Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy by Cathy O’Neil

Like millions of students, I never liked math. I thought it scary, mysterious and evil. I joke that I can’t even sit next to math professors during meetings! Generally a bright student with high grades, my lack of prowess at math let me down every time. And then in the ninth grade, the lottery placed me in Arnold Anderson’s general math class. He had a reputation for transforming struggling math students into, if not math wizards, students who would see that math was no longer mysterious and could even be interesting and—borrowing a term from my students—fun. (My favorite mathematical task? Balancing equations.) It was the first time I was interested in math, liked math and earned As in math. Alas, that was the last time for me; I managed to make it all the way to a PhD without math. I came to ruefully regret my lack of math prowess when I began my career in higher education. I was the person who always interrupted meetings so that someone could explain the math behind the data so ubiquitous in our field.

Ordinary people have extraordinary power.

That’s the philosophy behind Defund Injustice, a newly formed coalition based in Columbus that seeks to organize the people’s power of the purse. In a consumer-driven economy, the power of the purse is king. Where people choose to spend and invest their money can be a remarkably persuasive driver of social change. The same can be said of where cities choose to spend and invest taxpayer dollars.

Take, for example, the recent consumer-driven change in the production of eggs. Twenty years ago there were three types of eggs widely available to consumers: small, medium and large. The recent, and growing, interest in more humane egg production practices has resulted in the widespread availability of cage-free and free-range eggs. Last year major restaurant chains, like McDonalds, Taco Bell and Dunkin Donuts, promised to use cage-free eggs in their food production.

Tuesday, April 4, 12-3pm
OSU Moritz College of Law, 55 W. 12th Ave. FREE
Facebook Event
Ohio has seen a boom in the storing of fracking wastewater, much of it from neighboring states, and this wastewater includes a mix of toxic chemicals—many of which are harmful to human health. Some communities have responded by trying to limit wastewater dumping, but the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that municipalities have no power to regulate or limit the disposal of fracking waste. Many of the Ohio Supreme Court justices who made this decision received large campaign contributions from fracking companies and other fossil fuel interests.
Please save the date for this exclusive event co-sponsored by Why Courts Matter Ohio, Ohio Fair Courts Working Group, OSU American Constitution Society, the Ecologic Institute, Common Cause Ohio, the Ohio Environmental Council, and the Piper Fund. You will receive registration information soon. 

Sunday, April 2, 2-4pm.
FACEBOOK EVENT
Guiding Principles:
1. We believe that all people in Ohio should be free to practice their faith without fear of discrimination, intimidation, or reprisal. 
2. We believe that multiple religions can coexist peacefully in Ohio and contribute to the common good. 
3. We believe that the government of the great state of Ohio should protect those who are most vulnerable and never turn a blind eye on violence perpetrated against minorities by those who claim superiority or dominance.