Shows
Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tTwo Sociologists Walk Into a Bar...Raul Perez drops by to talk about this new book, The Souls of White Jokes: How Racist Humor Fuels White Supremacy. Raúl Pérez is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of La Verne, and was previously an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Denver. His scholarship has been awarded and supported by the American Sociological Association, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, the University of California Center for New Racial Studies, the Working Class Studies Association, and the American Humor Studies Association. His research has been published in journals such as American Behavioral Sci...2022-09-051h 28Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tBuilding Downtown Los Angeles in Their Image!Join Dr. Leland Saito and I as we discuss his new book "Building Los Angeles; The Politics of Race and Place in Urban America. It is a tale of displacement, gentrification, race, place, and resistance. Dr. Leland Saito grew up in Boyle Heights, and then Montebello. Montebello is right next to Monterey Park, and the changes in that city in the 1980s as it went from White to Latino and Asian American, sparked his interest and became his dissertation and first book. He went to East Los Angeles Community College and UC Berkeley for his BA...2022-08-2252 minSociologists Talking Real Sh*tSouth Central Dreams: Finding Home and Building Community in South L.AJoin Dr. Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo and me as we discuss race and space in historic South Central Los Angeles. Don't believe the hype; this is a story of not just pain and desperation but one of love, hope, and cooperation. Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo is the Florence Everline Professor of Sociology at USC Dornsife, where she has worked for thirty years. As a qualitative sociologist who relies on interviews and ethnography, Los Angeles and Southern California have provided a rich social setting for developing a research trajectory spanning four areas: Gender and migration; informal sector work in the immigrant city; re...2022-03-271h 17Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tBlack to the Future: Our Black History Month SpecialIt's Black History Month; Myron Strong joins me in discussing race in Reality TV, Sci-Fi, comics, and Afrofuturism. Myron T. Strong is an award-winning sociologist, who is currently an Associate Professor of Sociology at the Community College of Baltimore County in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated with his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of North Texas in 2014. His research explores Afrofuturism, race, gender and other social factors in modern comics and popular culture. In 2019, he won the Eastern Sociological Society Barbara R. Walters Community College Faculty Award for his article "The Emperor Has New Clothes: How Outsi...2022-02-011h 26Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tGuns, Vigilantism, and Racism; more American than Apple Pie!Join Dr. David Embrick and me as we discuss the Rittenhouse and Ahmaud Abery cases, vigilantes, masculinity, and guns. In other words, it's an All-American podcast! Dr. David G. Embrick holds a joint position as Associate Professor in the Sociology Department and African Studies Institute at the University of Connecticut. Prior to UConn, he spent a decade at Loyola University Chicago as faculty in the Sociology Department. He received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in 2006. He is a former American Sociological Association Minority Fellow; Past-President of the Southwestern Sociological Association; current Vice President of th...2021-12-221h 12Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tTrust and Why We Lack ItDana Williams and I discuss "trust." In particular, we discuss the trust of government, science, the vaccine, and each other. For good measure, we threw in a conversation on anarchy. Join us! Dana Williams is an associate professor of sociology at California State University, Chico. He is the author of Black Flags and Social Movements: A Sociological Analysis of Movement Anarchism and co-author of Anarchy & Society: Reflections on Anarchist-Sociology, as well as the author or co-author of over 30 research articles and book chapters on topics ranging from aging and longevity in radical movements, attitudes towards police violence, Cri...2021-10-311h 12Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tOne Sociologist's Journey Through In Vitro FertilizationJoin Karen Sabbah and me as we discuss her personal experiences with IVF. We discussed the meanings of motherhood, costs, and tribulations of In Vitro Fertilization. Karen Sabbah holds an MA in sociology from Califonia State University Northridge (2015) and has worked as an adjunct in the Los Angeles Community College District and College of the Canyons since 2016. She teaches courses in crime, human sexuality, gender, and race & ethnicity. Her focus in graduate school was on human sexuality and gender. Her thesis was titled "Dare to Derby: A Story of the Discovery of Empowerment through Roller Derby and Co...2021-10-181h 09Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tMind-Ya! Men Keep Creating More and More Draconian Abortion Laws Oppressing Women!Returning guests Celene Fuller, Tiffany Lanoix, and Rebecca Romo join me to discuss the new anti-abortion law in Texas. Celene Fuller is a doctoral candidate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and specializes in the sociological subfields of gender and sexuality and social psychology, emphasizing stigmatized sexual and gender identities. Celene’s dissertation research centers on the experiences of sexual and reproductive health stigma surrounding access to abortion and reproductive healthcare in Nevada. She is currently working with several nonprofit organizations to conduct sociological research that may be used to support and influence policies aimed at incre...2021-09-2056 minSociologists Talking Real Sh*tF-That Rise and Grind!Jake Alimahomed-Wilson and Julio Tsuha discuss the hesitancy for workers to get back to their jobs, quality of life issues, and a crack in capitalism. Jake Alimahomed-Wilson is a Professor of Sociology at California State University, Long Beach. His research focuses on race, gender, labor, logistics, and global workers’ struggles. He is the co-editor of The Cost of Free Shipping: Amazon in the Global Economy (Pluto Press, 2020 and co-editor of Choke Points: Logistics Workers Disrupting the Global Supply Chain (Pluto Press, 2018). He is the author of Solidarity Forever? Race, Gender, and Unionism in the Ports of Southern Calif...2021-08-2446 minSociologists Talking Real Sh*tClearly We're Not PenguinsJoin Celene Fuller and me as we discuss alternatives to monogamy. Professor Fuller breaks down open relationships and polyamory. Celene Fuller is a doctoral candidate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and specializes in the sociological subfields of gender and sexuality and social psychology, emphasizing stigmatized sexual and gender identities. Celene’s dissertation research centers on the experiences of sexual and reproductive health stigma surrounding access to abortion and reproductive healthcare in Nevada. She is currently working with several nonprofit organizations to conduct sociological research that may be used to support and influence policies aimed at increasing access to re...2021-07-271h 19Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tWhere My White Allies At?Dr. Paul E Calarco Jr. joins me to discuss COVID vaccinations, being a White ally, and so much more. Paul is a Ph.D. sociologist with a specialization in gender, he has dedicated the majority of his academic career to addressing inequality and through his true passion lecturing undergraduates, attempting to elicit social change through expanding their minds, unblocking their creativity and imagination, and making them sharper, more mindful citizens.2021-07-191h 00Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tRefusing Death: Immigrant Women and the Fight for Environmental Justice in LANadia Kim joins me to discuss her new book "Refusing Death: Immigrant Women and the Fight for Environmental Justice in LA." We talk about the central role that courageous Asian and Latinx immigrant women play in the environmental justice movement in Los Angeles. Nadia Y. Kim is Professor of Sociology and of Asian & Asian American Studies at Loyola Marymount University. Her research focuses on nativist racism with respect to Korean/Asian Americans, South Koreans, Latinx groups (esp. women), Los Angeles, and environmental racism and classism. Throughout her work, Kim’s approach centers (neo)imperialism, transnationality, and intersectionality. Kim i...2021-07-121h 07Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tUnconventional CombatDr. Michael Messner joins me to discuss his new book "Unconventional Combat: Intersectional Action in the Veterans’ Peace Movement." We discuss the way in which veterans who are women, racial, and sexual minorities have affected the military and the Veterans for Peace movement. We also discuss how these transformations serve as a cautionary tale to all social justice movements. Michael Messner is a professor of sociology and gender studies at the University of Southern California. He has been honored with the Pursuit of Justice Award from the California Women’s Law Center for his research and advocacy for gir...2021-07-051h 12Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tTrying Not to Pass on the Sins of the FatherProfessor Renato Jimenez and I talk about our relationships with our fathers and sociology and how it shapes us as men and fathers. Renato Jimenez is an associate professor of sociology at East Los Angeles College. He identifies as a 1.5 generation immigrant from Guatemala. Renato was raised in Santa Ana, California, attended Santa Ana College, UC Irvine (B.A. Sociology), and CSU Fullerton (M.A. Sociology). His research interests include sociology of families, sociology of sports, gender, sex and sexuality, and racially/ethnic identities. He teaches the only class offered in the LACCD on masculinities entitled Issues o...2021-06-271h 10Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tShe's Got Next! Women and SportsDr. Nicole Wilms and I discuss women in sports, transgender