Council on Contemporary Families

CCF’s Weekly Media Roundup by Steve Mintz, January 21, 2019

CCF Briefing

  1. The Fight Over Men Is Shaping Our Political Future
  2.  #ThemToo
  3. Levels and Trends in Child Mortality Report 2018
  4. When Social Services Undermine Well-being
  5. Masculinity Isn’t a Sickness
  6. Overlooked No More: Isabelle Kelley, Who Developed a Food Stamp Program to Feed Millions
  7. 5 Takeaways From the Ancient DNA Research Story
  8. Thousands More Migrant Children Likely Taken From Families Than First Reported
  9. The Two Faces of Suicide
  10. Does Cannabis Use Cause Schizophrenia?
  11. MEET BOSTON’S VALEDICTORIANS
  12. What Does Socialism Have to Do with Sex?
  13. The marvel of the human dad
  14. Older Patients Are Not Returning as Often to Hospitals. Is That a Good Thing?
  15. How Tech Companies Manipulate Our Personal Data
  16. What’s So ‘Indecent’ About Female Pleasure?
  17. If You Don’t Think Your Office Is a War Zone You Are Fooling Yourself
  18. The Week in Tech: How Google and Facebook Spawned Surveillance Capitalism
  19. The Elderly and Driving: When Is It Time to Hit the Brakes?
  20. Women, How Do You Define Success?
  21. For California Drivers, Gender Is No Longer a Criteria for Car Insurance Rates
  22. When Affluent Families Dig Up Their Past
  23. What People Actually Say Before They Die
  24. It Used to Be Okay for Parents to Play Favorites
  25. How Individual Actions Affect Economic Inequality
  26. When It’s Time to Sell the Family Home
  27. The Fellowship of the Ring Finders
  28. How to get divorced without hating your ex or tearing your family apart
  29. How Abortion Law in New York Will Change, and How It Won’t
  30. Why progressives should stop avoiding men’s issues
  31. Psychologists want to change how they treat men. That’s a problem.
  32. Young Trans Children Know Who They Are
  33. The Unique Racial Dynamics of the L.A. Teachers’ Strike
  34. The Skeletons in Abusers’ Closets
  35. Older Women, Finding Contentment
  36. A Lack of Respect for the Working Class in America Today
  37. Seduction, Inc
  38. Why the construction trades are a draw for Gen Z
  39. Does online education live up to its promise? A look at the evident and implications for federal policy
  40. Lawmakers should study the early success of Maryland’s red-flag law
  41. Shutdown’s Pain Cuts Deep for the Homeless and Other Vulnerable Americans
  42. A Rising Threat to Pregnant Women: Syphilis
  43. New York Finally Passed a Ban on ‘Conversion Therapy’ After Years-Long Efforts
  44. Helping Children Conquer Chronic Pain
  45. Stuck and Stressed: The Health Costs of Traffic
  46. In California, Criminal Justice Reform Offers a Lesson for the Nation
  47. When Cancer Meets the Internet
  48. Want to Close the Pay Gap? Pay Transparency Will Help
  1. The Fight Over Men Is Shaping Our Political Future

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/opinion/apa-guidelines-men-boys.html

Not to mention the present — and the way we think about the past.

  1.  #ThemToo

https://www.city-journal.org/metoo-movement

Earlier women’s crusades tell us much about the one currently shaking up American life.

  1. Levels and Trends in Child Mortality Report 2018

http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/mortality/child-mortality-report-2018.shtml

New study by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation released on 18 September 2018 reveals that the world has made considerable progress in reducing child mortality since 1990. The under-five morality rate has declined by 58 per cent since 1990, and the number of under-five deaths dropped from 12.6 million in 1990 to 5.4 million in 2017.

  1. When Social Services Undermine Well-being

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/16/opinion/when-social-services-undermine-well-being.html

The intertwined challenges that many people face might be addressed more effectively together than separately.

  1. Masculinity Isn’t a Sickness

https://www.wsj.com/articles/masculinity-isnt-a-sickness-11547682809?mod=djemMER_h

A denial of biology in the American Psychological Association’s new report on men and boys.

  1. Overlooked No More: Isabelle Kelley, Who Developed a Food Stamp Program to Feed Millions

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/16/obituaries/isabelle-kelley-overlooked.html

At a time when many needy families lacked adequate nutrition, Kelley helped develop a program to improve the well being of Americans. Today, more than 38 million people receive food stamps.

  1. 5 Takeaways From the Ancient DNA Research Story

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/magazine/ancient-dna-research.html

Paleogenomics is upending of our assumptions about prehistoric times and shaking up how people envision their ancestry.

