Year: 2016

• January 14, 2016

  1/3 Whatever happened to obscene phone calls?

  Hello? You never hear about obscene phone calls anymore, despite everyone having a phone in their pocket. Yesterday’s item about the guy who was issued Sir Mix-A-Lot’s old phone number treats it as a joke, but I remember being taught in school around 1984 about the danger of “heavy breathers.” At the same time, Barry…
• January 8, 2016

  How do Black Finns celebrate hockey victories?

  By screaming, stripping in -10°F, and sauna, of course: the same as everyone else: From Dosdela‘s Instagram. On January 6th, Finland’s Young Lions won the 2016 World Juniors Hockey championship over Russia in overtime before a home audience. The title comes on the heels of the National Ringette Team winning its world championship the day…
• January 4, 2016

  Against moral panic (for cultural politics)

  Pundits, sociologists, and activists frequently use the term “moral panic” to describe what they perceive as a public overreaction to an issue (or non-issue). Examples include “Prostitution and Human Trafficking – The Anatomy of a Moral Panic,” “What’s Flakka and is it Real? A Guide to the New Moral Panic Drugs,” From Miasma to Ebola:…