The Roundup Top Ten for February 26, 2021
The Missing Piece of the Minimum Wage Debateby Colleen DoodyHistorical perspective on the origins of the federal minimum wage shows that critics of a $15 minimum ignore the positive economic effects of increased purchasing power. |
A Path to Citizenship for 11 Million Immigrants is a No-Brainerby A. K. Sandoval-StrauszThe 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act showed the effectiveness of a large-scale amnesty for undocumented immigrants and reflected a reasonable and pragmatic approach to normalizing the status of immigrants as workers and community members. It should be remembered as a success and a model. |
My Brother’s Keeperby Ada FerrerHistorian Ada Ferrer offers her own family history of separation and reunification around the Cuban revolution. |
What Counts, These Days, In Baseball?by David HenkinA cultural historian considers recent baseball controversies in light of new books on the sport, and concludes that ideas of fair competition have much more to do with our social context than fans acknowledge. |
A History of Technological Hypeby Victoria E.M. Cain and Adam LaatsThe history of education shows a series of episodes of hasty, ill-considered investment in hyped technologies that failed spectacularly. Will that history convince administrators to look (and research) before they take the next leap? |
What This Wave of Anti-Asian Violence Reveals About Americaby Anne Anlin ChengTrump could not have rallied the kind of hatred that he did without this country’s long history of systemic and cultural racism against people of Asian descent. |
QAnon and the Satanic Panics of Yesteryearby Daniel N. Gullotta"The perception of a Christian nation in religious freefall fits almost seamlessly with QAnon’s conviction that the United States is under spiritual assault." |
Spin Doctors Have Shaped the Environmental Debate for Decadesby Melissa AronczykE. Bruce Harrison shifted American business's response to the environmental movement from a posture of denial and refusal to one of strategic compromise that elevated industry's scientists to an authoritative position which has kept a brake on green reforms and regulation. |
Many Black Americans Aren’t Rushing to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine – A Long History of Medical Abuse Suggests Whyby Esther JonesAcknowledging this history is essential for public health authorities to gain trust. |
Rush Limbaugh Taught Republicans To Rageby Neil J. YoungEven from the perspective of today's degraded political culture that he helped bring about, Limbaugh's cruelty remains shocking. |