Hacker News with Generative AI: Sociology

The Euro-American Split (I): Dread Possibility (scholars-stage.org)
THERE ARE DECADES WHEN possibility is constrained in a narrow frame. The terrain has been surveyed, boundaries have been laid, and rules have been established. In such an age there is still room for high drama: The decisive round of a boxing match draws the eye despite the fact—or perhaps because—the boxers play an antique game. In such times and climes, victory means mastery of existing modes, not the invention of new ones.
Politics, History, Europe, America, Sociology
26 points by Khaine 13 hours ago | 63 comments
René Girard and the Mimetic Trap (onepercentrule.substack.com)
This is part 1 of a 2 part series. Part 2: The Mimetic Intelligence Trap is here
Philosophy, Sociology, Culture, Psychology
8 points by drcwpl 14 days ago | 0 comments
Why Civilizations Collapse (palladiummag.com)
Why do civilizations collapse? This question bears not only on safeguarding our society’s future but also makes sense of our present. The answer relies on some of the same technē that humanity needed to build civilization in the first place: we have to evaluate the perceptions that mint facts and theory, not merely peruse the body of theories handed down to us.
History, Civilization, Sociology, Future, Society
11 points by MindGods 15 days ago | 2 comments
The 3-ladder system of social class in the U.S. (archive.org)
Typical depictions of social class in the United States posit a linear, ordered hierarchy. I’ve actually come to the conclusion that there are 3 distinct ladders, with approximately four social classes on each. Additionally, there is an underclass of people not connected to any of the ladders, creating an unlucky 13th social class. I’ll attempt to explain how this three-ladder system works, what it means, and also why it is a source of conflict.
Social Class, Sociology, United States, Hierarchy, Inequality
6 points by oidar 16 days ago | 1 comments
The Michael Scott Theory of Social Class (danco.substack.com)
I’m happy to finally share a thesis I’ve been chewing on for a little while. I call it The Michael Scott Theory of Social Class, which states: The higher you ascend the ladder of the Educated Gentry class, the more you become Michael Scott.
Social Class, Humor, Sociology, Pop Culture
48 points by sulami 16 days ago | 3 comments
They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 (1955) (press.uchicago.edu)
"What no one seemed to notice," said a colleague of mine, a philologist, "was the ever widening gap, after 1933, between the government and the people. Just think how very wide this gap was to begin with, here in Germany. And it became always wider. You know, it doesn’t make people close to their government to be told that this is a people’s government, a true democracy, or to be enrolled in civilian defense, or even to vote.
History, Germany, Politics, Sociology
557 points by thunderbong 17 days ago | 473 comments
It's not 'emotional labour', it's kin work (thefuturefeeling.substack.com)
I’ve just come back from a seasonal gathering where it was obvious – as it is obvious every year – that the women in the heterosexual couples had done a far larger amount of work than their partners.
Gender, Relationships, Sociology, Family
61 points by bobbiechen 18 days ago | 71 comments
The persistence of "high trust" in Europe west of the Hajnal Line (wordpress.com)
What is the West? What is the source of Western success? How are Western people different from others (“the Rest”)? What is unique about the West?
Europe, Culture, History, Sociology, Anthropology
7 points by lopespm 20 days ago | 0 comments
Do Russians Support the War in Ukraine? (newyorker.com)
A group of sociologists found that few Russians were steadfast supporters of the war. Most had something more complicated to say.
Russia, Ukraine, War, Public Opinion, Sociology
33 points by PaulHoule 27 days ago | 21 comments
Why Brazil fell for Pentecostalism but not liberation theology (aeon.co)
In 1962, the Colombian priest and sociology professor Camilo Torres Restrepo travelled to the north of the country to investigate a dispute between powerful landlords and subsistence farmers.
Religion, Brazil, Sociology, Theology
5 points by rbanffy 29 days ago | 0 comments
The Tyranny of Structurelessness (1970) (jofreeman.com)
During the years in which the women's liberation movement has been taking shape, a great emphasis has been placed on what are called leaderless, structureless groups as the main -- if not sole -- organizational form of the movement.
Feminism, Sociology, History, Political Movements, Organizations
387 points by yamrzou 30 days ago | 149 comments
German Collective Guilt [Wikipedia] (wikipedia.org)
German collective guilt (German: Kollektivschuld) refers to the notion of a collective guilt attributed to Germany and its people for perpetrating the Holocaust and other atrocities in World War II.[2][3]
History, Germany, Holocaust, Sociology
6 points by axiologist 31 days ago | 0 comments
The Six Codes of Nonverbal Communication (2019) (reporter.rit.edu)
You’ve likely been able to tell whether or not your mom is actually upset with you by analyzing her tone of voice, and chances are she knows your reaction by reading the look on your face.
Nonverbal Communication, Psychology, Communication, Sociology
8 points by yamrzou 32 days ago | 1 comments
How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love Lynn's National IQ Estimates (astralcodexten.com)
Richard Lynn was a scientist who infamously tried to estimate the average IQ of every country. Typical of his results is this paper, which ranged from 60 (Malawi) to 108 (Singapore).
