Everyday Sociology Blog

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.