Medievalism and Racism: The Pendragons

“When a reporter asked under what authority they planned to arrest the mayor, one of the Pendragons cited the Magna Carta.” #medievaltwitter https://t.co/2iYrmZvD1e — David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) January 14, 2018 A bunch of London racists tried to arrest the Mayor of London. The Mayor, Sadiq Khan, is Muslim. The racists brought a noose and … Continue ReadingMedievalism and Racism: The Pendragons

Disability and Immigration Rights

NEW PIECE at Pacific Standard  “As ICE has intensified operations under the regime of President Donald Trump, disability-related cases and causes have routinely gotten public attention. In part, this has to do with the way that disability commands sympathy and can sometimes generate generous media coverage. It’s easier for immigrant rights groups to command national … Continue ReadingDisability and Immigration Rights

Against Banning Laptops: Take good notes, trust students

Ruth Colker in the Cardozo Law Review argues that evidence for banning laptops, at most, suggests limited internet access during classroom times requiring content acquisition. Colker writes: Those studies [promoting bans] represent a careful presentation of three artificial experiments where students are assigned their note-taking style— longhand or computer—and in which students have little incentive … Continue ReadingAgainst Banning Laptops: Take good notes, trust students

My Son’s Birth

It’s my son’s 11th birthday. Read this! My son is 11 today. Here’s the story of how our friends helps us find our bearings. They refused to stop congratulating us. https://t.co/USJpXKNkOj pic.twitter.com/6QH2BcYDSh — David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) January 11, 2018

Bad Historical Metaphors – #MeToo and Witch Hunts

New piece in Pacific Standard on historical language and victimization claims: As a historian and journalist, the use of these loose metaphors to protect the powerful has concerned me for years. This latest push against serial sexual harassment in media and entertainment, as noted by BuzzFeed journalist (and Pacific Standard contributor) Anne Helen Petersen, has driven … Continue ReadingBad Historical Metaphors – #MeToo and Witch Hunts

Powell: Parents with Disabilities Fight to Keep Kids

For Pacific Standard, Robyn Powell writes about the rights of parents with disabilities. Around the country, parents are routinely placed at risk of losing their children due only to the fact that they (the parents) are disabled. She writes: Nearly one in 10 children in the United States are at risk of being removed from … Continue ReadingPowell: Parents with Disabilities Fight to Keep Kids

Reproductive Rights and Disability Rights – The new wedge

New at The Nation: Anti-choice activists have found what they think is a winning wedge issue: Down syndrome and other “sympathetic” disabilities. The latest attack was in Ohio, where, in late December, GOP Governor John Kasich signed a bill that bans abortions after a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. Ten states have either passed similar … Continue ReadingReproductive Rights and Disability Rights – The new wedge