Intelligence, Psychology, Sociology, Research, Criticism
10 points by tontonius 37 days ago | 2 comments
Flynn Effect (wikipedia.org)
The Flynn effect is the substantial and long-sustained increase in both fluid and crystallized intelligence test scores that were measured in many parts of the world over the 20th century, named after researcher James Flynn (1934–2020). [1][2]
Intelligence, Psychology, Research, History, Sociology
14 points by yamrzou 40 days ago | 9 comments
The relationship recession is going global (ft.com)
The relationship recession is going global
Relationships, Global Trends, Sociology
34 points by hunglee2 41 days ago | 87 comments
The Anti-Social Century (theatlantic.com)
Americans are now spending more time alone than ever. It’s changing our personalities, our politics, and even our relationship to reality.
Social Trends, Sociology, Loneliness, American Culture, Politics
152 points by coloneltcb 42 days ago | 158 comments
Myth of Meritocracy (wikipedia.org)
Myth of meritocracy is a phrase arguing that meritocracy, or achieving upward social mobility through one's own merits regardless of one's social position, is not widely attainable in capitalist societies because of inherent contradictions.
Social Inequality, Capitalism, Sociology
12 points by DiscourseFan 47 days ago | 5 comments
End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration (amazon.com)
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Politics, Sociology, Social Commentary, History
5 points by vogu66 48 days ago | 0 comments
Should more of us be moving to live near friends? (architecturaldigest.com)
25 years ago, Toby Rush and his friend group at Kansas State University received some valuable advice from elder mentors that would shape their entire adult lives.
Friendship, Lifestyle, Housing, Sociology, Community
621 points by Geekette 57 days ago | 487 comments
Zero-Sum Thinking and the Roots of U.S. Political DivideS [pdf] (scholar.harvard.edu)
Politics, Sociology, United States, Research
5 points by therabbithole 70 days ago | 0 comments
The "Elite Overproduction" Problem (arnoldkling.substack.com)
Yascha Mounk scrutinizes Peter Turchin’s idea “overproduction of elites.”
Politics, Sociology, Academia, History
6 points by paulpauper 73 days ago | 0 comments
Japan: Early career setbacks reduce marriage and birth rates (population.fyi)
A CSRDA Discussion Paper (Long-term Consequences of Early Career Disadvantages on Fertility: Evidence from Japan by Manting Chen) finds that men in Japan who start their careers in non-standard employment, such as temporary or contract work, face a major disadvantage when it comes to getting married and having children later in life compared to those who land stable jobs right out of school.
Japan, Economics, Sociology, Marriage, Demographics
6 points by amichail 79 days ago | 0 comments
Human Interaction Is Now a Luxury Good (nytimes.com)
In part of her new book, “The Last Human Job,” the sociologist Allison Pugh shadowed an apprentice hospital chaplain, Erin Nash, as she went through her day.
Sociology, Human Behavior, Luxury Goods, Books
8 points by mooreds 79 days ago | 2 comments
A federal policy change in the 1980s created the modern food desert (theatlantic.com)
The concept of the food desert has been around long enough that it feels almost like a fact of nature. Tens of millions of Americans live in low-income communities with no easy access to fresh groceries, and the general consensus is that these places just don’t have what it takes to attract and sustain a supermarket. They’re either too poor or too sparsely populated to generate sufficient spending on groceries, or they can’t overcome a racist pattern of corporate redlining.
Food Deserts, Poverty, Policy, Sociology, Urban Planning
94 points by zdw 81 days ago | 116 comments
Probable Predictors of Involuntary Singlehood (sciencedirect.com)
People living in contemporary post-industrial societies frequently find themselves being single without wanting so, and the current research aimed to understand the reasons why.
Social Sciences, Sociology, Relationships, Singles, Demographics
25 points by domofutu 85 days ago | 2 comments
Why unexpected visitors are in danger of extinction (elpais.com)
The ring of the doorbell when you’re not expecting anyone is, at the least, odd. Above all in big cities, where distances between homes can be long and the act of going to see someone implies a certain amount of preparation to traverse the town.
Social Commentary, Urban Life, Sociology
11 points by PaulHoule 85 days ago | 0 comments
The myth of the loneliness epidemic (asteriskmag.com)
Are we really living through a uniquely lonely moment in American history? When it comes to friendship, this isn’t the first time that authorities have cried wolf.
Social Trends, Sociology, History, American Culture
48 points by Luc 88 days ago | 56 comments
Crime in Antarctica (wikipedia.org)
While crime in Antarctica is relatively rare,[1] isolation and boredom affect certain people there negatively and may lead to crime.[2]
Crime, Antarctica, Sociology
4 points by popcalc 95 days ago | 0 comments
Raising children still takes a village – But the village is changing (studyfinds.org)
NEW YORK — There’s an old saying that it takes a village to raise a child. A new poll finds today’s parents are reinventing what it means to rely on their “village” when it comes to raising their kids.
Parenting, Sociology, Family, Community
16 points by Brajeshwar 97 days ago | 2 comments