The best Social Sciences books: Reddit reviews

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I suggest reading A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America.

It goes over a lot of detail on this subject. How they took plurality power of the government in 1982, majority in 1992, and even now, still hold 2/3s of all government positions such as federal senate/house members, governors, and state house/senators (that number may have been lowered in the 2018 election, but they still hold the majority).

That we find it horrifying that the rich have too much control with the money in this country, yet, if you look at it, the Baby Boomer generation controls 70% of the disposable income & wealth in this country.

They're a generation which changed laws to help the young when they were young at the expense of their parents. They changed the laws to help the middle aged when they were middle aged at the expense of their children and parents (e.g. wanting to get rid of the estate tax when their parents generation started dying, and no way to declare bankruptcy for student loans anymore). And now that they're old, laws are being changed to help the old at the expense of the young (not so surprisingly, a lot of state government problems are due to pension issues, which just so happen to grandfather their generation into the huge pension payouts causing all the issues).

Baby boomers also didn't have to compete with women or people of color when it came to jobs or forging a prominent place in society. My boomer father talks often about how at the age of 18 they could get good, family supporting jobs by just walking into places off the street. I'm Gen-X with a millennial son and luckily I have parents that understand how different their reality was from the one kids are facing today.

A few years back a book was written about boomers called A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America. I heard the author interviewed and it was hard to argue some of his points.

> What a creepy little fucker. He gave me bad vibes the minute I met him. Goes to show that your intuition about people is right sometimes.

The Gift of Fear

Read it. Dead serious. It will change your perspective on your gut instincts.

It's partly a human thing, but I think it's gotten especially bad with the Boomers.

If you haven't already, I highly suggest you check out A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America

Try to get past the title, since the author tries quite hard to build an objective, data-driven case for how Baby Boomers have stood out in a fairly bad way compared to both their parents and children.

That is a very fast and nasty escalation -- and one that could have put you in more danger of being attacked by someone else.

Please be sure to let your boss know about this right away. As you said, you can't prove it was her, but is is pretty likely that it was. It would be wise to change your schedule. Given that your boss has already had to report your Nmonster to the police, your boss will likely want to help you do that. It would also be good to get a picture of your Nmom to the appropriate security folks at work so that they know the miscreant when they see her.

Given this incident, you would be wise to consider getting more protections for yourself in place.

You may also find this book useful The Gift of Fear.

Please take this escalation seriously and get your protections in place. One of the things that happens with ACONs is that our "Normal Meters" get broken and / or seriously skewed by decades of mistreatment by our NParents. Your buddy is freaked out for a reason. The other posters here are scared for you for a reason. If your nmom has escalated this fast and this maliciously, things aren't likely to quiet down.

Sending hugs (if you want them).

Edit: word

> people get thrown in jail for unpaid fines/fees and other minor violations in 13 states,

So is this a space where we can discuss the excellent book The New Jim Crow because it seems highly relevant.

As depressing as it is, I think we should already be something of a case study in what not to do. In particular, how to prevent another generation like the Baby Boomers from forming.

I know the generational shouting is tiring, but I highly suggest y'all check out <em>A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America</em>. Try to get past the title, since the author does their best to make objective statements and observations. They use piles of historical data to work through the medical diagnosis of Sociopathy, and it lines up depressingly well with the Boomer generation. All of that is wrapped up in the context of presenting an evidence of diagnosis to satisfy a trial's 'beyond a reasonable doubt' requirements.

If nothing else, it lays out a great, data-backed road-map for how we've gotten to where we are as a nation, and everything that's gone wrong on the way here. Tax policy shifts, infrastructure neglect, education failings, political party shifts, climate denial, and on and on and on. All within the context of why a large group of people more likely to be sociopaths than any other generation might make those decisions.

There is definitely a creep factor involved that has nothing to do with height/size. Some guys just exude it. In the book The Gift of Fear the author talks about subtle hints that your subconscious picks up on. Innocent guys just walking the path don't throw out any of those vibes, although women are wise to be cautious whenever or wherever.

Read this.

Or just Chomsky's essays on Vietnam, widely available for free online.

The US were the aggressors in a war of imperialism at first to maintain French colonial control of Indochina and then excused their Holocaust of Vietnamese civilians and combatants defending their homeland from bombs and genocide and torture with unverified notions of "domino theory" as part of a larger ideological war repeatedly used to excuse imperialism, torture, surveillance, genocide, repression, and domestic wealth disparity.

They engaged in widespread, consistent carpet-bombing, torture, repression, chemical and biological warfare, environmental destruction, Roman Plowing, and massacre on the people of South Vietnam. They installed a puppet regime and eliminated democracy and purged dissidents and civilians alike. They marched through destroyed villages and massacred the survivors after bombing them with millions of tonnes of bombs, far greater in a few years, than all the bombs dropped during WWII. Their environmental destruction is still devastating and lead to widespread famine and starvation and poverty.