women’s participation in sports, and the attack on critical race theory. Nicole Willms received her B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology and Spanish from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Virginia. She later completed her studies at the University of Southern California, where she received her Master's and Ph.D. in Sociology, with a certificate in Gender Studies. Willms' research focuses on the intersection of gender and race in American Sports. Her 2017 book, When Women Rule the Court: Gender, Race, and Japanese American Basketball, explores a community cont...2021-06-051h 20Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tConversation with Our Grandmother: A discussion of White Male Thought in the "Classics" with the Grandmother of all Disciplines, PhilosophyJoin me in a reflexive conversation with Dr. Cara Gillis on the cannons of philosophy and sociology, teaching our disciplines to working-class students of color and women kicking men's ass in sports! Dr. Cara Gillis is a philosopher who specializes in ethics, particularly in the areas of animal ethics, environmental ethics, and the problem of harm. She’s currently examining the relationship between moral psychology and motivation as it applies to biocentric and ecocentric conceptions of environmental ethics. She received a BA in philosophy from the University of Western Ontario, MAs in philosophy from Cal State Long Beac...2021-05-1758 minSociologists Talking Real Sh*tTrimming the Bad Branches off the Rotten Tree of Law Enforcement!Join Dr. Rashawn Ray and me as we discuss how we actually get police reform. Will the conviction of Derek Chauvin bring reform? How do we not just hold police officers responsible but the policing system itself accountable? If we cant pull the rotten tree of policing up at the roots, how do we begin to trim its rotten branches? 2021-04-2642 minSociologists Talking Real Sh*t"Cancel Culture 2," this time its personal!Robert Wonser and I reopen our conversation about the Republican Party's war on “cancel culture." We ask why now and how we can reach across the ideological rift. Robert Wonser has been teaching sociology since 2006. He earned his BS in Business Administration with an option in Marketing and his MA in Sociology from California State University, Northridge. He is an Associate Professor of Sociology at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, CA. He teaches numerous sociology classes and is one of the coordinators for COC's Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. His research interests include cult...2021-04-191h 05Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tPlan for the People and Not the Investors!Former Los Angels and Seattle City Planner Dick Platkin and I discuss how cities ignore the reports of their own city planners to the benefit of real estate developers, dealing with the homeless crisis, and the lack of low income affordable housing. Dick Platkin is a retired Los Angeles city planner with graduate degrees in city planning (University of Washington) and sociology (University of California Los Angeles). Since retiring from the City of Los Angeles, he taught undergraduate classes at University of Southern California and California State University Northridge. He also worked for community groups in Los Ang...2021-04-121h 09Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tWomen of Color Catching Hell and Still Putting It Down!Dr. Sabrina Alimahomed-Wilson joins me to discuss the Matrix of Gendered Islamophobia, why we shouldn't call those who stormed the capitol on January 6th terrorists, and the relationship of gender, war, and imperialism to the shootings of the Asian women in Georgia. Dr. Sabrina Alimahomed-Wilson is an Associate Professor of Sociology at California State University, Long Beach. She has published her research in various journals including Gender and Society, Critical Sociology, Race and Class, and Women, Gender, and Families of Color on the topics of gendered Islamophobia and state violence, racialized surveillance and counterterrorism, capitalism and the p...2021-03-291h 14Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tThe Ties that Bind!I discuss the rise in hate crimes towards Asians and the Georgia killings with community/labor organizer Seo Yun Son and Professor of Sociology Julio Tsuha. We examine racist stereotyping of Asians, the model minority myth, racial triangulation, and the umbrella of White supremacy that binds all people of color.Seo Yun Son (she/they) is an artist and community/labor organizer living in Los Angeles, California. She received her BFA in Fine Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles and is an organizer at amwa, Ktown For Black Lives, and AFT 1521. Julio Tsuha is...2021-03-221h 21Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tIt's Women's History Month!Join Professor Sheryl Nomelli and I as we give the sisters their due. We talk about a few of her favorite female historical figures, sociologist/activist the historical Jane Addams, Anita Hill, Hill's connection to Joe Bidden, and the #metoo movement. Professor Sheryl Nomelli returned to college as a re-entry student at the age of 30, earning her