  1. Thousands More Migrant Children Likely Taken From Families Than First Reported

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/us/migrant-children-inspector-general-family-separation.html

The government has reported about 2,700 migrant children separated from their families at the border last year. But the removals began earlier, and may have involved thousands more, the Inspector General found.

  1. The Two Faces of Suicide

https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-two-faces-of-suicide

A new book stresses the biological causes of self-destruction. But what about the social ones?

  1. Does Cannabis Use Cause Schizophrenia?

Does Cannabis Use Cause Schizophrenia?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/health/cannabis-marijuana-schizophrenia.html

As the drug becomes more popular, concerns have been raised that its use can lead to psychotic disorders. Here’s what scientists know for sure, and what they don’t.

  1. MEET BOSTON’S VALEDICTORIANS

http://apps.bostonglobe.com/magazine/graphics/2019/01/17/valedictorians/meet-the-valedictorians/

The city’s top students from 2005 to 2007 set out to change the world. But then life happened and many strayed from their dreams.  “1 in 4 failed to get a bachelor’s degree within six years.” “40% make less than $50,000.” “Nearly a quarter aspired to be doctors … but none has earned a medical degree.” Four have been homeless.

  1. What Does Socialism Have to Do with Sex?

https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/what-does-socialism-have-to-do-with-sex

Studies from the mid-eighties reported that eighty per cent of East German women always experienced orgasm during sex, compared to sixty-three per cent in West Germany.

  1. The marvel of the human dad

https://aeon.co/essays/the-devotion-of-the-human-dad-separates-us-from-other-apes

Among our close animal relatives only humans have involved and empathic fathers. Why did evolution favour the devoted dad?

  1. Older Patients Are Not Returning as Often to Hospitals. Is That a Good Thing?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/18/health/medicare-hospitals-readmissions.html

A new government program was supposed to prevent certain Medicare recipients from cycling in and out of hospitals. Now some experts worry it may be costing lives.

  1. How Tech Companies Manipulate Our Personal Data

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/18/books/review/shoshana-zuboff-age-of-surveillance-capitalism.html

Shoshana Zuboff’s “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism” looks at the new power of behemoths like Facebook and Google.

  1. What’s So ‘Indecent’ About Female Pleasure?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/18/style/sex-toy-ces.html

A consumer technology innovation award was revoked from a company that makes a hands-free sex toy. The reason, some believe, is that the product is made for women.

  1. If You Don’t Think Your Office Is a War Zone You Are Fooling Yourself

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/18/business/afraid-of-my-coworker.html

Men can’t tell the difference between fear and respect. They act accordingly.

  1. The Week in Tech: How Google and Facebook Spawned Surveillance Capitalism

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/18/technology/google-facebook-surveillance-capitalism.html

A new book argues that Google and Facebook created a new business model that profits off private human behavior.

  1. The Elderly and Driving: When Is It Time to Hit the Brakes?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/18/health/elderly-driving-cars-safety.html

Prince Philip, 97, was involved in a car accident outside London. For families everywhere, the incident raises all-too-familiar questions.

  1. Women, How Do You Define Success?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/18/reader-center/how-do-you-define-success.html

The idea of “having it all” still often comes up.

  1. For California Drivers, Gender Is No Longer a Criteria for Car Insurance Rates

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/18/your-money/car-insurance-gender-california.html

The state’s change could alter rates for scores of people.

  1. When Affluent Families Dig Up Their Past

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/18/your-money/wealthy-family-history.html

Families with great wealth or businesses are using their histories to help their heirs guide their enterprises — or at least appreciate how hard earlier generations worked to acquire their money.

  1. What People Actually Say Before They Die

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/01/how-do-people-communicate-before-death/580303/

Insights into the little-studied realm of last words. People’s last words are often nonsensical and borderline bizarre.

  1. It Used to Be Okay for Parents to Play Favorites

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/01/sibling-rivalries-history/580495

The idea that you’re supposed to treat your children equally is recent, and it’s still not the norm in much of the world.  Relationships with siblings can be even more influential than those with parents, so conflict among children can shape their whole lives.

  1. How Individual Actions Affect Economic Inequality

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/01/individual-people-reduce-inequality/580339/

Thinking micro about a problem that’s macro

  1. When It’s Time to Sell the Family Home

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/01/selling-family-home/580705/

Putting up a for-sale sign can mark a new stage in life for empty-nesters and their children alike.

  1. The Fellowship of the Ring Finders

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/01/wedding-ring-hunters/580132

Losing a wedding ring or a piece of sentimental jewelry can be emotionally heartbreaking and financially taxing.  A website connects people who have misplaced their rings with metal detectorists who know where to look.

