Cult of Compliance – University of Virginia Edition

Not a case of beer The blog Police State USA does a fantastic job of tracking and writing up incidents of police brutality, overreach, abuse, and other nefarious conduct. I continue to focus on the cult of compliance. This story is from the summer of 2013: Three female college students went to the grocery story and … Continue ReadingCult of Compliance – University of Virginia Edition

Mindless Anti-Medieval Mythography; Anti-Vaxers are not medieval – they are dangerously modern.

I am perpetually fascinated by the way that “medieval” is code for barbaric, backwards, savage, and the like. The phrase “get medieval” seems to have originated (or at least moved into widespread use) as a result of Pulp Fiction, in which Ving Rhames’ character, after being freed by Bruce Willis’ character, tells his rapist that … Continue ReadingMindless Anti-Medieval Mythography; Anti-Vaxers are not medieval – they are dangerously modern.

Cult of Compliance – Albuquerque Cops Shoot Mentally Ill Homeless Man

This is my 200th post on the blog. It’s not a happy one. As long-time readers know, my work on the Ethan Saylor case led me to coin the phrase the “cult of compliance.” This phrase allows me to link diverse moments in which authority figures respond to non-compliance with egregious acts of violence and place … Continue ReadingCult of Compliance – Albuquerque Cops Shoot Mentally Ill Homeless Man

UCLA Deans Spend 2 Million $ on First-Class Living; Cite Disability

Emirates Airlines First Class Cabin I don’t like falling into the admin vs faculty dialectic. My administration may not share the perspective of an individual faculty member, but that’s by design. I trust them. I have a brother who has been the chair of a big department at a big public university and is currently … Continue ReadingUCLA Deans Spend 2 Million $ on First-Class Living; Cite Disability