Category: ideas

“Nostalgia’s dark side … is badly underestimated, and wreaks havoc not only in politics but also medicine and anthropology. Far from being harmless, [it] is a virulent falsehood that infects those whose intellectual defences have been weakened by fear and insecurity. It is easily weaponised by power-hungry propagandists who seek to replace nuanced discourse with patriotic platitudes.”

Natasha Lennard: “It would be facile to respond to recent events – political upheaval, mass murder, police violence and festering racism – with a call to “love.” But in extreme times, it’s worth considering: Can love (as we know it) act as a radical force rather than a distraction? Does our current idea of love need revision? Is there a new kind of love emerging in new social movements, one that works against the narrow kind of love fostered by capitalism? I discussed these and other matters with Moira Weigel, the author of Labor of Love: The Invention of Dating.”

“Often referred to patronizingly by media and politicians as the ‘gig economy,’ there’s a perception that workers only remain outside the traditional job market if they’re unskilled, unlucky or unmotivated. Hillary Clinton once said the freelance economy raises ‘hard questions,’ and business magazines treat the trend more like a plague than an evolution. But if innovation and independent spirit are qualities we supposedly value, what’s so wrong with taking your career into your own hands?”

“It’s easy to see how social media shapes our interactions on the internet, through web browsers, feeds, and apps. Yet technology is also shaping the physical world, influencing the places we go and how we behave in areas of our lives that didn’t heretofore seem so digital.”

“In fact, the Hebrew Bible, when read in its original language, offers a highly elastic view of gender. And I do mean highly elastic: In Genesis 3:12, Eve is referred to as ‘he.’ In Genesis 9:21, after the flood, Noah repairs to ‘her’ tent. Genesis 24:16 refers to Rebecca as a ‘young man.’ And Genesis 1:27 refers to Adam as ‘them.’ … Why would the Bible do this? These aren’t typos.” Rabbi Mark Sameth explains his theory.

“If all beliefs about groups are stereotypes, and all stereotypes are defined as inaccurate, then all beliefs about groups are inaccurate. It is, however, logically impossible for all beliefs about groups to be inaccurate.”

“The new media, with its myriad screens and streams, makes reality so fragmented it becomes ungraspable, pushing us towards, or allowing us to flee, into virtual realities and fantasies. Fragmentation, combined with the disorientations of globalization, leaves people yearning for a more secure past, breeding nostalgia.”

“Large balconies are always welcome in swanky condos, but they could be so much more if they obliterated your need to use the stairs or elevator, or to even get in a car or subway to reach your office tower.”

“A danger arises when amateurs and bogus experts aren’t able to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s reproduced. Worse, they might see the digital copy and decide that it is not worth the effort to see the original. They might not think that the work is better, but it is unarguably more convenient to access.”