occupy toronto

As Occupy Toronto entered it's third week, the spirits of the occupants in the two hundred or so tents in Toronto's St. James park continue to be high. The unrelenting rain and the unseasonably cold weather have not put a damper on the enthusiasm of the camped out activists. Specific tents house a library, an information centre, a food station, a media relations centre and a logistics unit. On a cool crisp Sunday morning, many activists are already up. Some are singing on the gazebo that has become a stage; others line up for coffee and toast; yet others are busy with a very public meeting, discussing strategies for the next few days. A young man in his early twenties tells me that he was an engineering student, obssessed only about his grades until he encountered philosophy and began to think about social equity.

A Ryerson University psychology major, also in her twenties, recounts the process that led to her taking an active interest in social issues beyond the class-room. Many tell me that the numbers who have joined the residents of "a city in a park" has grown over the past week. While the long term effects of this movement are as yet unclear, it is heartening to see a wide swathe of people from all walks of life convert, in the words of C. Wright Mills (who else?), "personal troubles" into "public issues".

martin nicolaus and "fat cat sociology"

At the American Sociological Association's annual meetings in 1968, Martin Nicolaus, a graduate student, literally shook up the faux "scientific" sociological establishment with his "Fat Cat Sociology" presentation. Later, he taught Sociology at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby on the outskirts of Vancouver (set up, as he points out by the conservative Social Credit government to generate "human capital") during its tumultous years but left after many faculty members were either under fire or were getting fired for their anti-war activism. He went on to translate Marx's "Grundrisse" - an incredible accomplishment for which this native German speaker was more than eminently qualified.

I am not the only one to have wondered whatever happened to this proverbial thorn in the side of the powerful. Thanks to Google, I finally managed to locate him. His site is the proverbial treasure trove for those interested in the social history of scoiology and his reflexive takes on Sociology, sociologists of all stripes and his life so far. It is also a treat for photography enthusiasts such as me. Those who live for sociology, not off it, will enjoy his site:

martin nicolaus


Enjoy!

G. W. Domhoff on the Legacy of C. Wright Mills' _The Power Elite_

G. W. Domhoff on the living legacy of C. Wright Mills' _The Power Elite_

Domhoff on the legacy of Mills

The Public Sociology of Tony Judt

There are times when one can present an argument that is not particularly new for those who are tuned into issues of social justice. However, once in a while, the manner of enunciating and expressing an existing viewpoint can make it novel and new. Such is the case with Tony Judt’s remarkable book _Ill Fares the Land_ (Penguin, 2010) It is a riveting account of the present condition of the United States and how it came to be this way. He provides an eloquent big picture account of the economic and political transformation of the United States and its implications for the future. This is Public Sociology at its best – comparable to Richard Sennett’s work. Unfortunately Judt died at the prime of his intellectual life. Buy a copy for yourself and a copy each for all your friends and loved ones!

Fukushima Again!

Today the Japanese authorities admitted that more than double the amount of radiation than was announced earlier, had escaped from the Fukushima nuclear reactors. During the crisis itself, the fact of meltdowns was never admitted head on and euphemisms such as "near meltdown" etc. were floated. Now, the Japanese nuclear safety agency admits that meltdowns occurred in not one but three reactors. In the first reactor, the meltdown occurred within five hours after the first quake hit.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13678627

Meanwhile, most are not aware of the fact in September 2002, Mr. Nobuya Minami, President and Mr. Hiroshi Araki of the Tokyo Electric Power Company resigned after allegations of safety cover-ups were proven. Indeed, according to a Japan Times report referenced below, there have been regular cover-ups since 1995. Following a pattern, the President of TEPCO naturally apologized to the residents near the Fukushima Plant and promised better safety procedures:

"It is deeply regrettable that we have seriously damaged public trust, and I would like to apologize to the public and local residents (of areas close to the reactors)."

Earlier Monday, company sources said about 100 Tepco employees are suspected of being involved. Some of the damage, which earlier reports laid to wear and tear, has reportedly been secretly repaired.

The earliest falsification occurred in 1986, and the coverups are suspected to have continued through the mid-1990s, the sources said.

Minami said, however, that judging from the circumstances and the sequence of various events, the falsification cases may have continued after 1995"

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20020903a1.html

Such disasters of course cannot be blamed, as some commentators have, on the specific individuals and their alleged managerial deficits. The insatiable demand for energy and the pressure to generate profits regardless of the social costs are the key factors. Added to this if of course the fact of radio-activity, and the brute fact that there are no off buttons when it comes to nuclear reactors.

Same as it Ever Was! Talking Heads, Obama and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Obama and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Like a bizarre ritual, every few years or so, some allegedly fresh thinking and policy initiative for addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict is announced. The usual sound-bites are propped up by, well, the usual props and photo-opportunities. This time around, the claim has been that President Obama broke new ground by actually mentioning the pre-1967 borders. In actuality, what was new was Prime Minister Netanyahu’s public and very categorical dismissal of President Obama’s invocation of 1967 as the pivotal year. Never before has an Israeli Prime Minister summarily rejected an American president’s viewpoint without the usual diplomatic cushions. President Obama promptly backtracked and qualified what exactly he meant by his invocation of the pre-1967 borders and in turn, Prime Minister Netanyahu naturally affirmed his scripted support for “peace”. The much-touted alleged “breakthrough”, surprise, surprise, rapidly mutated to the enduring stalemate that all political leaders invariably promise to overcome. Needless to add, the realities of oil, gas and cynical global geo-politics will continue to ensure a seemingly endless repetition of the mirage of breakthroughs that are unlikely to materialize. Talking heads will continue to chatter about alleged "breakthroughs".

Nuclear Catastophe and Debates in Absurdistan

In the wake of the ongoing overt nuclear catastrophe in Japan and the not so evident mess at all the nuclear energy generating plants, the so-called "debates" over the pros and cons of nuclear power have begun. Over the past we weeks, an "expert" on BBC has dismissed the idea that there is anything inherently dangerous with nuclear energy. CNN too has followed the same path, but by allowing a Greenpeace representative to rebut. The problem is that even though most issues come in shades of gray, when it comes to nuclear energy, there is only one viewpoint - this technology is inherently dangerous. Yes, all other technologies invariably come with some risks that can be minimized and managed. Yet most other technologies generate risks in the context of use. Nuclear technologies on the other hand, come inbuilt with risks, even in the context of so-called normal, safe, managed use. As long as we cannot figure our what to do with the steady accumulation of radioactive waste, any talk of managing risks is just talk. If anyone has time, they should seek out Langdon Winner's path-breaking article on "inherently political technologies".

It is not just the nuclear industry that is pushing hard for an image makeover during this critical moment. Their rivals - coal and natural gas industry - are inundating the TV networks with adverts to capitalize on the nuclear tragedy in Japan. The industry spokespeople as well as the self-appointed experts all hammer away at the "fact" that an industrial society needs energy and one has supposedly no choice but manage the risks associated with these technologies. None of them of course talks about the ecological impossibility of carrying on with absurd goal of unlimited economic growth.