Some reliable historians estimate 2 million Vietnamese died, or some figures have it at 1.5M. A great, great many were civilians and the combatants were defending their homeland against these atrocities, so they were also innocent. The war accomplished nothing but a communist victory in Vietnam and the US repeatedly broke their own peace agreements concluding the war. They pushed Vietnam into systemic, long-lasting poverty thereafter. The only thing the war accomplished was widespread suffering.

I have an anxious attachment style too, and initially I thought it was a bad thing. What I like about this theory is how non-judgmental it all is. Your needs are your needs. I NEED more security and validation from partners, so I NEED to look for someone who is capable of giving me that. Secures can do that, while avoidants cannot.

If this interests you at all, I HIGHLY recommend the book “Attached”

When I was 17-18, I had a job at a university bookstore. There was a man who came in a lot, a professor. He liked to hang around and talk to me about books, and one day he invited me to dinner. He was at least 20 years older than me, but I was in a new city and didn't know many people, so I went.

At the restaurant, I became increasingly uneasy. I still can't put my finger exactly on why, he didn't sleaze on me, but I found myself wanting to get away from him. In the end, I picked a fight (about feminism) and stormed out of the restaurant—I even made sure I stopped and paid for everything I had eaten. I did not want to feel any obligation to him.

I avoided him after that.

He became quite famous in my country after a few books he'd written—he was a criminologist, often interviewed in the news and quoted in articles. But every time I saw his name my hackles rose—and I still could not to this day tell you exactly why. It was "just a feeling".

And he kept getting more famous... until the day, about 2 years ago, when the headlines announced he had been arrested and charged for the sexual abuse and grooming of a girl under 12.

I heard there were others, but they were historical charges and prosecutors didn't think they could get a conviction.

Absolute creep.

Moral of the story: trust your instincts. I read Gavin de Becker's book The Gift of Fear some time after that incident and it made complete sense to me. I advise everyone, especially young women, to read it. It explains what it is your instincts are doing when they warn you, and how to learn to follow them and keep safe.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Gift-Fear-Gavin-Becker/dp/0440226198

For a deeper understanding of the War on Drugs as it pertains to the U.S. putting more of its citizens in prison than any other nation: The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander.

>More specifically, it's Disney lobbying very hard

Yes but lets not mince words here, there has been many times the government has been able to protect the public interest but didn't.

Our governments do not work like we think they do because we've been mis-educated.

Manufacturing consent:

https://www.amazon.com/Manufacturing-Consent-Political-Economy-Media/dp/0375714499/

Please please read: The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence . A relationship is "good" until it's not. Just like how you can feel healthy until you go to the doctor and they tell you're sick. Use your best judgement. Be safe.

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Reread your post. Can you see that he's trying to get his way regardless of your feelings? First he tried the "nice" way. I bet he also tried asking you for a baby. Then he tried telling you he wants a baby. Then he tried a guilt trip. Then he tried to dominate you. Then he HURT you and didn't let up until you agreed under force. OP, do not lie again. Do not say okay if you don't want a baby. You do not want to teach him (without meaning to) that he can get his way if he hurts you.

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Here's an amazon link for the book: https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Fear-Survival-Signals-Violence/dp/0440226198. Maybe someone else knows where to get a free PDF?

>I asked him to leave me alone, he didn’t. So I made up some bs story that I left something behind and ran back into work.

You did well.

The Gift of Fear

https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Fear-Survival-Signals-Violence/dp/0440226198

I want to validate that it’s upsetting and it does feel dangerous. You’re not being a crybaby, especially if this is the first time you have this type of attention on you. Unfortunately, it’s a rite of passage every woman goes through.

Take women self defense classes or seminars to learn how to look unapproachable. I also recommend reading “The Gift of Fear” by Gavin de Becker. Knowing that you can fight back is a powerful tool. By taking steps to protect yourself, you can feel safer.

Know that it is ok for you to be “rude”. No one is entitled to your time or your attention. My go to is to not answer or respond to attention. However, I will admit I don’t get that much attention as I’m not a conventional attractive woman so my methods may not work as well.

Taxi driver conversations: that could be mundane. You can turn it around. Give a vague reply, “the South Side” or even “I prefer to keep it private” and then ask them detailed questions so they talk about themselves. Or you can just ignore them and say you’ve had a long day. If they insist on asking you questions, then they’re being rude and intrusive.

Gaining weight as a defense mechanism is a common tactic but it has long term health consequences. I advise against it because healthcare is expensive (in the US). Also, gaining weight won’t prevent all violence against you. Being a woman comes with an inherent set of risks, regardless of size.

