Tagged: social performance

American authenticity in "Jon and Kate plus 8"

In the last two months, many if not most of the major American media outlets have seemingly become obsessed with the family behind the reality television series “Jon and Kate Plus 8.” What began innocently enough as a simple reality television show documenting the lives of a family struggling to provide for eight children suddenly became one of the most talked about shows on American television, with reportedly almost ten million viewers tuning into the season premiere on Memorial Day...

Super-Anomie? U.S. Shooting Incidents in the Last 30 Days

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J22mLsZd2C8] by NickieWild As of today, according to msnbc.com, 43 people have died in the last 30 days in mass-shooting incidents across the U.S. There are several sociological theories that could potentially explain this. Messner and Rosenfeld’s “American Dream” structural strain theory posits that when there is a gap between what one wants to achieve and what seems possible, violence increases. For the immigrant who shot 13 people and himself in Binghamton, NY last week, there is evidence that points...