Category: politics
PTSD Bookclub: Introducing *The Evil Hours*
In November and December of 2021, #PTSDBookclub is reading David Morris’ fascinating, heartbreaking, courageous book *The Evil Hours: A Biography of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.* Continue reading PTSD Bookclub: Introducing *The Evil Hours*
PTSD Bookclub – Grounding agreements
A bit about communication norms in PTSD Bookclub discussions. Continue reading PTSD Bookclub – Grounding agreements
PTSD Bookclub – The books
Here’s where you’ll find the list of books we’ll be reading in PTSD Bookclub. Continue reading PTSD Bookclub – The books
PTSD Bookclub – My Story and Slaughterhouse-Five
A little bit about my experience and an introduction to this month’s reading: Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five. Continue reading PTSD Bookclub – My Story and Slaughterhouse-Five
A Hippocratic Oath for Data Science
An effort to create a code of ethics for data science was recently announced at the Data for Good Exchange. The stories I tell in Automating Inequality may offer some insight. Continue reading A Hippocratic Oath for Data Science
Notes on Class in America, Part 1
In the course of writing Automating Inequality, I’ve come to realize that how I talk about class in America can be counterintuitive for some readers. I thought it would be useful to start a conversation about class here before the book drops January 16. This might take a couple of posts…so let’s start with what seems … Continue reading Notes on Class in America, Part 1
Caseworkers vs. Computers
Caseworkers get a bad rap on both sides of the political spectrum. On one hand, they are unpopular with people who receive public assistance. Recipients and welfare rights advocates accuse them of making judgments based on racial and class bias, treating clients like criminals, and acting as if public assistance dollars are coming out of … Continue reading Caseworkers vs. Computers
Cuomo Criminalizes the Mentally Ill
While I am encouraged by attempts to stem the tide of the epidemic of gun violence in America, and welcome a vigorous conversation about how to support and provide resources for people struggling with mental illness in this country, I am horrified to near-speechlessness by the mental health provisions of the recent gun control legislation … Continue reading Cuomo Criminalizes the Mentally Ill
Poverty & High-Tech Billionaires
This winter finds me wrapped in a scarf of Dr. Who-ish proportions and immersed in archival research for my next book, The Digital Poorhouse: Computers, Public Services and American Citizenship. This month, I am looking into the design and implementation of the Welfare Management System (WMS) in New York State in the 1970s and 80s. … Continue reading Poverty & High-Tech Billionaires