“There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches.”Ray Bradbury Cancel culture—political correctness amped up on steroids, the self-righteousness of a narcissistic age, and a mass-marketed pseudo-morality that is little more than fascism disguised as tolerance—has shifted us […]
She’s all over American ‘alt-right’ media: the 12-year-old girl in Dundee who brandished a dagger in one hand and an axe in the other, apparently to stop a migrant from harassing her younger sister. Outrage on social media escalated when police arrested the girl instead of the alleged predator. Elon […]
Our successor to This Week in the Guardian, This Week in the New Normal is our weekly chart of the progress of autocracy, authoritarianism and economic restructuring around the world. 1. Cars – the latest subscription service Volkswagen announced, this week, that some of their electric models would now come with optional upgrades […]
Ticks responsible for giving people a “meat allergy” are spreading further and wider because the planet is warming. That’s the story, anyway. The disease is called Alpha-Gal Syndrome, it is a condition where your body produces an immune response to galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, a carbohydrate found in mammalian meat. It was first […]
“Have you ever wondered who’s pulling the strings? … Anything we touch is a weapon. We can deceive, persuade, change, influence, inspire. We come in many forms. We are everywhere.”US Army Psychological Operations recruitment video From viral memes to military-grade influence operations, the government is waging a full-spectrum psychological war—not against […]
It looks like we can add another to the growing mountain of problems that digital IDs are going to solve for all of us. We already know that digital IDs will help counter populism, and illegal immigration, and crime, and benefit fraud, and terrorism, and pandemics. But they’ll help tackle […]
The US Navy is sending at least three destroyers and various other craft to the Caribbean coast of Venezuela, allegedly on a mission to combat drug cartel activity. In response, Maduro has mobilized 4 million members of the national militia. Trump “hasn’t ruled out” boots on the ground, but in fairness, he […]
Alot has been written on the global food system—its industrialisation, ecological consequences and the erosion of cultural, economic and food sovereignty. Despite this onslaught, however, traditional rhythms and communal resilience persist in the countryside, especially in countries like India. Cultural practices continue to foster a sense of rootedness. What’s more, […]
“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary.” H.L. Mencken Let’s not mince words: every American should be alarmed by President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tactics, theatrics and threats. What is […]
As India celebrates its 78th Independence Day on 15 August, the tricolour will flutter proudly across the nation. Speeches will echo the triumphs of freedom, resilience and progress. But beneath the patriotic fervour will lie an uncomfortable truth: independence means little if the nation’s food, land and farmers are being […]