Author: TheConversation

Archaic and often racist Supreme Court cases dating back to 1901 still rule over millions of Americans

By Eric Bellone, Associate Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies, Suffolk University The 4 million inhabitants of five United States territories, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Northern Marianas Islands, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, do not have the full protection of the Constitution, because of a series of Supreme Court cases dating back to 1901 that are based on archaic, often racist language and reasoning. No U.S. citizen living in any of those places can vote for president. They do not have a voting representative in Congress, either. But this inferiority is inconsistent. Puerto Ricans are American citizens...

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Ambition vs. Public Good: Our founding freedom was not meant to allow people do whatever they want

By Maurizio Valsania, Professor of American History, Università di Torino President Joe Biden has mandated vaccines for a large part of the American workforce, a requirement that has prompted protest from those opposed to the measure. Meanwhile, a similar move in New York City to enforce vaccinations has resulted in more than a dozen businesses’ being fined for flouting the rules. The basic idea behind the objections: Such mandates, which also extend to requirements to wear masks and quarantine if exposed to COVID-19, are a breach of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which states that “no state shall make or...

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No perfect time: Why a lingering stain of homophobia has kept major league baseball in the closet

By Peter Dreier, E.P. Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics, Occidental College In his 1990 autobiography, “Behind the Mask: My Double Life in Baseball,” Dave Pallone, a gay major league umpire who was quietly fired in 1988 after rumors about his sexual orientation circulated in the baseball world, contended that there were enough gay major league players to create an All-Star team. Since then, attitudes and laws about homosexuality have changed. High-profile figures in business, politics, show business, education, the media, the military and sports have come out of the closet. Athletes in three of the five major U.S. male...

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Día de los Muertos: How commercialization has transformed the Day of the Dead holiday

By Mathew Sandoval, Lecturer in Culture & Performance, Arizona State University As a Mexican-American who celebrates Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, at the end of October and beginning of November, I have noted an increasing concern the past several years that the holiday is becoming more commercialized. Indeed, for those who hold the holiday sacred, it’s jarring to see the extent to which it’s now mass-marketed. The evidence is everywhere. The holiday aisles of Target are stuffed with cheap Day of the Dead crafts during October. Halloween stores sell Day of the Dead costumes....

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Halloween 2021: Simple safety tips to minimize risks from the Delta variant while trick-or-treating

By Meg Sorg, Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing, Purdue University The air is getting chillier, pumpkins are perched on porches, and kids across the country are planning their spooky costumes. As a professor of pediatric nursing and a mom to four young children, I know the excitement and anxiety that pandemic holidays bring to children and parents alike. Halloween 2020 brought creative ways to trick or treat while minimizing the spread of infection (candy catapult, anyone?). But scientists have since determined that the risk of transmission of COVID-19 via candy wrappers is low. Still, the extremely contagious delta variant...

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The Great Vampire Epidemic: How the myth of Dracula was born from disease and folklore

By Stanley Stepanic, Assistant Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of Virginia The vampire is a common image in today’s pop culture, and one that takes many forms: from Alucard, the dashing spawn of Dracula in the PlayStation game “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night” to Edward, the romantic and idealistic lover in the “Twilight” series. In many respects, the vampire of today is far removed from its roots in Eastern European folklore. As a professor of Slavic studies who has taught a course on vampires called “Dracula” for more than a decade, I am always fascinated by the...

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