Culture Archives

Social Justice

The World’s Weird America: How Some of Our Most Popular Products Are Seen Overseas

Why David Hasselhoff and Baywatch hit it big in Germany, Mister Donut took off in Japan, and the ritual of Slurpee-filling is so different in Taiwan than in your local 7-Eleven.

Patrick Michels

Social Justice

Is Women’s Underwear a Form of Cultural Capital?

A researcher offers some lofty theories about some pretty basic observations.

Ryan Jacobs

Social Justice

Culture Creep: How and Why We Separate the Artist From the Art

Woody Allen married his stepdaughter, Coco Chanel slept with Nazis, and R. Kelly is a sexual predator, but our brains find a way to let us appreciate their art.

Jake Flanagin

Social Justice

Through a Data Set, Darkly

Is quantitative analysis the secret to understanding culture?

Jacob Silverman

Social Justice

Journalism Is Never Perfect: The Politics of Story Corrections and Retractions

Do reporters and editors have an obligation to get the story right—even if not the first time?

James McWilliams

Social Justice

Help, My Eyeball Is Bigger Than My Wrist!

Gender dimorphism in Disney's Frozen.

Philip N. Cohen

Social Justice

According to the U.S. Census, Jesus Was White

Unfortunately for Megyn Kelly, considering he died 2,000 years ago, that classification doesn't make much sense.

Daniel Luzer

Social Justice

Why Your Big Move to the Big City May Be Your Last

A new pair of studies helps to explain why city-dwellers seem to fall deeper in love with the urban environment the longer they spend there.

Eric Horowitz

Social Justice

The Psychology of Santa Claus

It's weird, isn't it? Parents lie to their kids about a mysterious, bearded gift-giver, only to set them up for inevitable heartbreak. Except, it's not so simple.

Sarah Sloat

Social Justice

When Cowboys Wore Pink

Up until the 1950s, pink was often considered a strong color and worn by both men and women.

Rebecca Hains