Author Archives: David S. Meyer

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About David S. Meyer

Author and professor of Sociology and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine

Resurrecting immigration reform and recalling the DREAMers

Only a small part of any comprehensive immigration reform proposal that the Senate considers will address the Dreamers, young people brought without papers to the United States as children, but the revival of immigration reform is directly attributable to their … Continue reading

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Martin Luther King Day (2013): The advantages of dead heroes

(Today’s presidential inauguration lands on the Martin Luther King Day holiday.  This is a repost on the no-longer contested King holiday.) Martin Luther King died young enough and dramatically enough to be turned into an American hero, but it was … Continue reading

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Guns across America

Opponents of any new restrictions on guns turned up at every state capital on Saturday, some carrying weapons where they were allowed to do so.  The demonstrators were peaceful and law-abiding, by all accounts, but some suggested they might not … Continue reading

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Gun Appreciation Day and Martin Luther King’s birthday

When an interviewer asked Larry Ward, a conservative media strategist, about the appropriateness of scheduling “Gun Appreciation Day” on January 19th, the holiday commemorating Martin Luther King, Ward was quick on his feet, if not particularly sure-footed.  Martin Luther King … Continue reading

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Threat, polarization, and mobilization in the gun debate

Until just a few weeks ago, the notion of a policy-relevant debate about access to guns seemed fanciful.  Supporters of relatively easy access to firearms of all sorts were resolute, and advocates of limits of any kind were either silent … Continue reading

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Occupy in Steubenville, Ohio

Activists in Ohio–and elsewhere–have grabbed the Occupy label to demonstrate their concern that Steubenville authorities (including the police and the high school football coaching staff) are covering up a sexual assault.  Using Occupy, Anonymous, the Guy Fawkes mask, hacktivist tools, … Continue reading

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Meme war: Kalle Lasn keeps pitching

More than a year past the start of Occupy, Kalle Lasn of Adbusters has been pushing an anti-consumerist campaign, Buy Nothing Day.  Because of Lasn’s charm and media savvy, and because of Occupy, the campaign got some mainstream attention, but … Continue reading

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NRA digs the bunker deeper

In a surprise holiday gift to advocates of gun control, National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre called for armed guards in the nation’s schools.  It was a bizarre speech (read it here) and an odd departure from the … Continue reading

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Creating a debate on gun laws

Gun control advocates are trying to invigorate the long-ossified debate on national gun laws in the United States.  This means filling the moment of public attention caused by the mass shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut. Public demonstrations are … Continue reading

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Making sense of tragic events

The first few shots fired by a young man to kill his mother–who owned the gun–would not have broken through the orchestrated silence on gun control.  The movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colorado didn’t, nor did a pointed question at … Continue reading

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