual frustration is present: it’s as if changes can only come from individuals and keeps the system untouched. Yes, this company might operate better, but ultimately, it is to the benefit of the company (as well as SOME individuals), but the system is not questioned.

Factoid 1: a long time ago, my sister and I (both French) commented on how shopping in American stores can be annoying because the sales people are obsequiously all over you. Thank goodness for online shopping.

Factoid 2: I am currently reading Rachel Sherman’s Class Acts and a very interesting section of the book deals with the way luxury hotel workers negotiate their required subservience to the guests in ways that preserve their selves, reconstructed as skillful, expert, etc.

Factoid 3: what a difference culture makes when it comes to negotiating the subservience inherent to a service economy:

BBC News – In Paris, the customer is not always right via kwout

But isn’t it just Parisian and French rudeness? Not so…

BBC News – In Paris, the customer is not always right via kwout

The culture of equality in France is stronger than it is in individualistic United States. Interestingly, the strategies hotel workers use in Class Acts, tend to individualize them rather than rely on equality or class solidarity. In France, equalizing strategies prevail.

This, of course, reminded me of course, of Brooke Harrington’s post on German capitalism and the non-universal nature of American capitalism (Hello, Neil Fliegstein). I already blogged about it but here is a refresher:

Economic Sociology » The Social Underpinnings of Money and Markets via kwout

This is matter of cultural embeddedness. As Jeff Hass puts it,

“We are constrained by categories through which we interpret the world, assumptions about how the social world normally operates, and knowledge of social action. This is ‘cultural embeddedness’: categories, assumptions, and rituals from contexts of our social lives shape our decisions and actions. This may seem commonsense, but economic theory ignores culture. Economists tend to believe that the rest of the world thinks as they do and that only hard economic rationality is important. But culture is a powerful force in economic behavior and organization.” (Economic Sociology – An Introduction, 14)

Darn it, how did I miss this smart and clever animated film?

I wish the ending had been different but I completely agree with Roger Ebert’s review:

9 :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews via kwout

The visuals are indeed stunning but they do not substitute for the story. And I am a sucker for post-apocalyptic stories and this one is way better than Terminator. It feels like what would have happened to the society of Brazil (the movie) if the machines had decided to exterminate the humans. This supposed futuristic society, as in Brazil, has a Baudrillardian nostalgic feel to it, with a very 1940s look, complete with a Hitler-like dictator and a Nazi aesthetic (I would argue that Brazil is a futuristic extension of Nazism).

As noted in the post,

Who Uses the Most Energy per Capita? – GOOD Blog – GOOD via kwout

A good representation of global stratification indeed.

What a horrible story:

Turkish girl, 16, buried alive for talking to boys | World news | guardian.co.uk via kwout

And lest one thinks this is a sad but unusual case:

Turkish girl, 16, buried alive for talking to boys | World news | guardian.co.uk via kwout

I wish Virgil Hawkins would post more often because he always has some great visuals to share on conflict coverage. Take this, for instance:

The Australian newspaper and conflict « via kwout

If you’re not too detail-oriented, it looks like each of these conflicts is receiving the same amount of media attention in Australia. But if you do pay attention to details, then, a very different picture emerges:

The Australian newspaper and conflict « via kwout

The Israeli Palestinian conflict is a perfect example of a chosen conflict whereas the DRC is still relegated to the status of stealth conflict.

Dear online students,

when something does not seem to work for you, just assume you are the ones screwing up, it will save us all a lot of time.

Specifically, you will spare us all lengthy – and ultimately pointless – email exchanges regarding,

• the correspondence between exams and specific textbook chapters (they DO match)
• Blackboard’s performance
• My competence as instructor and course designer

Instead, please consider (before emailing me messages containing multiple “!!!” or “ASAP” (referring to something I should do))

• You did not read the instructions as I told you to do
• You bought the wrong textbook (regardless of the fact that you were given detailed references)
• You’re not Internet-savvy enough to know not to use IE
• Taking an online class requires more autonomy than your helicopter parents have given you, now is the time to learn.
• It might be an interesting experience for you to try to save a problem with logic rather than expecting me to serve as IT support.

Net generation, my sociological a$$.

Love,

SocProf

A while back, I read this regarding the rise of Brazil as emerging power in a multipolar world:

South America’s Gentle Giant: Brazil Flexes Muscles over Honduras Crisis – SPIEGEL ONLINE – News – International via kwout

So, it was especially interesting to read this in Immanuel Wallerstein column:

The United States Misreads Brazil’s World Policy | Immanuel Wallerstein via kwout

Wallerstein’s point, which he has been making for years now, is that the rise of multipolar regime of global governance comes at the expenses of US hegemony, no matter how big a military budget the US can muster… actually that ginourmous military budget is an indicator of decline more than anything else. The state of constant panic that neoconservatives insist on inflicting upon the US is also a part of this realization.

There are a lot of really great sociologists on Twitter, on a great variety of topics. Thanks to the WeFollow feature, they are now easy to find. Click on the link for the entire list, and yes, even dead sociologists are on Twitter:

Sociology Twitter Users : WeFollow via kwout

This huge infographic highlights two interesting (and pretty constantly ignored, in my opinion, or only paid lip service to):

The digital divide (a good example of paid lip service to but quickly forgotten in the constant talk of social networking and democratization):

State of the Internet Explained In One Giant Infographic [PIC] via kwout

And one more data point on the F— You Conception of Control that prevails in the US:

State of the Internet Explained In One Giant Infographic [PIC] via kwout

Click on the link for a larger view:

Quality of Life Index 2010 via kwout

These damn French with their universal health care , free education, attention to culture and quality of life, long vacations…

Looks like it to me…

Shafting Your Customer As a Reputational Strategy — Crooked Timber via kwout