Social media only exaggerates the power of a mean remark, spreading it far and wide, memorializing it forever. Which is why Mich Hancock, who built a company on her adroit use of social, is now pushing to “make the internet a kinder place.” She admits her plan sounds “a little fluffy”—but when she tells me what drove her, it is clear just how much weight has landed behind simple kindness.
In some ways, the paranoia of someone with allergies is an accurate metaphor. The world is full of potential toxins, and anything could sicken us at any point. Some folks can hang on to the illusion of safety; others have bodies less easily fooled.
The column in the desert (we will call it a monolith as shorthand, though it was not stone) was made by human hands, with precision-milled sheets of stainless steel and rivets. More intriguing: It had stood there undiscovered for four years. The idea that anything can go undiscovered for four years cheers me.What is depressing is what came next.The copycats.
Talk of post-traumatic stress disorder is a little too dramatic for those of us who just worked from home next to a dog and a cozy space heater. Delayed trauma is the terrain our frontline workers will have to navigate. But there is newer research on post-traumatic growth, Bono says, and any of us can grow from this crazy year. The trick is to stay aware and reflective, not just guzzle a vat of champagne and sashay, relieved, into 2021.
The Modern Christmas in America is an account of the evolution of Christmas in the United States between 1880 and 1940; these were the years of the formation of Christmas as we celebrate it today.
Thirteen of the journal's best essays, "Dispatch" blog posts, and reviews as chosen by staff, internet analytic "pageviews," and defiant relevance.
Most of us do not live in "The Twilight Zone," where we could literally poison our beloved. Yet we begin a relationship convinced that we can, and should, change them.
Season's readings, and a 2020 roundup, for a year that could never end too soon.
It was Christmas and Bobby was a good boy and we worked hard for our money. All of that must mean something. What is the point of a God and His Son if this hardship does not mean anything, you know, the hardship of this life, the grinding of it cannot be pointless, can it?
When did food move from sustenance, holiday ritual, and occasional treats to a consuming avocation with its own vocabulary, gear, techniques, and media? There are more devotees than most religions can attract, and their rituals are charged with significance.