undergrad degree in History, with a minor in Women’s Studies, from California Lutheran University. She completed her MA in History with a focus on Southern and Women’s history at California State University, Northridge. Her graduate research focused on the uniqu...2021-03-151h 16Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tOver There has Everything to do with Over Here!Dr. Yousef Baker joins me to discuss the effects of the Iraq War on the Iraqi people, the Iraqi Narratives Project and anti-Muslim racism and its connection to larger national and global issues, including racial projects right here in the United States. Dr. Yousef K. Baker is an assistant professor in the International Studies Program currently at California State University, Long Beach. He is also the co-director of the Global Middle East Studies Program. Dr. Baker’s career both as a student and an educator have been in California’s public education system, graduating from LAUSD, finishing his B...2021-03-081h 05Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tDrug Wars, Gentrification, and the Public IntellectualTomorrow (February 22) on https://www.sociologiststalkingrealshit.com/podcast: Join Tanya Golash-Boza and I as we talk about the role of the drug war in the gentrification of Washington DC, being a public intellectual, "Get a Life PhD Blog" (yes, it is possible for an academic to have a life), and the intersection of scholarship and activism. Tanya Golash-Boza is the founder of the Racism, Capitalism, and the Law Lab and a Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Merced. She is a prolific scholar, with several published books and dozens of academic articles and book chapters. S...2021-02-221h 11Sociologists Talking Real Sh*t“"Once in a While There are Rainbows:” The Thoughts and Actions of an Activist IntellectualI sit down with activist intellectual Dr. Jose Zapata Calderon. We discuss the roots of migration and Biden’s proposed Immigration policies, community engaged scholarship, multiracial coalitions, and in the end some sound solutions for inequality. 2021-02-151h 50Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tIt's Black History Month! We talk Black History, including the Historical Du BoisJoin Historian, Professor Christopher Strickland and I as we discuss the Wilmington insurrection of 1898, Du Bois feud with Marcus Garvey, Black Power, Black Sisters leading the way, and so much more. 2021-02-081h 03Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tThe Tragedy of HeterosexualityDr. Jane Ward and I talk about her interesting and provocative book The Tragedy of Heterosexuality. Dr. Ward discusses heterosexuality's central role in misogyny, patriarchy, and and why heterosexuals are the ones you should feel sorry for. In the end Dr. Ward does not want to end the practice of heterosexuality but rather suggests what she refers to as "deep heterosexuality" in its place. Her book is a letter of love to her heterosexual sisters and plea for heterosexual men to "be better" and love women truly and deeply. 2021-02-011h 33Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tUnapologetically Eduardo Bonilla-Silva!What do you get when a tenured Community College professor sits down with one of sociology’s most influential and unapologetic academics…honest talk about real sh*t. Join Dr. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva (author of Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America) and I for a very candid and important conversation. We talk about the real danger to racial equality in the United States (hint: they don't wear hoods), if we can get leftist politics out of the Biden Administration, racist academia and much more. 2021-01-251h 45Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tGetting Real with Dr. Jackson: Being Black in America, Race, Gender, Social Movements, Gentrification, COVID, and revitaliving the Ghetto.I sit down with Dr. Christina Jackson, coauthor (with Enobong Hannah Branch) of "Black in America." Among the topics we discuss are Black Women's leadership in social movements, gentrification, the Black middle class, and revitalizing the ghetto. 2021-01-181h 18Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tWhiteness is a Hell of a Drug: Trying to understand the Capitol Hill Insurrection.Dr. Jake Alimahomed-Wilson, Dr. Sabrina Alimahomed-Wilson, and Dr. Rebecca Romo join me to discuss the January 6th insurrection. We discuss the events, whiteness, masculinity, and the agitator in chief Donald Trump. Great conversation and fresh insights, join us. 2021-01-111h 28Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tKarens: White Women, Race, and TumpDr. Stephanie Nawyn and I discuss some White women's unwavering support of Trump and the Republican party, why do White when choose their race interests over their gendered interest, Karens, getting White women to the cookout, and the future of White women's politics. 2021-01-041h 15Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tNew Years Eve Special: It's all about BeerA lighthearted but serious look at "Beer Snobbery." Join sociologists and "beer geeks" Mike Chavez, Yanira Fuentes, and I as we talk about craft beer, Hipsters, gentrification, navigating White spaces, and are we now the benevolent gentrifiers? Happy New Year everyone! 