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Trying New Things, Part II: Solo Running as a Social Act

By Karen Sternheimer

During the stay-at-home days of the pandemic, like many others, I got into running. I had run decades in the past but had mostly set it aside when my knees always seemed to be sore. But in 2020, when COVID closed my local gym and pool, a nearby hill served as my primary cardio workout. I’d run up and down this hill for an hour or more at a time, and I had built a surprising amount of endurance, much more than I ever had when I was younger. And my knees didn’t hurt.

I love this hill: it is challenging, scenic, and quiet. While harder on the body than the cardio machines in the gym, there is no waiting for a machine to free up, and no pressure to finish a workout because someone else is waiting. No social comparison when someone next to you goes much faster and harder.

Baby Bumps and Big Reveals: Exploring the Gender Reveal

By Monica Radu

Gaining popularity during the baby boom, baby showers have been a hallmark of family celebrations for decades. These rituals are often filled with pastel decorations, gift-giving, and games that revolve around the joy of welcoming a new baby. Traditionally, these events were almost exclusively hosted by women and attended by female family members and friends, reinforcing long-standing gender norms around motherhood. The focus was on preparing the expectant mother for her new role and ensuring that she was equipped with the essentials for raising her newborn.

According to a January 2023 survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, baby showers rank as the sixth most popular social event, with 65% of Americans reporting that they have attended a baby shower at some point in their lives. In the past year, 22% of respondents reported going to a baby shower. The survey also highlighted a significant gender difference, with 80% of women having attended a baby shower compared to just 50% of men.

More than a Rally Location: Care, Community, and Social Infrastructure in Butler, Pennsylvania

By Colby King

This presidential campaign cycle has brought national attention to several towns and small cities across the US. From Butte, Nebraska (2020 Census population of 286) where Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz graduated from high school in a class of 25 students, to Springfield, Ohio (2020 Census population of 58,662), which has recently entered national conversation after Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance spread lies about the community’s immigrant population.

Another small city that has become part of the national conversation during this campaign cycle is Butler, Pennsylvania (2020 Census population of 13,502). The Trump campaign held a rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds on July 13, at which a gunman attempted to assassinate Trump, killing Corey Comperatore, a local firefighter, and injuring others. Trump returned to the Butler Farm Show grounds in early October for another rally twelve weeks after the shooting, bringing more attention to Butler.

I want to share more about Butler because every place has more than a single story--and because I’m from Butler.

Plastic Waste: The Scary Aftermath of Halloween

By Lisa Smith

I’ve often heard students lament that while they love sociology, it often ruins things they used to enjoy. It’s true that once you start to peel back the layers of the society you live in and understand what’s truly going on, you can’t look at things the same way.

Halloween is fast approaching as I write this post. I have done my fair share of pumpkin carving, planning costumes, spookifying my windows, and of course handing out candy to trick or treaters. I grew up in a cultural context where these activities were normal and encouraged.

Social Aging: Lessons from my Grandmother

By Karen Sternheimer

As we approach the seventeenth anniversary of my grandmother’s death at age 96, (something I wrote about when this blog was in its infancy), I have been thinking about the many lessons she taught me about getting older.

She didn’t read self-help books, go to seminars, nor did she live long enough to get online wisdom from “influencers” (YouTube was founded when she was 94, and she had no use for computers). But her approach to aging reflected what is now conventional wisdom: older adults need social interaction for their overall health and wellbeing.

Abbott Elementary and the Rise of School-aganda

By Alyssa Lyons

I was sitting on the couch with my partner trying to decompress after an unusually long day. To unwind, we decided to watch Abbott Elementary. As a sociologist of education, I knew it was on brand, but I couldn’t help being drawn into the world of Abbott. I’ve spent a lot of time researching educational inequalities within schooling, and the show’s premise was both intriguing and novel.

Abbott Elementary is a feel-good mockumentary created by actress Quinta Brunson who also plays second grade teacher Janine Teagues in the show. Inspired by her mother’s career as a public-school teacher in Philadelphia, Brunson wanted to reflect the experiences of teachers in the city public school system. The mockumentary style show focuses on the experiences of predominantly BIPOC teachers, staff, administrators, and students in a fictional public elementary school in Philadelphia.

Janet Jackson, Kamala Harris, and Questions of Race

By Janis Prince Inniss 

Sociologically speaking,  there are lots of interesting aspects of the Janet Jackson PR fiasco. In case you missed it, the international superstar caused quite a stir recently. In a long and wide-ranging interview published by The Guardian on Saturday, when asked for her opinion on the upcoming U.S. presidential election and the possibility of the country’s first Black female president, Kamala Harris, Jackson said: “Well, you know what they supposedly said?...She’s not Black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian.”

Charitably, this may be the best example of how the ultra-rich live dramatically different lives than the rest of us. Jackson seemed to suggest that she was told by those around her that this was the case, stating, “That’s what I heard…That’s what I was told.”