A Walmart employee puts Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD on the rack prior to the midnight release at Walmart on March 6, 2014 in Orange, California.
Years ago, I had a student foolishly say in class that “sociology is just opinion.” Needless to say, I disabused him of that “opinion” quickly. The social sciences (including sociology and anthropology) are disciplines that get to the reality behind opinions – and also explain why people hold those opinions in the first place.
Here’s an example: Hollywood movies are much more likely to feature men than women. The movie industry justifies this discrimination by claiming that movies about men make more money than movies about women. But is this economic truth or sexist rationalization?
Check out this article from one of Carolyn Hsu’s favorite blogs, FiveThirtyEight.com:
The Dollar-And-Cents Case Against Hollywood’s Exclusion of Women