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

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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Tracing the progress of same sex marriage

Molly Ball’s excellent article in The Atlantic traces the development of the ongoing campaign for marriage equality.  Ball notes that 2012 was a watershed for the gay rights movement; after losing in state referenda 31 times, advocates of gay marriage … Continue reading

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Movement overreach in Michigan

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder blamed the unions when he signed legislation designed to devastate them.  He said that he had no intention of pursuing “right to work” legislation in his state, because it would be controversial and divisive.  The last … Continue reading

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Occupy outcomes: community, rhetoric, and law

The influence of successful social movements generally plays out over a longer time than the movements themselves. What happens afterwards is complicated and contingent, and activists aren’t always quick to claim credit for what they’ve done. Nationally, Occupy effected a … Continue reading

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The Tea Party versus the Republican Party (again)

The Republican Party in Congress is riven between legislators who want to represent their politics clearly and consistently and others who want to govern.  We often score the first group as acolytes of the Tea Party, but it’s a little … Continue reading

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December 1, 1955

Fifty-seven years ago today, Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama.  When local activists learned about her arrest, they organized a city-wide boycott and filed a lawsuit, kicking an emerging civil rights … Continue reading

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Naked truth; nude protests and the politics of attention

Obviously, she wasn’t armed. The story is that Lady Godiva rode through the streets of Coventry naked on a dare some time in the 11th century.  After repeatedly complaining to her husband, Leofric, who had imposed those taxes, she took … Continue reading

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Occupy Sandy and mutual aid

Piotr Kropotkin was an anarchist because he believed that absent government, people would help each other.  Born a Russian noble, Kropotkin renounced his title and spent his life as an activist and theorist, and proclaimed his allegiance to poor.  He … Continue reading

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