CULTURE – Page 3

An Expert On Polyamory Explains What A Polycule Is

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CULTURE, Journalism, TOP FOUR

An Expert On Polyamory Explains What A Polycule Is

After the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, the media shined a spotlight on the personal lives of founder Sam Bankman-Fried and his inner circle. It turns out that Bankman-Fried, his on-and-off girlfriend, Caroline Ellison, who served as CEO of FTX subsidiary Alameda, and others involved in the company have dabbled in polyamory. Polyamorous relationships are a form consensual non-monogamy in which partners seek out multiple romantic or sexual relationships. The Guardian noted that many of the people in the crypto empire’s inner circle, who were sharing a luxury penthouse in the Bahamas, are thought to have been in a “polycule,” meaning a network of interconnected romantic relationships. According to Coindesk, “All 10 are, or used to be, paired up in romantic relationships with e...

A History Of Myths About Black Hair: From Slavery To Colonialism And School Rules

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CULTURE

A History Of Myths About Black Hair: From Slavery To Colonialism And School Rules

“Your hair feels like pubic hair.” That was one of the first insults that someone hurled at my hair. She was a junior at my school. She would touch my hair and repeat this sentence to all present. I had to threaten her with violence to get her to stop touching my hair and comparing it to her pubes. This is one of the first dilemmas that black people face: do I let people touch my hair and under what circumstances? The question, “can I touch it?” becomes one of the most awkward social moments and can break relationships before they even start. This fascination with the texture of black hair (please don’t call it “ethnic”), is not new. In slave societies, white women would often hack off the hair of their enslaved female servants because it supposedly “confused white men” . Today, black w...

The Mummy Of Tutankhamun And Five Things Learned From Science

14Nov

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CULTURE, TOP FOUR

The Mummy Of Tutankhamun And Five Things Learned From Science

One hundred years ago, our understanding of ancient Egypt changed forever when the tomb of King Tutankhamun was found on November 4, 1922 in the Valley of Kings. Born around 1305BC, Tutankhamun only ruled Egypt for about ten years. Yet his tomb was furnished with never-before-seen riches. Our fascination with mummies is understandable. Gazing on the face of a prehistoric Egyptian king makes these ethereal and majestic rulers seem more real. The discovery of Tutankhamun in his original resting place, complete with all his possessions, makes us feel a connection to a primeval past. It transports us back in time to the funeral of a young king. Studies of Tutankhamun’s life are often overshadowed by the sensational rumours that surround the discovery of his tomb, such as persistent whispers ...

Accessory Or Necessity? Here’s Why You Can No Longer Afford To Ignore Influencer Marketing

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CULTURE, Journalism

Accessory Or Necessity? Here’s Why You Can No Longer Afford To Ignore Influencer Marketing

With media figureheads like Lynne Franks recently speaking out about the ‘burn-out’ in the influencer marketing world, many brands are being cautious about embracing the industry’s potential. But with predictions that this rapidly-growing sector could be worth $10 billion by next year and 82% of consumers saying they were ‘very likely’ to act on the recommendation of an influencer they follow, can we really afford to ignore this ever-evolving age of marketing? Brands who don’t see influencers as a necessary marketing tool will find themselves on the back foot in our increasingly digitally-driven world, believes Amelia Neate, who runs the East Midlands-based Influencer Matchmaker agency. Her team partners brands with authentic and leading influencers across the globe and has worked with ...

When You Return To Work How To Help Your Dogs And Cats Manage Separation Anxiety

3Oct

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CULTURE

When You Return To Work How To Help Your Dogs And Cats Manage Separation Anxiety

When one of my co-workers found out about a tiny, orphaned kitten that needed a home a few months ago, he didn’t hesitate to adopt it. He says his new companion helped make the months of COVID-19 isolation at home much less stressful. Pets can develop separation anxiety when their people are suddenly gone. Jairo Alzate/Unsplash, CC BY He is not alone. Animal shelters and breeders across the country have reported record numbers of dog and cat adoptions in recent months. But after my co-worker returned to work, he says his adorable kitten started urinating on the kitchen counter while he was away. Another friend is worried about how her dog will react when she returns to the office. Her big, goofy Labrador retriever follows her everywhere, even to the bathroom. When she leaves to run a qu...

