Another cartoon I can relate to! With the addition of blogging also being my escape. And my medicine too, lest the likes of the Moral Blog Police object to me thinking of reading as an escape. “Quick, fellas! Here we have a dhoti who is trying to escape! In books!” And just to be clear, I don’t remember his ethnicity, or his political beliefs. I can only surmise, given his majoritarian impulses. Even though we dhotis are the ones who are more conservative and patriarchal than the pure (or true) Nepalis!
I am still to read any good paper that delves on which social groups tend to be more conservative than others. And by conservative, I do not mean the same as being conservative in the US or European political spheres (where I tend of think of conservatism more as supporters of free-market and less concerned about social inequities). When I say conservatives, I mean socially conservative, or groups that enforce social norms more strictly than others, and vilify people based on any deviance from the culturally accepted norms.
My ethnic group (or the Madhesi) tends to have very strict social mores. Women are treated more unfairly. The differences in literacy rates between men and women are pretty wide. And of course, we have a few other more basic injustices too. Like polygamy, restrictions to travel, widespread gender stereotyping etc. I was trying to think of some more common forms of gender inequities and didn’t find a good source. So, will appreciate your suggestions. Or your own essays! And even links.
That would make for a cool book. Why are some societies more patriarchal than others? And what are the ways in which the patriarchy is expressed? I doubt if I was a woman and I wrote about being divorced, the MBP would have uttered a word! But patriarchy often takes the form of being condescendingly supportive of women! As in, “oh poor little thing! I feel so sorry for her!” Which is pretty much the frame of mind that makes you think supporting victims of trafficking is the ultimate good you could do to correct the gender inequities. Overlooking the fact that such a perspective looks at women as merely objects, or simplified humans. Or infantilized humans!
Let me try to talk about some of the articles. Have any of you watched teletubbies? It has been around since 1997! Wow! They had a huge gap, between 2001 and 2015. And the last episode aired in 2018. The article that I have shared, from the Atlantic, also does not quite have an answer about why children love the show so much. But it is something that very small children are immediately mesmerized by. And I am talking very small, or little, children!
I don’t know if I have written too long already. Doesn’t look like it. But rather than hear me babble aimlessly, you are much better off reading some of the articles I share today. And of course, sharing your thoughts on them too. Or even sharing another article that you think I might have missed. I think you know my general reading preferences by now. I would guess, some of you even know my political beliefs fairly well. Except there are the likes of the MBP who does not even read my blog before barking his diktat! A very strict and noble patriarch, honorable LiMP lord! Job offer?
Buzzfeed: 19 Puzzling Differences Between “Time” Magazine U.S. And International Covers https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ellievhall/19insert-word-here-differences-between-time-magazine-us-and
The Guardian (on the new movie “You Won’t Be Alone”): ‘The movie directed me’: inside the year’s most haunting new film (It’s part gruesome body horror, part dreamy fairytale, part exercise in existentialism and extreme empathy… “I learned a sense of unfairness before I even understood the concept of fairness”) https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/apr/01/the-movie-directed-me-inside-the-years-most-haunting-new-film
Foreign Affairs: [Review Essay] The West Still Doesn’t Understand the Taliban [How to Engage With the New Afghan Regime] by Carter Malkasian (A helpful guide to understanding the new Taliban regime is Bette Dam’s recent book, Looking for the Enemy: Mullah Omar and the Unknown Taliban.) https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/review-essay/2022-03-21/west-still-doesnt-understand-taliban
Foreign Policy: NATO Intervention in Ukraine Won’t Spark World War III [A Western aversion to casualties and fears of Russian nuclear use are impeding NATO intervention against a vastly inferior opponent.] by Limor Simhony (Both world wars saw blocks of powerful allies fight one another. Currently, such a bloc does not exist on Russia’s side.) https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/04/01/nato-intervention-in-ukraine-wont-spark-world-war-iii/
Foreign Affairs: The Perilous Long Game in Ukraine [Compromising With Putin May Be America’s Best Option] by Samuel Charap https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/ukraine/2022-03-30/perilous-long-game-ukraine
The Atlantic: I Have Some Questions About the World of Teletubbies [Where do they come from? Are they prisoners? Are we complicit in their captivity? Why do my children love them so?] by Sophie Gilbert (But the show’s primary demographic—young children, although the show also became a cult hit among stoners—was immediately hooked.) https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/12/teletubbies-reboot-children-tv-shows/621120/
The Atlantic: Loving Your Job Is a Capitalist Trap [Doing work that is fulfilling has become ubiquitous career advice, but no one should depend on a single social institution to define their sense of self.] by Erin A. Cech (the author of “The Trouble With Passion: How Searching for Fulfillment at Work Fosters Inequality”) https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/11/danger-really-loving-your-job/620690/
Boston Globe: Crystals, cards, and chakra bowls: Psychic businesses boom during the pandemic [‘Things are chaotic, and our urge is to make sense of it.’ And for some, that includes tarot cards.] by Diti Kohli https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/04/01/business/crystals-cards-chakra-bowls-psychic-businesses-boom-during-pandemic/
Words Dissemble, Words Be Quick 