Positive Sociology

The Weeknd is killing the game right now.  His new album, Starboy , debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 a couple weeks ago.  Since then, he's been on a tear, touring, performing, and promoting the hell out of Starboy , which is bound to go platinum. "Sidewalks" (featuring Kendrick Lamar) might be the dopest track on the album. The Weeknd and Kdot recently performed this song live in LA.  It was a crazy dope performance!   Check it out here ... Anyways, I love different parts of this song, but especially when The Weeknd sings, "Every time you see me pulling up in Aventadors/ Just know we been grinding on them sidewalks." The Weeknd has been busy hustling in 2016! Of course, there's a danger in reifying the "rags to riches" story (particularly since it creates the myth of individual success and glosses structural constraints that limit people's options in life), but putting these things aside for a moment, what can we learn from a song

These days, I often feel bombarded by bad news.  Not a day goes by without me reading about war, climate change, economic decline, political instability, gang violence, a cheeto-faced demagogue, racism, police corruption etc, etc. etc... It seems that 99% of the news on my Twitter and Facebook feed is negative . News media constantly reminds of the human capacity for violence and evil. My Monday afternoon hero But, every once in awhile, they reverse course and shine a light on our immense capacity for love and empathy. Here is a story about a courageous little girl that brightened my afternoon.  I hope it does the same for you: Jillian Massey , a 4-year old cancer survivor at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, was diagnosed with brain cancer in April and spent 6 months in hospital undergoing treatment and care.  She was recently released to go home for the holidays and asked her parents to create a "wish list" for other kids who couldn't go home for the ho

Jim Carrey was one of my favorite comedians as a kid. I used to love him on In Living Color.  I still crack up whenever I see his old Fire Marshall Bill skits! Carrey delivers a rousing commencement address! But, in addition to making us laugh, Jim Carrey is also a wise soul. If you have a few minutes today, watch this segment from Jim Carrey's 2014 commencement speech at Maharishi University  (the clip is also embedded below).  It's loaded with gems. In this segment, Carrey talks about fear--and how we often let fear dictate our lives. He says, "So many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality..."  This is a powerful idea.  It reminds me of different times when I chose comfort and familiarity over challenges.  One thing I've started to see is that great things can come from accepting challenges and stepping out of one's comfort zone.  These are moments that test your mettle and force you to grow. Jim Carrey is a comedian and l

When was the last time somebody complimented you?  How did it make you feel? Jiu jitsu is a collaborative martial art: Pay each other compliments! I've been thinking about compliments lately...and how we academics are often socialized to look for flaws in another person's work. This critical mentality is drilled into you as a novice graduate student and is on full display in just about every first year seminar. You establish yourself as a critic. I see the benefits of critical thinking--particularly since it's how scientific advancements work-- but there are times when I think that academia could be a little nicer and more collaborative.  Are there shortcomings and problems in this article or book? Of course. Are there also lots of positive things?  Of course.  It's interesting that we put such stock on the former and ignore the latter. That "brown rock" looks sorta like something else. I did some reading today and there's actually a ton of

Elmore Leonard is a godfather of hardboiled crime fiction.  He wrote dozens of books, many of which were turned into movies and TV Shows (Get Shorty, Be Cool, Killshot). But, in addition to his beloved stories of the seedy underworld, Leonard was also acclaimed for his lean and readable prose.  In fact, one of Leonard's protips for writers is: "If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it."   Leonard's work translates to the silver screen I've been reading a lot of Leonard and believe that there are many things that we (academic writers) can learn from the old maestro. In addition to avoiding adverbs and detailed descriptions of people, Leonard says that good writing should have a good rhythm.  In this interview (around 3:43), Leonard compares writing to music-making. It should sound good. On a similar note, I encourage my students to read their writing out loud.  I've been doing this for a couple years and find that it helps me revise my work.  At the mos

If you have 3 minutes and 41 seconds, stop what you're doing and watch this Bboy battle  (also embedded below).  You won't be disappointed!  I watch a ton of dance videos and this one really stands out. The battle features two of the world's most respected Bboys--Bboy Neguin (in the shorts) and Junior (in the sweats).  I'm a huge fan of Neguin, who is Brazilian and has a background in capoeira.  He's freakishly athletic, has crazy combos, and dances with INTENSITY.  There are moments where I almost expect him to explode into flames, like a Super Saiyan. Junior looks like he's discovered a glitch... But, Junior really steals the show here.  He dances like someone who's discovered a glitch in the Matrix.  He has incredible upper body strength and has crazy control over his legs; there are moments where it looks like his legs are connected to invisible wires controlled by a puppeteer. After the battle, I did some reading about Junior.  I learned that

People often say that "time is money."  But, that's not necessarily true. Time is actually more valuable than money.  It's the one resource that we can never replenish.  It's finite, disappearing, and something that we often take for granted. This is what inspired me to go out and buy Laura Vanderkam's nifty little book, "What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast."  The title is catchy and the book is about different lifehacks that you can use to become happier and more productive. Consider me intrigued... There are lots of little gems in this slim (but meaningful) book, the biggest of which is that we often have WAY more time than we think we do.  This was a revelation.  As an academic, I often feel as if I don't have enough time to do all the things that need to get done.  There are days when I wake up, click open my cell phone and start scrolling through 10-20 unread emails from students and colleagues.  I then sit down and

The Pomodoro Method  is a great way to boost your writing productivity.   At the very least, it helps you establish a daily writing routine (25 minutes on, 5 minutes off).  On its own, that is a HUGE victory. But, in addition to the Pomodoro Method, you can supercharge your productivity with what I like to call the "Gattaca Method."  The Gattaca Method is based around a simple idea: Write continuously until you fail!  Write non-stop until you stop making sense and your writing falls apart. So, you must be wondering: Why is this the Gattaca Method? Vincent never held back and defied the odds. Well, remember Gattaca the movie?  It's a late 90s sci-fi movie about genetic selection and eugenics. The story follows two brothers--one (Anton) conceived from DNA selection, the other (Vincent, played by Ethan Hawke) conceived outside of this program.  Gattaca is sort of like a sci-fi nerd version of Rudy ; it's an underdog story about the human will to succeed against