Allan Johnson, Privilege, Power, and Race. Privilege, Power, and Race. One of my favorite sociologists, Allan Johnson, died recently. I've been meaning to pay homage to him and one of his key books. His thoughts on privilege, power and race reflect notions I've expressed here and elsewhere. The following is an excerpt from Johnson's book Privilege, Power, and Difference, 2nd edition, which deserves being quoted in it's entirety. "Individuals and systems are connected to each … [Read more...]
Celebs & CEOs are likely to beat the rap in college fraud.
As someone who got into Yale the hard, old-fashioned way, the fact that celebs & CEOs are likely to beat the rap for bribing colleges outrages me. I've blogged about bias and discrimination in favor celebs and other elites before. Most recently, here and here. The defendants are a "catalogue of wealth and privilege,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said during his press conference announcing charges.Most importantly, he also said, "There can be no separate college-admissions system … [Read more...]
Criminal injustice? R. Kelly & Other Celebrities in Court.
Among the big news stories this week, one's got crim injustice" written all over it in my humble opinion. Criminal Injustice R&B singer R. Kelly turned himself in to the Chicago police last night after being indicted. He did so to answer charges of 10 counts of aggravated criminal sex abuse against four victims, three of them minors. Criminal sex abuse is the term for the what's also been called statutory rape. Robert S. Kelly, a native of Chicago, is a singer, songwriter, record … [Read more...]
Honoring Martin Luther King, Painting, and Writing.
In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his holiday in the U.S., I've added paintings I did of '60s & '70s American heroes to my gallery. Most all of these heroes were assertive, yet nonviolent, agents for change and justice. The possible exception is Dag Hammarskjold whose United Nations peacekeepers around the world had to defend themselves, sadly, with armed force on occasion. I painted these and other works at an artists' commune in a warehouse, which is featured in the book I'm … [Read more...]
Most privileged celeb of all – Mirror, mirror on the wall? A Scorecard
Which of these most privileged celebs are you following to see if justice is done—Ryan Seacrest, James Franco, Gerard Depardieu, Aziz Ansari, Dustin Hoffman, Asia Argento, or Sylvester Stallone? They're among the over 250 people accused of sexually inappropriate behavior since #MeToo started. Who will be the most privileged of all as 2019 moves forward? Thanks to mighty help from Vox, a trendy-left-leaning ezine, I can provide you a scorecard. Use the background info and basics Vox … [Read more...]
What does Bullying beget? Start of a multi-part series.
Karl here with an answer: Bullying begets violence: This is the first of a multi-part series of guest posts by two experts in the fight against bullying. In keeping with the themes of this website, they will at various times discuss the connection that violence, discrimination, and privilege have to bullying. It is often a way station to violence and the crimes of murder, rape, and the like. Dr. Louise Hart and Kristen Caven—my guest bloggers— have written The Bullying Antidote, a positive … [Read more...]
Lust, blue collar crime, and A DEATH IN BELMONT.
I've been reading a lot of true crime books lately as well as finishing up a series of paintings I call "The Seven Deadly Sins." Currently, I'm reading Sebastian Junger's A death in Belmont, and my painting of "Lust" in the series seems especially apropos. You see, the book is about the sex-crazed Boston Strangler who terrorized parts of Boston during the 1960's. Blue collar crime...and lust. Here's a summary of the book: A fatal collision of three lives in the most intriguing and original … [Read more...]