Originally written by Jacek K. on August 7, 2009 1:46 AM The article was written by a Moroccan scholar and I always like to hear from people on the ground.

Admirable practice, but one I presume that doesn't extend to American scholars studying American society?

Originally written by Jacek K. on August 7, 2009 6:46 AM The article was written by a Moroccan scholar and I always like to hear from people on the ground.

You say "people on the ground" to distinguish them from those you mean when you say that "a little bird told you"?

I vaguely remember a US politician, it might even have been Senator John McCain, claiming that the US Navy needed more ships on the ground in the East China Sea. He was not able to get that through Congress though.

It is a tricky metaphor, one that is best avoided, I feel. I can remember one four-star general telling a Congressional committee that the US Army needed another 20,000 boots on the ground in Iraq. The subsequent discussion about having to divide that number of boots by 2 in order to get the total number of soldiers required was not at all illuminating.

Derek

Originally written by Scott Rasmussen on August 7, 2009 8:17 PM But nothing says that the two processes can't be at work simultaneously (e.g. in different social classes).

...and maybe even different countries, considering that the Arab World consists of 25 countries and territories straddling two continents so trying to put all the 325 million people in one pigeonhole might be far-fetched. (The same applies to John's Post #181832.)

Originally written by Scott Rasmussen on August 7, 2009 8:19 PM Originally written by Jacek K. on August 7, 2009 1:46 AM The article was written by a Moroccan scholar and I always like to hear from people on the ground. Admirable practice, but one I presume that doesn't extend to American scholars studying American society?

It surely does. Noam Chomsky has been quoted on TC several times.

Paul Krugman? Is he more acceptable?

Other two US professors have an entire thread to themselves here: The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy

And this fellow too: The Hispanic Challenge?

I also mentioned this scholar a few times:

Originally written by Jacek K. on June 30, 2008 11:54 AM In Achieving Our Country: Leftist Thought in Twentieth-Century America (1998), Rorty differentiates between what he sees as the two sides of the Left, a critical Left and a progressive Left. He criticizes the critical Left, which is exemplified by post-structuralists such as Michel Foucault and postmodernists such as Jean-François Lyotard. Although these intellectuals make insightful claims about the ills of society, Rorty holds that they provide no alternatives and even present progress as problematic at times. On the other hand, the progressive Left, exemplified for Rorty by John Dewey, makes progress its priority in its goal of "achieving our country." Rorty sees the progressive Left as acting in the philosophical spirit of pragmatism. ...

And you?

Generally, TC is perceived as being heavily US-biased. For example, John has brought up several other names of American scholars studying American society. How come you have missed all our discussions?

Originally written by Scott Rasmussen on August 7, 2009 10:04 PM Old news...? http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/1227842.html

No, old rebutted would-be-debunking news...

Originally written by John Bunch on August 8, 2009 1:49 AM That is a joke about TC being "US-biased", I assume...

In the sense that we keep talking a lot about the US here, as if it were the center of the universe!

Isn't it?

The center of the world, Liliana, is today as debatable as is the center of Europe. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographical_centre_of_Europe for the latter.

For the former, compare:

Navel of the World is a term which may refer to:

• Baboquivari Peak Wilderness in Arizona
• Cusco, Peru, in Creation myth
• Easter Island, a location in the south Pacific Ocean
• Foundation Stone in Jerusalem
• Fountain of Cho in Mercadia, a fictional environment for the game Magic: The Gathering
• Mythical sites on Japanese maps
• Pacanda island on Lake Pátzcuaro in Mexico
• Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range in Colombia, as defined by the Arhuacos tribe
• Tórshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands, as referred to by author William Heinesen

Middle Kingdom = The Chinese name for their country, so called because they believed it was the center of the world.

Originally written by Jacek K. on August 8, 2009 10:56 AM In the sense that we keep talking a lot about the US here, as if it were the center of the universe!

It is where all the action is, man! Where else can you find the biggest financial crises, the worst health care system dollar-for-dollar, the biggest mouths, the greatest budget deficit, the most medical malpractice, the highest national debt, the crookedest financial advisers, the highest murder rate, the most lawyers and religious wackos per square foot, the highest rate of mortgage foreclosures, the most narcotics consumers, the worst beer, the most illegal abortions, the highest consumption of peanut butter, ...  (I am beginning to make these up now but you will get the idea ...)

Derek