Summer 2011
Volume: 10 | Number: 3
Lions, Tigers, and Bear Moms—oh, my!
Pushy parenting is a central theme in Amy Chua’s “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother,” but Chinese mothers aren’t the only caregivers well-schooled in the business of concerted cultivation. Read More
They Tried To Make Her Go To Rehab
Contradictory views of addiction as both sickness and moral failing have resulted in a broken system in which famous substance users (like their everyday counterparts) are bounced between overcrowded jails, prisons, and rehab centers, all with little expectation of “success.” Read More
Beyond Sectarianism in Iraq
During eight years of a U.S.-led occupation, Iraqi attitudes have shifted away from sectarianism and toward a national identity. Coupled with increased support for the separation of politics and religion, this shift may pave the road for a functioning national government. Read More
Korean Multiculturalism and the Marriage Squeeze
An imbalanced sex ratio in the 1970s and 1980s has led South Korean men to seek wives abroad. Though a solution to one problem, this spike in interracial marriage has posed new social conundrums for the formerly homogenous society. Read More
To Snitch Or Not To Snitch
Photographers document Philadelphia’s “stop-snitching” code, a response to the realities of impoverished Philadelphia neighborhoods that includes the necessity of the drug economy. Read More
Banal Nationalism
Subtle or overt, popular imagery and language serve as daily reminders of our nationality, a sentiment that can be easily politicized. Read More
The Irony Of Understanding
A veteran reflects on the circumstances that have caused his own path to diverge so widely from that of another brother-in-arms. Read More
Welfare-to-Work Doesn’t Really Work
Two analyses of welfare policy as it has played out for over a decade shows how welfare-to-work programs fail to meet the basic needs of their participants and their communities. Read More
My Hollywood and the Nanny Book Phenomenon
By and large, the recent crop of nanny-tales ignores the realities of childcare workers (and their employers), relying instead on messages of racial and cultural superiority and assurances that money cannot buy happiness. Read More
The Wire goes to college
It’s been years since the last episode of The Wire, a crime drama set in Baltimore, Maryland, aired on HBO, but its dedicated fan base, … Read More