Random violence happens to everyone, regardless of looks, gender, or size. I don’t know the city you live in or what the circumstances are so I can’t say it will all be ok. At the same time, the world is less dangerous than the news or television shows portray. I stopped watching police procedural shows because I realized it made me paranoid to leave the house. I’ve traveled solo in US cities late at night and have been fine. I’ve also been groped in broad daylight.

It should be mandatory that everyone either read or watch the documentary Guns Germs and Steel. Because on the face of it it wouldnt be a unfair question to ask why did Europeans become the most advanced and dominated other cultures. Guns Germs and Steel lays out a rock solid case on and to sum up the answer comes down to Geography and timing not because of superiority of any race. But the answer is even more complicated then that... andv to sit there and argue with these knuckleheads with this long complicated arguments is pointless. It would be better if kids learn young about why these discrepancies exist so we can shut down those questions early on.

Public attitudes are shaped and driven by the media. If the public doesn't care, it's because we've spent years conditioning them not to care. If the public in general can't name many middle eastern cultures beyond "Muslim", that is very much the fault of the media.

If prominent newspapers started giving front page headlines to the plight of the Kurds, you'd certainly see a considerable public reaction, but right now the cycle is dominated by the anti-communist Hong-Kong protest coverage because it serves an agenda for the United States. Kurds being killed because the American government made the decision to abandon them? That's a bad look on America and the media won't give it nearly as much attention. See Manufacturing Consent on this dynamic.

The simple answer is that there is positive male media out there, just not Men As Men. Like, Batman is a dude. Groot is a dude. Ethan Hunt is a dude. All those are dudes doing cool dude shit as dudes.

The more complex answer is that, on a place like Medium, there's not a whole lot of value that's going to come out of broad "male defense". Like, what specifically are you looking for? "Congratulations on not catcalling women"? "Thanks, men, for generally existing without murdering people"?

Like it or not, humans tend to be negatively focused. It is probably an innate survival instinct. So you're going to get a dozen times as many "men, stop doing thing!" articles as you will "men, thanks for doing thing!" articles.

"Nothing happened", the word to finish that sentence is YET. while it's unknown exactly how the situation would of progressed if you hadn't left and gone to a safer location... if you feel it's dangerous that you are most likely right in your assessment. People are more perceptive than they realize.

Consider reading this book: The Gift of Fear

https://www.amazon.ca/Gift-Fear-Survival-Signals-Violence/dp/0440226198

Maybe flippin' them off wasn't the smartest move, but they were already focused on harassing you. You are not responsible at all for their sinister behaviour.

It was better to run that to stay, you made the right choice.

There can be a pack mentality of men egging other men on, an action they may not initiate on their own, they will take part in, or turn a blind eye to, when they're together.

I've seen it in girls and women too (pack cruelty), more with verbal bullying, rarely physical violence.

I’ve got politics, and almost only politics, on my mind. This is the last weekend before midterm elections on Tuesday. I am feeling a little freaked out.

I think many people are placing all of their hope on a blue wave. I know I am! But I’m worried we’ve been lulled into this false sense of security about how realistic a blue wave is. When in reality, voter suppression and gerrymandering and general lack of political involvement is going to make it REALLY hard for progressive candidates to actually win.

I think it’s really important to spread the word about voting, but merely telling people to vote can quickly turn into gaslighting for minorities (see: voter suppression, gerrymandering). A lot of people are touting the old sentiment that if you don’t vote you can’t complain, which totally glosses over the fact that for a lot of people, it’s really hard to vote. Progressive candidates are often working for those minority groups that face high levels of voter suppression, so I’m worried... We need the votes of the people that have a difficult time voting.

I really encourage everyone to take some active steps this weekend to engage in the election. I signed up to phonebank. I hate talking on the phone but it’s too important to sit back and let others do the work, so I’m making calls on behalf of Beto all day Saturday. If anyone else wants to take action, I suggest connecting with indivisible. I’m a person who posts political articles and memes on social media but is otherwise kind of quiet about politics... but moving into the last few days of the election, that feels like it is nowhere near enough.

Also I am currently reading this book and omg, I want every white person I know to read it. I am learning so much.

>Indulge me in the systemic injustices of the black community from the last 40-50 years after the civil rights movement ?

There are entire books you can read about this. Here's one: https://www.amazon.com/New-Jim-Crow-Incarceration-Colorblindness/dp/1595586431

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And then the rest of your post is just taking your incorrect premise and running with it.

Great book on this called "On Killing - the Psychological Costs of Learning to Kill in War and Society

On Killing - Amazon UK

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It explores killing in war through history and the effects, largely linked to proximity of the kill, had detrimental effects on the killer.

