“Is Florida Man a hero, a villain or a victim? And is it still okay to laugh along?” (No, it’s not.)
society
Posted inEditor's Pick
The ‘Sex Cult’ That Preached Empowerment
How did a former television star and a self-help guru convince women to join an organization named Nxivm that’s now being accused of running a “sex-slave cult”? It turns out that “humans are highly programmable.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Quotes
Breastfeeding On TV Peaked in 1976 and Went Downhill from There
Where was breastfeeding first depicted on TV? If you guessed Buffy Saint-Marie on Sesame Street, you’d be right.
Posted inBlog Post, Science & Nature
What Makes a Disability Undesirable?
Should we try to correct disabilities to help the disabled, or make their existence easier for the abled?
Posted inArts & Culture, Nonfiction, Quotes
The New Age of Anxiety
W.H. Auden named it 70 years ago, and our latest age of anxiety is one of Xanax, fidget spinners, and constant swiping.
Posted inQuote Posts
Sesame Street’s New Autistic Character Could Be Groundbreaking
At Vox, Dylan Matthews posits that Julia could have a real influence on how society embraces those with autism.
Posted inBusiness & Tech, Nonfiction, Quotes, Science & Nature
A Nuclear Bomb at Ground Zero, and What Happens Next
At the Atlantic, two researchers discuss their study of how humans might respond after a nuclear attack on Manhattan.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Cult of ‘Zelda: Majora’s Mask’
How the video game Zelda: Majora’s Mask — the “black sheep” member of the game franchise notable for its apocalyptic storyline as a stark departure from the beloved princess-saving series — became a cult object that spawned a fan-made, horror-based, sinister “creepypasta” storyline called Ben Drowned which has terrifying connections to the story of Katelyn […]
Posted inNonfiction, Top 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, read stories by Mark MacKinnon, Rachel Cusk, Carmen Maria Machado, Suketu Mehta, and an excerpt from Bill Hayes.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Debutante in the Amazon Jungle: A 50-Year Adventure
Joe O’Connor shares the story of Ruth Thomson, a Toronto debutante-turned-missionary who eschewed society life in 1965 to spend 50 years living with a remote tribe in the Amazon jungle.