HeyJaredCollectively Effervescent
I am a Berkeley-trained sociologist who writes about American politics and culture. Read some of my archived essays and subscribe to keep up-to-date. We are more than the sum of our parts. We are collectively effervescent.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 4
- Latest publication
- Aug 24, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 4, 2026
Latest issues
Is There a Transgender Conspiracy? (opens the original)
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I’ve written several times before about Beth Bourne, a local anti-trans zealot in Davis, CA who has become increasingly visible nationally on a variety of social media platforms. A central complaint of her three-year old anti-trans campaign is that Davis teachers, librarians, school board members, LGBTQ activists, and Democratic politicians are responsible for “indoctrinating” young people into a “transgender cult.” She is an alarmist who repeatedly alleges that these groups are “coming for your
Discovering a 1931 Feminist Film Classic (opens the original)
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If I were to describe a film with an ensemble cast and a sharp social critique that unfolds over the course of the hottest day of the year in a low-income and ethnically diverse New York City neighborhood in which the dramatic tension erupts into violence, you would likely guess that I am describing Spike Lee’s 1989 masterpiece Do The Right Thing. You would not be wrong. However, this also describes King Vidor’s 1931 early sound-era pre-code1 classic Street Scene, adapted from Elmer Rice’s 1929
My Great Uncle Frank (opens the original)
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Francis Aloysius Bulman was born in New York City in 1899, the twin brother of Thomas and one of eight children born to my Irish-American great-grandparents, John J. Bulman and Margaret Hannon Bulman. My great-uncle Frank seems to have been a bit of an enigma within the family. My dad, who was 22 when Frank died, tells me that he has no memory of his uncle. My dad’s sister, who was 26 when Frank died, told me that while growing up “No one ever talked about Uncle Frank!” One of Frank’s nieces tol
I Wear Ben Williger's Watch (opens the original)
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In the midst of the pandemic, I got caught up in the hobby of buying and selling wristwatches online. With extra time to kill at home and a weakness for vintage things, it was a nice way to distract myself from the alienation of the pandemic. In late 2020 I bought a gorgeous 1958 gold-capped Omega Seamaster Automatic for $450 on eBay. In 1958 it sold new for approximately $100, which today would be about $1,150 in inflation-adjusted dollars. It has a 17-jewel 500 movement with the original crown
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