First published in 1998. This is Volume I of nine in the Historical Sociology series and looks at the United States of 1776 in contemporary European philosophy. This is a developed study of a lecture given on ‘Bourgeois Ideal and Capitalist Reality’-the capitalist reality which is the natural outcome, and yet the complete perversion, of the bourgeois ideal of the eighteenth century. This lecture, which was delivered in November, I942, discussed in more general terms the development of which the social history of the United States between I776 and I800.
The charges of white privilege and systemic racism that are tearing the country apart fIoat free of reality. Two known facts, long since documented beyond reasonable doubt, need to be brought into the open and incorporated into the way we think about public policy: American whites, blacks, Hispanics, and Asians have different violent crime rates and different means and distributions of cognitive ability. The allegations of racism in policing, college admissions, segregation in housing, and hiring and promotions in the workplace ignore the ways in which the problems that prompt the allegations of systemic racism are driven by these two realities. What good can come of bringing them into the open? America’s most precious ideal is what used to be known as the American Creed: People are not to be judged by where they came from, what social class they come from, or by race, color, or creed. They must be judged as individuals. The prevailing Progressive ideology repudiates that ideal, demanding instead that the state should judge people by their race, social origins, religion, sex, and sexual orientation. We on the center left and center right who are the American Creed’s natural defenders have painted ourselves into a corner. We have been unwilling to say openly that different groups have significant group differences. Since we have not been willing to say that, we have been left defenseless against the claims that racism is to blame. What else could it be? We have been afraid to answer. We must. Facing Reality is a step in that direction.
This practical handbook has been revised to provide in-depth coverage of the Office of Thrift and Supervision rules as well as those of the OCC. It includes up-to-date information on every of trust compliance, as it applies in 2000.
American Ideal: How American Idol Constructs Celebrity, Collective Identity, and American Discourses explores ideals associated with American Idol, and includes deep examinations of contextual press coverage, official message boards, and the show itself. It finds that the representation of an idealized American culture endorses and supports contemporary cultural, economic, and institutional ideologies, particularly values of celebrity, beauty, American identity, and capitalism.
Focusing on the theme of the discrepancy between ideal and reality, this volume brings together ten previously unpublished studies on aspects of social and political change in modern China.
In America on Film, first published in 2002, Sam Girgus examines a selection of films made in the last quarter of the twentieth century in an effort to trace how the notion of 'American' has changed drastically from that portrayed in American cinema up to the 1950s. In works such as Mississippi Masala, Lone Star, Malcolm X, Raging Bull, When We Were Kings, and Bugsy he finds a new and ethnically varied array of characters that embody American values, ideals, and conflicts; and a transformation in the relationship of American identity and culture to race and ethnicity, as well as to sexuality, gender, and the body. America on Film charts these changes through analysis of cinematic tensions between fiction, documentary, and modernism. An art form that combines fragments of reality with imagination, film, Girgus maintains, connects the documentary realism of the photographic image to the abstraction and non-representation of modernism.
Over the past thirty years, there has been a dramatic shift in the way the legal system approaches and resolves family disputes. Traditionally, family law dispute resolution was based on an “adversary” system: two parties and their advocates stood before a judge who determined which party was at fault in a divorce and who would be awarded the rights in a custody dispute. Now, many family courts are opting for a “problem-solving” model in which courts attempt to resolve both legal and non-legal issues. At the same time, American families have changed dramatically. Divorce rates have leveled off and begun to drop, while the number of children born and raised outside of marriage has increased sharply. Fathers are more likely to seek an active role in their children’s lives. While this enhanced paternal involvement benefits children, it also increases the likelihood of disputes between parents. As a result, the families who seek legal dispute resolution have become more diverse and their legal situations more complex. In Divorced from Reality, Jane C. Murphy and Jana B. Singer argue that the current "problem solving" model fails to address the realities of today's families. The authors suggest that while today’s dispute resolution regime may represent an improvement over its more adversary predecessor, it is built largely around the model of a divorcing nuclear family with lawyers representing all parties—a model that fits poorly with the realities of today's disputing families. To serve the families it is meant to help, the legal system must adapt and reshape itself.
In Reaching Beyond, Buddhist thinker and activist Daisaku Ikeda explores the origins, development,and international influence of jazz with legendary artists Herbie Hancockand Wayne Shorter.Reflecting on their lives and careers, Mr. Hancock and Mr. Shorter sharethe lessons they have learned from their musical mentors, including MilesDavis and Art Blakey, and how the Buddhist philosophy they’ve learnedfrom President Ikeda over the past forty years deeply resonates with theemancipatory spirit of jazz.These wide-ranging conversations include such thought-provoking topics as:• Music’s mission for peace in a time of discord• The importance of the artist’s spiritual growth• The Buddhist concept of changing poison into medicine• Ways to make the “ideal America” a reality for everyoneReaching Beyond offers positive new ideasfor musicians and nonmusicians alike.
This book examines U.S. multiculturalism from the perspective of Asian American writings, drawing contrasts between politically acquiescent multiculturalism and politically conscious multiculturalism. Chae discusses the works of writers who have highlighted a critical awareness of Asian Americans’ social and economic status and their position as 'unassimilable aliens', 'yellow perils', 'coolies', 'modern-day high tech coolies', or as a 'model minority', which were ideologically woven through the complex interactions of capital and labor in the U.S. cultural and labor history. Chae suggests that more productive means of analysis must be brought to the understanding of Asian American writings, many of which have been attempting to raise awareness of the politicizing effects of U.S. multiculturalism.
