Alex Tabarrok — Why Sexism and Racism Never Diminish–Even When Everyone Becomes Less Sexist and Racist

Stephen Pinker makes a similar point in The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (2011).

Research suggests that as frequency declines, perceptions change but not in the way that might be expected. As frequency declines, the boundaries of concepts expand relatively rather than registering the absolute decline, as a measuring instrument would do. So it can appear relatively that the phenomenon is reaming the same or even increasing, when it is actually decreasing.

While racism, sexism, and violence are actually moderating — there are no longer any lynchings in the US, for example — it appears to many that things are getting worse.

This is not to diminish these on-going social problems that still plague many individuals, but some progress is being made socially and that cultural change has been reflect in law.

"You've come a long way, baby." But there is still a long slot to go, especially globally, especially where progress has been very uneven or non-existent.

Liberalism has had an effect.

Marginal Revolution
Why Sexism and Racism Never Diminish–Even When Everyone Becomes Less Sexist and Racist
Alex Tabarrok | Bartley J. Madden Chair in Economics at the Mercatus Center and Professor of Economics at George Mason University, and a research fellow with the Mercatus Center

Jason Smith — Women in the workforce and labor shar

Most stories told about this declining labor share of national income is about capital claiming it for themselves — and on the surface, that's essentially what is happening. A major surge in output in the 70s went disproportionately to capital instead of labor.

However, let's take a step back and think about the cause of that surge in output: women entering the workforce (see links here or here). If that's the cause, then the difference in the shock to NGDP and to wages could be almost entirely accounted for by the fact that women make on the order of 70% as much as men for the same job. As women entered the workforce, the same output growth would go towards more income for capital by pocketing that extra 30%. A back of the envelope calculation shows it's the correct order of magnitude (about 5 percentage points). It's not declining unions or deregulation, but rather simply adding more people that are paid less because of sexism behind the decline in labor share of national income. At least that's the hypothesis.

Information Transfer Economics
Women in the workforce and labor share
Jason Smith

Bill Black — The Libertarian Plea to Bring Back Jim Crow: An Oxymoron by a Regular Moron

That this is seriously being broached in premier media of the United States and espoused by politicians who are candidates for high office is concerning, to say the least. How did America get to this point?

New Economic Perspectives
The Libertarian Plea to Bring Back Jim Crow: An Oxymoron by a Regular Moron
William K. Black | Associate Professor of Economics and Law, UMKC

Stephanie Nebehay — U.N. urges U.S. to stop police brutality after Missouri shooting

The U.N. racism watchdog urged the United States on Friday to halt the excessive use of force by police after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white policeman touched off riots in Ferguson, Missouri.

Minorities, particularly African Americans, are victims of disparities, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) said after examining the U.S. record.

"Racial and ethnic discrimination remains a serious and persistent problem in all areas of life from de facto school segregation, access to health care and housing," Noureddine Amir, CERD committee vice chairman, told a news briefing.

US shredding moral authority and soft power, reversing the direction of the election of the first person of color.

Reuters

U.N. urges U.S. to stop police brutality after Missouri shooting
Stephanie Nebehay

Chris Dillow — On Intersectionality

Stumbling and Mumbling

On Intersectionality

Chris Dillow | Investors Chronicle

Wikipedia - Intersectionality

Why is intersectionality important socially, politically and economically?

Because of the pressure of pluralism toward homogeneity and the interest groups affected by it. 

Wolves of Wall Street: How a Network of Frat Boys Tilts the Field Against Women (via Moyers & Company)

Wolves of Wall Street: How a Network of Frat Boys Tilts the Field Against Women (via Moyers & Company)

Martin Scorcese’s new film, The Wolf of Wall Street, depicts a culture of hyper-masculinity and emotional immaturity, as Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Jordan Belfort, parties hard and cuts shady deals in a drug-induced haze. A report by Max Abelson…

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Eric W. Dolan — Fox contributor: Liberals who reject that men should dominate women are anti-science

Fox contributor: Liberals who reject that men should dominate women are anti-science (via Raw Story )

Fox Business personalities had a collective freak out on Wednesday night after learning that mothers were now the primary source of income in 40 percent of U.S. households. Fox Business host Lou Dobbs asserted women earning more than their husbands was an indication of the dissolution of American society…

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