They Say / I Blog

It’s not the economy: Peter Coy on how our biases and assumptions affect debates about immigration

Debates about immigration often focus on its economic costs and benefits. Yet that focus misses the bigger picture, Peter Coy argues. Coy, a writer for The New York Times, suggests that the real resistance to immigration lies much deeper than data about jobs and economic impact. Coy explains that opposition to immigration often stems from the stories we tell ourselves about immigrants and immigration, stories that are often colored by unchecked biases and assumptions.

Peter Coy, "What Economists Think About Immigration Doesn’t Really Matter," The New York Times, 17 December 2021.

 

The air we breathe: Jan Victor Andasan on how polluted air from ports harms people in surrounding neighborhoods

The environmental and human impact of our global economy is visible in ports, where chemicals, oil, natural gas, and massive containers of goods are moved, shipped, and stored. In this video op-ed, activist Jan Victor Andasan describes how the pollution spewing from these ports, pipelines, refineries, and rail yards contaminates the air of nearby communities, causing long-term health problems for their family and neighbors. Andasan explains how organizations like the East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice advocate for clean air, such as requiring ports to move to zero-waste operations.

Jan Victor Andasan, "Port Pollution Sickens My Family. That's Violence," Los Angeles Times, 21 October 2021.

 

Billionaires in space: Lucianne Walkowicz on making space exploration more accessible

In the summer of 2021, three billionaires – Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, and Jared Isaacson – made history as they blasted off into space on their own privately funded spaceflights. In her essay, astronomer Lucianne Walkowicz analyzes the implications of this new chapter in space exploration. Walkowicz suggests these billionaire-funded launches reflect current inequities here on earth, including rising income inequality exacerbated by the pandemic.

Lucianne Walkowicz, "Don’t Count on Billionaires to Get Humanity into Space," Scientific American, 23 September 2021.

 

The struggling class: Celine-Marie Pascale on determining if people can meet their basic living needs

Over 44% of Americans work low-wage jobs, which can trap people in a precarious cycle marked by limited job security, stagnant wages, unreliable hours, and few opportunities for promotion. Those who are working multiple low-wage jobs struggle to cover their basic living expenses. Celine-Marie Pascale, a professor of sociology at American University, illustrates this complex problem in her November 2021 essay. She contends that the federal poverty line is “an outdated measure of poverty,” and argues that policymakers should use other measures to design safety-net programs based on the real cost of living, which varies across the country.

Celine-Marie Pascale, "The Federal Poverty Line Struggles to Capture the Economic Hardship That Half of Americans Face," The Conversation, 10 November 2021.

 

Autism advocates: Eric Garcia on funding research and providing services that improve life for people with autism

For years, a primary focus of autism research has been finding a cure for this neurodivergent condition. Eric Garcia, a writer and autism advocate, asserts that this goal does not reflect the actual, pressing issues that people with autism encounter in their daily lives. In this essay, Garcia draws on his own experiences as an autistic person to call for research and policies that improve health, educational, and employment outcomes for people with autism.

Eric Garcia, "We Don't Need a Cure for Autism. We Need to Make Living with It Easier." TIME, 27 August 2021.

 

Race and representation in the college classroom: J. Nathan Matias, Neil Lewis Jr., and Elan Hope on the barriers to retaining a more diverse tenured and tenure-track faculty at U.S. universities

People of color are underrepresented in a variety of fields and settings, including in medicine, clinical trials, and the military. This problem also exists in U.S. higher education. In this essay, scholars J. Nathan Matias, Neil Lewis Jr., and Elan Hope show how “Black, Hispanic, American Indian and multiracial faculty members are underrepresented in faculty ranks.” They explain how efforts by universities to diversify their faculty fail to address the structural inequities within higher education that prevent faculty of color from feeling supported and achieving tenure.

J. Nathan Matias, Neil Lewis Jr. and Elan Hope, "Universities Say They Want More Diverse Faculties. So Why Is Academia Still So White?" FiveThirtyEight, 7 September 2021

 

Power of the press: Danielle Kilgo on how journalists and news organizations cover protests

What stories are emphasized in the news, and why? Danielle Kilgo, a professor of journalism at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, argues that journalists and the news media choose to highlight “spectacle, conflict, disruption” over stories that cover “the substance of movements.” In this April 30, 2021, article, she uses her research about how the press has covered Black Lives Matters demonstrations to challenge journalists to report on protests in a way that more accurately explains and legitimizes the concerns of the protestors.

Danielle Kilgo, "Unraveling the Protest Paradigm,"Columbia Journalism Review, 30 April 2021.

 

A case for critical media literacy: Maytha Alhassen and Zaheer Ali on how viral misinformation could affect future historians

Some people might argue that what we do online is our own personal business. Historians Maytha Alhassen and Zaheer Ali, however, contend that online spaces are instead part of our “public life.” In this May 19, 2021 essay, Alhassen and Ali argue that it is our “civic duty” to be critical about what we consume and circulate online, as the constant retweeting and reposting of potentially misleading information has consequences for both our present moment and the work of future historians.

Maytha Alhassen and Zaheer Ali, "By Any Memes Necessary: A Case Study for Critical Media Literacy," Los Angeles Review of Books, 19 May 2021.

 

“Hemp is the way”: Winona LaDuke on the hemp industry and climate justice for Native communities

After decades of being banned due to its close genetic relationship with marijuana, hemp was legalized through the 2018 Farm Bill. Winona LaDuke, a Native writer and activist, argues that Native tribes, which have historically cultivated the crop, should lead and benefit from the growing hemp industry. In this February 2021 essay, LaDuke explains how hemp could be the cornerstone of a new, “post-petroleum” sustainable economy.

Winona LaDuke, "Tribes Revive Traditional Hemp Economies," YES!, February 16, 2021

 

Windows around the world: Paolo Sigismondi on the cultural impact of streaming international movies and shows

What’s next up on your Netflix watch list? You may notice more suggestions for shows and movies made outside the US, such as Spain’s Money Heist and South Korea’s One More Time. Facing pressure to acquire new media content, Netflix has made a conscious decision to develop local shows and films around the world and then distribute that content globally. In this April 7, 2021 essay, Paolo Sigismondi explains how Netflix’s business decision might broaden the content we consume and challenge long-standing cultural stereotypes that have been reinforced by Hollywood.

Paolo Sigismondi, "Netflix’s Big Bet on Foreign Content and International Viewers Could Upend the Global Mediascape – and Change How People View the World," The Conversation, 7 April 2021