Knowledge is under attack, and “fieldwork” isn’t the problem

We in universities have to keep our eyes on the prize: Discovering and disseminating new knowledge, training and educating people to save the world before it's literally too late. To get this done, we are going to have to walk and chew gum. But not just any random gum.

The rise of Jewish boys’ names in the US

A growing (tiny) proportion of US kids are speaking Yiddish at home, too.

The Death of Truth rings true

You may as well read Michiko Kakutani's book in one sitting.

‘Start a family’ started to mean ‘have children’ more recently than you think

Did this ubiquitous phrase introduce a new battleground in the gender revolution?

When is the target a community?

Discrimination against people for their sexual identity, gender identity, or sexual orientation is a problem even if they're not part of that community.

Does doing difference deny dominance? (vocal fry, sports sex testing, and resting bitch face edition)

But why can't women embrace gender difference in things like speech patterns, and wield them in the service of equality?

9 uses of “the ways in which” that should be replaced by “how”

Searching through sociology for the ways in which is literally like shooting ducks in a barrel (easy). For this post I made sure to include some giants in the field, and major journals, to underscore the ways in which this problem is not limited to the over-wrought fringe. The "how" rule is not universally applicable. In some cases "the…

How (and how much) academics talk about inequality, in one chart

Reader advisory: When I say "in one chart," I never really mean it. Updated with new chart at the end. Because someone asked, here is the article count from Web of Science (an academic journal database with emphasis on science), showing the frequency of articles (of all types) according to the inequality-related phrases in their…

Open thread on the way some people, right, sort of really talk these days

Is "really sort of right" approaching its peak?

Academic puffery watch: ‘Utilizing’ edition

Maybe this is just a reversal of progress toward pretending we are above excessive puffery. Which I think is a shame.