Arthur Jipson (Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Dayton) and Paul Becker (Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Dayton) wrote an article for The Conversation about patterns of political violence in the United States. Although defining and measuring incidents of political violence is complex, they describe two major trends we can draw from empirical evidence. First, compared to overall violent crime, political violence is rare, but on the rise. Political violence also tends to capture media attention and amplify fear. Second, the majority of political violence stems from right-wing ideologies. This article was also cited in The Washington Post.
French sociologist Michel Wieviorka’s (Professor at École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) in Paris) new book, The Last Jewish Joke, traces the rise and decline of the “golden age” of Jewish humor in the late 20th Century. Wieviorka describes how self-deprecating humor served as a way to reaffirm Jewish community in a period of openness and declining antisemitism following World War II, and suggests that ”when interest in the intellectual heritage and cultural vitality of Yiddishkeit begins to wane, when Israel ceases to be viewed in a positive light, and when the capacity for bringing to life a Jewishness that also interests non-Jews is absent, these jokes can only appear as vestiges from the past.” This story was covered by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration disbanded an advisory committee of experts that provided technical expertise to the U.S. Census Bureau. The committee reassembled and met this week, independently of the Census Bureau. “Will our scientific advice still find an ear at the Census Bureau? I do not know,” said Barbara Entwisle (Committee Chair and Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina). “However, it is a certainty that our recommendations will have no effect at all if we do not provide them.” This story was covered by the Associated Press.
The Kiowa County Press ran an article on political polarization in response to the shooting of Charlie Kirk. Marcus Mann (Assistant Professor of Sociology at Purdue University) commented that “outrage-based” media programming contributes to polarization: “That kind of ‘us-vs.-them’ mentality is incredibly compelling and it’s very powerful for fostering strong ‘in groups’ and making you feel part of a strong community. And we see media outlets gaining audience share through this kind of thing.” Mann noted that Republicans tend to be more homogenous than Democrats and that right-wing media “commands a way larger audience and it has features that invoke features of religion.”
The Washington Post ran a story on elected officials and other leaders cancelling in-person events due to concerns over political violence. “One of the goals of political violence is to totally transform civic culture,” Peter Simi (Professor of Sociology at Chapman University) commented. “If you’re not holding public events, you’re kind of doing the work of those who are kind of promoting political violence.”
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