“Gentrification’s insidious violence: The truth about American cities”

“What is distinctively ‘American’ is not necessarily the amount or kind of violence that characterizes our history,” Richard Slotkin writes, “but the mythic significance we have assigned to the kinds of…

“Envy Up, Scorn Down: How Comparison Divides Us” [a psychology study]

“Our collective belief is that America offers opportunity, so the system is fair. In a meritocracy, people get what they deserve. The…

“The Case Against Sharing”

“Across the U.S., high costs of living are driving more of the employed toward “side hustles,” i.e. unprotected freelance work, the kind fostered by the sharing economy… The sharing economy’s success is inextricably tied to the economic recession, making new American poverty…

“No College Left Behind: Randy Best’s Money-Making Mission To Save Higher Education”

““The whole idea of exclusiveness, as if it’s some kind of virtue to turn down large numbers of students, seems like a moral dilemma for a public institution, doesn’t it?” he asks, eyebrows arched. “They do consider it a virtue. But turning…

“The Cost of Kale: How Foodie Trends Can Hurt Low-Income Families”

“Whether it’s the fetishization of hole-in-the-wall restaurants, twerking, or Sriracha, the gentrification cycle has birthed the momentary relevance of countless ideas and materials. Their blip on the mainstream radar is at once both novel and tragic…

“High-tech’s service workers are a growing underclass”

“they are not on the payroll at Apple, Facebook or Google, companies famous for showering their workers with six-figure salaries, stock options and perks.
Instead they are employed by outside contractors. And they say the bounty from the technology boom is not trickling…

“Uncovered Papers Show Past Government Efforts to Drive Gays From Jobs”

“Memos like Mr. Steele’s, and formerly classified documents on an F.B.I. program called Sex Deviate, provide stark evidence of how for decades the government considered gay men and women to be immoral, and not to be trusted with even the most mundane…

“The invisible minority”

“While Princeton awaits this change in admissions policy, student groups are joining forces to reshape the way we look at the low-income experience and create a sustained base of understanding and support. The University is actively advocating these efforts, and nationally actions are being taken to…

“Barack Obama cracks down on for-profit colleges”

“The new regulation, which would take effect in 2016, would flag programs as weak if their graduates’ average loan payments ate up 8 percent or more of their total earnings or 20 percent or more of their discretionary earnings. They would also be flagged if the default rate…

“This Fugitive Life”

“Children in the neighborhood played games of chase in which one child played the role of the cop. The child would push the other child down on the ground and stick his hands in imaginary handcuffs: “I’m going to lock you up! I’m going to lock you up, and you ain’t never coming home!” I once saw a…