2020-12-291h 30Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tOur Christmas Special: Was Jesus a communist?My guests, Dr. Chuck O'Connell and Dr. Raul Perez join me to discuss, socialism, communism, democratic socialism and their differences. We also ask the question was Jesus a communist? Join us and happy holidays. 2020-12-222h 14Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tYou got Biden, but what now for the progressive leftDr. Mike Chavez joins me to talk about what does the progressive left do now that we elected Biden, union organizing, education, nazis, and republicans class consciousness. Yeah I was surprised by that last one myself. 2020-12-1458 minSociologists Talking Real Sh*t"Neighbors we're willing to sacrifice"...Arturo "Tootie" AlvarezDr. Rogelio Saenz and I talk Latina/o/x and their high rates of COVID infection. We also discuss why Latina/o/x may have voted for Trump and the future of Latina/o/x politics. 2020-12-071h 05Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tCelebrating a Milestone, Our First Woman VP and its Long Overdue!I celebrate this historic moment with Professor Samantha Jones, Dr. Glenda Flores, and Dr. Lata Murti. We talk about what this meant to women of color, multiracial identity, the squad, white women at the cookout, and how the future is feminine. 2020-11-301h 05Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tThankstaking Day Special! Celebrating a MassacreJoin Kimberly Huyser and I as we honor those whose land we live on, the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Kimberly talks about being Navajo, COVID's effect on Indigenous communities, Uranium Minds on Indigenous land, and cultural appropriation! 2020-11-2355 minSociologists Talking Real Sh*tCancel Culture, Batman, and ZombiesThis week, Professor Robert Wonser drops by to talk about what is "cancel culture" and how it gets used by the political right and the left. We throw in a conversation about lessons from the vigilante Batman and what zombie stories tell us about pandemics. We finish by discussing the importance of media literacy. 2020-11-161h 01Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tRace Matters and so does gender, sexuality, class...Returning guest, Tiffany Lanoix and I discuss what is intersectionality and how useful it is to understanding oppression, privilege, and social movements. Since this episode was recorded when Trump caught COVID we do discuss "the lefts" crocodile tears around his illness. 2020-11-0958 min
MINDSETSHIFT with Mickey Feher#16 with James McKeever on Breaking Bad or Breaking Out?Is there really a birth lottery in life? How do you choose between "breaking bad" or breaking out? You will learn from this episode how James McKeever was able to break free from the jail of poverty and how he chose purposeful work over violence and crime. We talk about the power and relevance of race, the role of mentors and family and what it takes to change your personal history when your parent’s legacy is dragging you done rather than propelling you upward. James has a long history of involvement in social justice work. He has worked fo...2020-11-0544 minSociologists Talking Real Sh*tElection Boogaloo: Pre-Election SpecialI kick it with my partner Dr. Rebecca Romo and two of my colleagues from our History Department, Citlali Sosa-Riddell and Brian Walsh. We joke, laugh, and get deadly serious about the upcoming election. A little levity to try to lighten up these stressful times. 2020-11-011h 31Sociologists Talking Real Sh*t"For when two [Armenians] meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - William SaroyanThis week I sit down with three of my Armenian colleagues Garineh Avakian, Yeprem Davoodian, and Eddie Tchertchian, to discuss the history of the Armenia, the Armenian genocide, resistance, resilience, and the current conflict in Armenia and Azerbaijan. 2020-10-251h 30Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tAs Tupac would say "It's black love, brown pride, and the sets again"Dr. Cid Martinez drops by to discuss his book "The Neighborhood Has Its Own Rules: Latinos and African Americans in South Los Angeles." Join us as we talk about "alternative governance," violence's role in shaping identity, and Black/Brown relations. Forget your preconceived notions on the topic, its a pretty positive episode. 2020-10-191h 26Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tTrippin Across the PondSociologists Talking Real Shit goes international as we take a trip across the Atlantic to chop it up with Dr. Steve Garner. We discuss Brexit, COVID19, race, and how England and the US were both trippin, ending up with Boris and Trump.2020-10-121h 14Sociologists Talking Real Sh*tGrowing Up and Throwin Down!This is as real as shit gets. My sister, Marilynn McKeever, and I share our experiences growing up in a highly dysfunctional family. Issues of race, gender, gang banging, abuse, violence, alcoholism, drugs and more are all on the table. Believe it or not this is the PG 13 version, but it may be difficult to listen to for some. These type of family secrets are far too common and this story needed to be told. 2020-10-051h 38