  1. How to get divorced without hating your ex or tearing your family apart

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/01/14/how-get-divorced-without-hating-your-ex-or-tearing-your-family-apart/

Don’t let others influence your opinion of your ex — or your situation. And avoid going to court.

  1. How Abortion Law in New York Will Change, and How It Won’t

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-abortion-law-in-new-york-will-change-and-how-it-wont

The Reproductive Health Act, which state Democrats plan to pass on Tuesday, will remove barriers for women seeking to get abortions. But some wish it could have gone further.

  1. Why progressives should stop avoiding men’s issues

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-progressives-should-stop-avoiding-mens-issues/2019/01/18/d1250b92-145d-11e9-90a8-136fa44b80ba_story.html

Men face substantial societal problems. We shouldn’t ignore them.

  1. Psychologists want to change how they treat men. That’s a problem.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/01/18/psychologists-want-change-how-they-treat-men-thats-problem/

Therapy and activism shouldn’t mix.

  1. Young Trans Children Know Who They Are

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/01/young-trans-children-know-who-they-are/580366/

A new study shows that gender-nonconforming kids who go on to transition already have a strong sense of their true identity—one that differs from their assigned gender.

  1. The Unique Racial Dynamics of the L.A. Teachers’ Strike

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/01/why-los-angeles-teachers-are-striking/580360/

The city’s public-school teachers are predominantly people of color—and a plurality of them are Latino, like most of the students they serve.

  1. The Skeletons in Abusers’ Closets

https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/580378/group/

  1. Older Women, Finding Contentment

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/20/opinion/letters/old-women-men-aging.html

Readers discuss how they have faced aging. “Life is good,” one says. “But I miss the woman I used to be.”

  1. A Lack of Respect for the Working Class in America Today

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/20/opinion/letters/working-class.html

“Someone needs to do the nuts-and-bolts, hands-on work that keeps our country going, and those who do deserve more than hardship for their efforts,” a reader says.

  1. Seduction, Inc

https://aeon.co/essays/pickuptm-turns-romance-into-a-commodity-for-male-consumption

The pickup industry mates market logic with the arts of seduction – turning human intimacy into hard labour

  1. Why the construction trades are a draw for Gen Z

https://www.educationdive.com/news/why-the-construction-trades-are-a-draw-for-gen-z/546405/

The industry is proving to be an attractive alternative to college for a generation seeking financial stability and entrepreneurial opportunities.

  1. Does online education live up to its promise? A look at the evident and implications for federal policy

http://mason.gmu.edu/~sprotops/OnlineEd.pdf

Online learning should ‘supplement’ — not replace — face-to-face instruction

  1. Lawmakers should study the early success of Maryland’s red-flag law

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/lawmakers-should-study-the-early-success-of-marylands-red-flag-law/2019/01/20/a0e83918-1aca-11e9-88fe-f9f77a3bcb6c_story.html

These are laws that allow judges to issue an order enabling law enforcement to confiscate weapons from people deemed a risk to themselves or others.

  1. Shutdown’s Pain Cuts Deep for the Homeless and Other Vulnerable Americans

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/21/us/politics/government-shutdown-housing-services.html

With the Department of Housing and Urban Development hit hard, subsidies for low-income renters have stopped and nonprofits are scrambling to avoid layoffs and cuts to support services.

  1. A Rising Threat to Pregnant Women: Syphilis

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/21/health/syphilis-women-pregnancy.html

The S.T.D. has gained ground among all women in the U.S., including those who are expecting.

  1. New York Finally Passed a Ban on ‘Conversion Therapy’ After Years-Long Efforts

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/21/nyregion/conversion-therapy-ban.html

As other jurisdictions approved laws barring mental health professionals from working to change a minor’s sexual orientation, the state’s attempts languished.

  1. Helping Children Conquer Chronic Pain

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/21/well/family/helping-children-conquer-chronic-pain.html

There is strong evidence for using psychological treatment for chronic pain, but that does not mean the pain isn’t real.

  1. Stuck and Stressed: The Health Costs of Traffic

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/21/upshot/stuck-and-stressed-the-health-costs-of-traffic.html

The physical and psychological toll of brutal commutes can be considerable.

  1. In California, Criminal Justice Reform Offers a Lesson for the Nation

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/21/us/california-incarceration-reduction-penalties.html

With President Trump recently signing into law a federal criminal justice reform bill, California’s experience is especially instructive.

  1. When Cancer Meets the Internet

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/21/well/live/when-cancer-meets-the-internet.html

Dr. Google doesn’t always know what’s best.

  1. Want to Close the Pay Gap? Pay Transparency Will Help

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/20/smarter-living/pay-wage-gap-salary-secrecy-transparency.html

It may not be the cure-all to inequity, but we need a starting point.

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