Positive Sociology

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Review of "My Friend Dahmer" by Derf Backderf

Just finished "My Friend Dahmer," a graphic novel by Derf Backderf. This was a fantastic introduction to the graphic novel genre. I have thumbed through Alan Moore's books in the past, but never really sat down and devoured a graphic novel...til now... Backderf was friends with Dahmer in high school and tells the story of a sad teenager tormented by family dysfunction and a dark fantasy life. His book really makes you feel empathy for Dahmer, who seemed to really just crave love and social connections to others. This was a difficult part for me to reconcile during my reading (particularly since I feel repulsed by Dahmer's crimes and felt happy knowing that he had been murdered by another inmate in prison), but Backderf leaves open the question of how things might have been different if Dahmer had loving friends and a stable family life. Ultimately, we'll never know, but there are parts of Backderf's book that make the case for why understanding

2 Kinds of Students

In my experience, there are two kinds of students. The first kind are eager to learn. They are full of questions and are like sponges, ready to soak up whatever you are willing to share with them. I love working with these students. They make teaching rewarding and fun. And they needn't be the most polished or well-versed. In fact, I find that some of the very best students I've mentored over the years are somewhat green. But, what they lack in polish and preparation, they make up in their earnest attempts to learn. You cannot underestimate this student. They improve dramatically over time and become excellent students because of how teachable they are. The second student is a closed book. They come across like a "know it all." Instead of embracing new perspectives, they retreat to those that are familiar to them and are openly hostile to others who don't share their ideas. As a result, they're often not engaged, talk down to their peers, and h

The Best Thing I Ever Learned from Jiu Jitsu

Starting jiu jitsu at age 30 was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I was at a new job, had gained a lot of weight (from all the great beer and bar food in Philly), and was feeling tired all the time. Luckily, I had an RA who was training jiu jitsu in Philadelphia. He was super pumped about it and was always so alert and energetic (and ripped). I wanted to feel that same way and decided to go with him one day to the dojo. That was 6.5 years ago. The rest is history. Since then, I've been training 5-7 times per week for 1-3 hours at a time. My daily writing routines are often broken up by an afternoon training session. I carry a gi with me whenever I travel and have trained in places far and wide like the Azores and Prague. And many of my best friends as an adult have come through the global jiu jitsu community; by and large, jiu jitsu people are some of the most humble and chill folks on the planet. But, above all else, the most important thing jiu j

Mookie Wilson's Wise Words to Live By

Are you in a slump? Have you ever been in one and found it difficult to shake? If so, let me pass along this little gem. I found it today on Twitter. It comes from Mookie Wilson, former Left Fielder for the New York Mets (and Toronto Blue Jays!). Mookie was perhaps best known for his switch-hitting and for hitting the go-ahead game winning RBI in game 6 of the 1986 World Series (aka the hit that turned Bill Buckner into the most hated man in a Red Sox uniform). The Count also believes in Mookie! But, apart from being a stellar baseball player, Mookie is also apparently a wise sage: "When I'm in a slump, I comfort myself by saying if I believe in dinosaurs, then somewhere, they must be believing in me. And if they believe in me, then I can believe in me. Then I bust out." Self belief is a critical part of all successful pursuits and sometimes it's easy to lose faith during a slump. Maybe you're struggling with a revision of a paper, or you have a lot

Book Review: Ghettoside by Jill Leovy

Just finished reading "Ghettoside" by Jill Leovy, a longtime homicide reporter for the LA Times. Ghettoside tells the story of a young Black man gunned down by gang members in South Central LA. Statistically speaking, this happens all the time and nobody (save for the victim's families and community members) bats an eye. But, this time, the homicide victim is the son of a high-ranking police officer who lives in the 77th district, an area south of the 10 freeway that is divi ded up amongst warring Crip sets. Leovy does a great job of zooming into the years long investigation into this murder; she shows that homicide investigations are really stalled because police do not have the resources to really do their due diligence. In fact she argues that the justice system fails Black families in two ways. One is familiar: Black Americans are subject to a widening dragnet of police surveillance. The other is less familiar, but rings true: "Black Americans suffer fro

Debbie Downer Reviewers

What if academia was built on a culture of collaboration? What if we tried to give each other truly constructive feedback? What if we met people on their own terms and didn't try to impose our vision onto their work? What if we started each review by highlighting what we liked about a piece? Don't be a Debbie Downer reviewer! Maybe it's just me, but these days it feels as if academic culture (and academic reviewing more specifically) has become overly negative. It's as if we're all channeling our inner-Debbie Downers whenever papers come across our desks. But, does it have to be this way? A couple years ago, my colleague--Erik Schneiderhan--wrote a great piece about the meanness of academic reviewing. He makes some great points and argues that we could all stand to be a bit more gracious in our comments to authors. He writes, "Try to build people up rather than knocking them down. It might make you feel good, and it will show the recipient that