Religious Lies, Conmen And Coercive Control: How Cults Corrupt Our Desire For Love And Connection

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CULTURE, Journalism

Religious Lies, Conmen And Coercive Control: How Cults Corrupt Our Desire For Love And Connection

Project Mayhem is an all-male cult – but unlike the real cults that Sarah Steel writes about in Do As I Say, Project Mayhem is fictitious. It comes from the mind of Chuck Palahniuk in his masterpiece novel Fight Club, a dark exploration of contemporary masculinity that describes how a group of men come together to form a fringe group with fringe ideas – and how this can go wrong. Project Mayhem exhibits many key elements of what we see in cults. In Do As I Say, Steel (creator of the podcast Let’s Talk About Sects) explores how cults usually exhibit some of the following attributes: they have unique in-group language, they require intense work schedules of members, their leaders will often deliver endless sermons, and they will restrict access to media. Members are directed not to ask que...

2Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CULTURE, VIDEO REELS

A History Of Myths About Black Hair: From Slavery To Colonialism And School Rules

“Your hair feels like pubic hair.” That was one of the first insults that someone hurled at my hair. She was a junior at my school. She would touch my hair and repeat this sentence to all present. I had to threaten her with violence to get her to stop touching my hair and comparing it to her pubes. This is one of the first dilemmas that black people face: do I let people touch my hair and under what circumstances? The question, “can I touch it?” becomes one of the most awkward social moments and can break relationships before they even start. This fascination with the texture of black hair (please don’t call it “ethnic”), is not new. In slave societies, white women would often hack off the hair of their enslaved female servants because it supposedly “confused white men” . Today, black w...

Remembering Those Strange And Unique Comic Book Ads From When I Was A Kid

11Aug

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CULTURE, TOP FOUR

Remembering Those Strange And Unique Comic Book Ads From When I Was A Kid

Do you remember sitting in the drug store and reading comic books when you were a kid? Do you remember becoming totally absorbed as you read an adventure that found Uncle Scrooge fighting off his arch-enemies the Beagle Boys in some remote jungle of South America? Or did you prefer reading Superman or Batman? Maybe your favorite stories were about the caped crusader rushing out of the bat cave (accompanied by Robin, Boy Wonder) to save Gotham City from some wicked and nefarious plan conjured up by the Joker or the Penguin? Man I loved reading comic books. Not only did the comic book publishers back then try to entertain us, many of them also tried to sell us things. Most of the comic books in the '50s and early '60s were filled with advertisements --- ads aimed at kids. I remember o...

Love Sharing Funny Animal Videos? You’re Part Of The Cute Economy

19Jun

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CULTURE, TOP FOUR

Love Sharing Funny Animal Videos? You’re Part Of The Cute Economy

Was one of the last DMs you received on Instagram a video of ducklings wearing flowers for hats, or floating in a sink full of water? An overly zealous cockapoo dancing on the couch with his human? A husky throwing a temper tantrum because he couldn’t come indoors? If sharing cute animal content is your love language, you’re not alone — you are part of a bigger cultural phenomenon called the cute economy. The cute economy is not only a network of cute content that people participate in making, sharing and circulating but also a multibillion-dollar business due to creators’ ability to monetize their content. What is the cute economy? Media researcher James Meese defines the cute economy as the creation and circulation of user-generated content depicting entities (animals, babies, plants, ...

When Americans Thought Hair Was A Window Into The Soul

14Jun

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CULTURE

When Americans Thought Hair Was A Window Into The Soul

In 2004, the North Korean government launched one of the oddest television campaigns in recent history: “Let’s trim our hair in accordance with the socialist lifestyle.” Accompanied by radio and print ads, the five-part TV series urged North Korean men to wear their hair short. State-approved haircuts, the campaign explained, ranged in length from one to five centimeters, with seven centimeters permitted for men over 50 who sought to hide a balding scalp. Why, exactly, did the government care so much about how North Korean men chose to wear their hair? Long hair, the campaign argued, “consumes a great deal of nutrition” and thus threatened “human intelligence development” by depriving the brain of necessary energy. Pseudoscientific ideas aside, state media also suggested that hair repre...