Some notable facts about the book that I can remember after reading it 10 years ago:

Knife/Bayonett kills, though exceptionally rare in more recent wars, had the most devastating effects. Soldiers cited as feeling a man's last breath had a big hurdle to climb.

American soldiers in WWII were exceptionally bad shots, especially when shooting Germans. Turns out most Americans didn't want to kill people, even during the heroic march to victory. All-time terrible percentage of shooting.

War attracts psychopaths and make up something like 5% of combatants who are out to kill and not the norm.

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If you are interested in this topic I highly recommend the book. Things I read have stayed with me and it never surprises me how much this topic comes up in conversation.

Also, good book on subject:

A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America

>In A Generation of Sociopaths, Gibney examines the disastrous policies of the most powerful generation in modern history, showing how the Boomers ruthlessly enriched themselves at the expense of future generations.

>Acting without empathy, prudence, or respect for facts--acting, in other words, as sociopaths--the Boomers turned American dynamism into stagnation, inequality, and bipartisan fiasco. The Boomers have set a time bomb for the 2030s, when damage to Social Security, public finances, and the environment will become catastrophic and possibly irreversible--and when, not coincidentally, Boomers will be dying off.

I really really recommend reading Manufacturing Consent to anyone who hasn't. Its as relevant today as when it was written. One of its focuses is on New York Times: https://www.amazon.com/Manufacturing-Consent-Political-Economy-Media/dp/0375714499 or however the heck you read books. I don't think Noam would give a crap if you pirate it.

Prof. Chomsky literally co-wrote the book on how the media is used by the ruling class to get the public to buy into the establishment narrative.

Give this book a read. https://www.amazon.com/Manufacturing-Consent-Political-Economy-Media/dp/0375714499

You didn’t mess up or freeze! Your actions show that you were ridiculously aware given the circumstances (tried to call 911 first before reaching for your firearm), and something in your gut, your instinct, stopped that trigger finger unless you absolutely HAD to. You would have pulled if he attacked you, but you waited until the absolute last possible second to decide whether to take a life, and that shows courage and really trusting your instincts and your training. There was probably a little spark in your brain somewhere that said "If he really was going to attack me he'd already be doing it, not standing there taunting me." (If you haven't read The Gift of Fear, do.) Nobody died or went to the hospital, and you get to sleep in your own bed. That was the best possible outcome you could have had. Don't wish you could go back and do it over again and shoot someone... as traumatizing as having a psycho bathrobe ninja fall out of your ceiling is, that would be far worse for your mental health.

> The net is that the article isn’t really about DC or the protesters, but rather to raise awareness about the reliability of video as a medium and how we should be critical consumers in this viral video age.

And take it one step further, with a sprinkling of Chomsky salt: the media has an agenda and they will do their best to exploit cherrypicking of video, text, audio, etc. to tell their own narrative. Viral videos are certainly dangerous since there's no level of editorial oversight. But even editors at large corporate media see their "wall" between content and business broken down to spin stories a certain way. The most common tool is "lie by omission" since it technically isn't lying or dirty. In fact, it's even similar to the original Lincoln Memorial video.

edit: I realize a book isn't the most accessible source for /r/neutralnews, but the wikipedia article does a decent enough job summarizing the main topics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_Consent

> Colton said he didn't view it racially

Using racially charged terms and then saying, "No, I didn't mean it in a racist way," is the hallmark of racists (SEE: Donald Trump). No one self-identifies as a racist. They see their views as justified because they aren't against a particular race; they're against crime, poverty, drugs, etc. The main problem is, they overlook that behavior in the majority groups they belong to. White frat boys doing coke at a college party are just kids having fun, but black people doing crack in a poor neighborhood are violent criminals. Colton wouldn't have labeled a struggling white stand-up comedian as ghetto, so let's stop pretending like him calling Bill ghetto isn't racist.

tl;dr Colton is a racist.

EDIT: If anyone's interested in looking into this topic more, The New Jim Crow is a great book about how racism has evolved since the days of "Whites Only" water fountains and segregated schools.

NTA. It's better to be rude than dead. Women are taught to be overly polite and worry more about someone else's comfort than their own. You are allowed to behave and feel however you like. Anyone who tells you that you shouldn't feel a certain way is deluded or trying to manipulate you.

Never let anyone talk you into giving someone a chance that you are not interested in dating. You are not required to go on a date with someone just because they ask. You get a vote-- and no one else.

You can break up with someone for any reason- it doesn't have to be some imaginary "good enough" reason.

Digital stalking is still stalking. Physical abuse is not the only kind of abuse.

Read "The Gift of Fear." It's the manual on how to stay safe and recognize when your gut has it right.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0440226198/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_PJB8SJW18H7JP5ZMPXEK

You own your feelings and choices. Do not let a committee run your life.