Thanks for visiting my blog! My writing uses an intersectionality framework, meaning that I analyse interconnected experiences of otherness and inequality, including race, gender, sexuality, disability and class.

The comments on all of my websites are moderated, which means you won’t see them published if they violate my comments policy detailed below. I moderate comments to maintain a safe space first and foremost for women of colour of various backgrounds, and also to support the voices of other minority groups who are marginalised.

People commenting should follow my four rules: 1) discuss sociology; 2) be polite; 3) stay on topic; and 4) be aware of your own bias.

I will not publish long comments, so please be succinct. I do not allow self-promotion. Most importantly, I do not publish abuse or bigotry. This site presents a professional sociological perspective on social justice; if you don’t like what you read you are not entitled to dominating this space with your prejudice or hurt feelings.

Sorry, I don’t help with assignments/ theses/ research/ projects/ surveys/ promotions.

Since June 2020, comments automatically close after 10 days.

1) Discuss Sociology

My writing draws on my professional experience as a researcher, and as such I present informed sociological commentary. I encourage you to share your ideas and experiences, even if you are not a sociologist, and you can be assured that my blog will provide you with a professional perspective on issues of social difference. If you don’t like what I’ve written because you think majority groups are being hard done by, however, know that your subjective “gut reaction” is not the best way to engage a conversation. By all means disagree with my analysis, and ask questions if you want clarification, but if you want to argue against data on inequality, you must present credible, peer-reviewed evidence.

If you want to know more, I’m here to help! But you cannot dismiss my analysis because you are angry that my sociology blog uses sociology to critique inequality and relations of power.

2) Be Polite

Contribute to a civil discussion, as I have zero tolerance for abuse. Much of the abusive comments I receive are predominantly made by people using expletives and ad hominem attacks. These comments are not constructive and do not add to the discussion. Typical abusive comments I receive include sexism and racism. I don’t allow hate speech so these comments will be deleted, as will homophobic, transphobic, ableism and any other comments that denigrate or dismiss the lived experiences of minorities.

Many places on the internet make space for such abuse and they are not safe for women, and they are even more hostile to women of colour and other minorities. My websites are not a place to debate the existence of social inequalities, as sociological research already shows the myriad of ways in which this is true. Rather I provide a space to learn about social relations that maintain otherness, and I like to focus discussion on how to improve social inclusion.

3) Stay on Topic

Off-topic comments that do not address the evidence I’ve presented, or that otherwise do not contribute to the conversation, will be deleted. This keeps conversations educational.

On a related note, I am inundated with requests for help with homework, assignments, theses and so on. I’m sorry but I don’t have the time or resources to answer these requests and comments to this effect will not be published.

4) Be Aware of Your Bias

The fact that I write about racism, sexism, White privilege, male privilege, and other social inequalities is not racist, nor is it sexist, nor is it biased. I am not oppressing you by talking about inequality. If you take these issues personally, it’s best that you move elsewhere.

Many people troll my website with such accusations, and yet they do not take the time to understand how their own bias motivates them to reject scientific evidence on inequality. I rarely allow these comments unless I’m making a point about the redundancy of such arguments.

If you want to argue that the data and research I’ve presented is incomplete or incorrect, then by all means do so, but provide scientific evidence to this effect.

Enjoy!

That’s it. If you stick to the rules of discussing the evidence, being polite rather than abusive, and staying on topic, I’ll be happy to chat with you further! If you violate these terms, you’ll find no satisfaction in sending abusive comments, as I simply won’t allow them on my blog.

Have fun, and hopefully you’ll learn something new…. and remember the golden rule of sociology – things are not what they seem!