Entries by Jeffrey Ian Ross

What’s Up with All the Cutesy-Wootsy Small American Towns?

Across the United States, many small rural and mountain towns have adopted a carefully curated charm that feels both nostalgic and quaint. Although these picturesque settings are appealing to some, this process often results in a loss of distinctive character. Instead of reflecting a town’s authentic history or culture, visitors are presented with an idealized, […]

The Power of Language in Criminal Justice

Language (more specifically the labels, terms, and words we use) plays a critical role in shaping how we understand and engage with the world. The words we use not only shape the subject matter we talk about, but also carry political weight, that affects  perceptions and reinforces power dynamics. In this context, debates about terminology […]

Is It Slow Food or an Inefficient Kitchen?

The Slow Food movement, which began in the mid-1980s in Bra, Italy, was a response to the rise of fast food and industrialized eating. Spearheaded by Carlo Petrini, an Italian activist and author, it encouraged people to embrace traditional cooking methods and a slower, more deliberate approach to food preparation. Predictably many articles and books […]

Lessons From a Ripped Shirt

When I was an adolescent, my parents shipped me off to a month-long overnight summer camp for boys. Among the usual group of misfits in my cabin was a boy my age that we nicknamed Stinky. He had one quirky goal: to wear the same shirt every single day of camp. Predictably, the shirt got […]