something about the ‘loudest person in the room’

02Mar08

I think it is an ecological fallacy to mistake one’s own (foolish opinion) with a chromosomal difference. Do you ever notice how dumb people are convinced that everyone else is dumb, and they’re smart?

In Charlotte Allen’s Washington Piece on…{sigh} the stupidity of women…she refuses to weigh in on, or even raise the spectre of, the nature nurture debate. And doesn’t one’s opinion on said debate dictate the solution to the problem? If it is nurture, then change the opportunity structure. If nature, perhaps we should do some chemical therapy, but in the short run, we should just get along with doing what our bodies are made for. I assume that since she ultimately suggests the latter then she’s in the nature camp. And if that’s so, she might want to read some more of that thick and slightly more comprehensive and divided literature on sex & gender that she’s fond of referencing.

I’m well aware that her piece might be written tongue-in-cheek, so as to stir debate, to make the terms and conditions of the current race v.s. gender debate (sadly, Hilary v.s. Obama) starkly clear…but you’re still responsible for the words you put into the world. And these are stupid words.

Unrelatedly, I have a new boss. I find it sort of amazing that Vanderbilt has only had 8 Chancellors. I don’t know why. I don’t know what number seems more expected.

Also, in case you don’t know: there’s a conference celebrating the contributions and inspiration of the wonderful and adorable Herb Gans. Sadly, I can’t go, but you should. The event is free & open to the public, but you need to reserve a spot.

The Center for Urban Research and Policy, Columbia University
Presents: Urban Kaleidoscope: New Directions in Sociology in Honor of Herbert Gans

The Center for Urban Research and Policy (CURP) and Columbia sociology graduate students are pleased to announce their upcoming conference in honor of Herbert Gans. For the last half century, Herbert Gans has been at the center of sociological debates on poverty, race and ethnicity, the media, and American culture. To celebrate his contributions and his enduring influence on sociology, this conference will bring together junior and senior scholars engaged in ethnographic and qualitative research. The panelists exemplify the socially-concerned scholarship that Gans has been involved in and frequently motivated. The day-long conference will be comprised of three panels sharing a focus on urban issues from divergent perspectives: the political role of ethnography, urban renewal, ethnic relations, and the negotiation of shared space. We are honored to have William Julius Wilson give the keynote address. We hope you will join us in celebrating Herbert Gans’s work.

To register for the conference, send an email to herbertgansconference@gmail.com
March 13, 2008, International Affairs Building, Room 1501

8:30 a.m. Breakfast: 1501 Lobby
9:00-10:30 Panel One: NYC Through a Different Lens
Colin Jerolmack (City University of New York)
Norma Fuentes (Fordham University)
Miriam Greenberg (University of California-Santa Cruz, Pratt)
Moderator: Greg Smithsimon (Barnard College)
10:30-10:45 Coffee break: 1501 lobby
10:45-12:00 Panel Two: Conceptualizing Differences
Nicole Marwell (Columbia University)
Harvey Molotch (New York University)
Margaret Chin (Hunter College)
Robert Beauregard (GSAPP, Columbia University)
Moderator: Saskia Sassen (Columbia University)
12:00-2:00 Lunch buffet: 1501 Buffet
2:00-4:00 Panel Three: Tribute: Politics in the City
Frances Fox Piven (City University of New York)
Mitchell Duneier (Princeton University)
Mindy Fullilove (Columbia University)
Katherine Newman (Princeton University)
Moderator: Peter Bearman (Columbia University)
4:30-6:00 Keynote: Professor William Julius Wilson (Harvard University)
6:00 Reception: 1501 Lobby

The graduate students of Columbia’s Sociology Department would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous support: Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy, Center for Urban Research and Policy, Provost Alan Brinkley, Columbia Sociology, The Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, and Columbia School of Journalism. We also thank Professors Peter Bearman and Sudhir Venkatesh for their guidance.

Filed under: Academia, Sociology, Uncategorized   |  2 Comments