The Daily Rumpus
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From Stephen Elliott
Psychologists believe that the brain has two complementary modes of thought. If you’re curious about the difference between system 1 (fast mode) and system 2 (slow mode), check out this Guardian review of Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. Because it’s never too late in the week to be reminded of our self-delusions.
...more“But if we are going to manufacture our reality, couldn’t we make it a bit better? The thing we seem to like manufacturing the best are enemies, and here we are all guilty. Al-Qaida manufactured a vision of the west dominated by Satan, and the west has manufactured a simplistic vision of the Islamic world to direct its anger at in response.”
Applauding science fiction’s ability to remind us of the constructed nature of reality, this Guardian article references Lavie Tidhar’s new novel, Osama, as a key example of the genre’s political possibilities.
...moreTwo young adult males–Jordan Blackshaw, 20, and Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan, 22–both just received four-year sentences for using Facebook to incite a riot in their Cheshire hometown that never happened. Despite the announcement over Facebook concerning the riots that were purportedly going to occur, no one showed up to these locations apart from the police.
...moreThere is a new theory displacing the old view of Albert Camus’ death by car crash. The French philosopher, author and Nobel Prize winner was traveling with his publisher, Michel Gallimard, when they crashed into a tree in 1960, with his unfinished novel in tow.
...moreI’ve often said that Frost’s well-known poem is one of the most misinterpreted in American poetry (among casual readers, that is), and this story in the Guardian seems to back me up. It tells the story of Edward Thomas and Robert Frost’s friendship.
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Perhaps the most surprising thing about the British phone hacking scandal is the lack of coverage in the US press.
Among the US newspapers, the NY Times is the only one I can find which has done significant reporting on the story, though the best work on the story comes from (no surprise) the Guardian.
...moreFor the most part, a quick glance at the cover of any romance novel is all it takes to reveal the formula that’s inside. For better or worse, it’s a genre of fantasied gender stereotypes and it has long had its place.
...moreAs of yesterday, the Oxford Comma was seen reenacting moments from Monty Python’s Quest for the Holy Grail and generally acting like a spastic teenager. It is quoted as saying “I’m not dead yet,” “I feel happy,” and “I think I’ll go for a walk.” Haters of the Oxford Comma were overheard muttering to themselves about a desire for a large stick, club, or medieval weapon with which to bash it.
...moreThe Guardian researches why the female presence seems to be diminishing in science fiction writing. Though there isn’t necessarily a shortage of female authors (or women publishers), there is a serious lack of female presence in the Guardian’s list of favorite science fiction writing books, chosen by readers.
...moreIs the Bible too liberal for you? Too much of that “help the poor” and not enough sinner-smiting? Do you have no knowledge of ancient Greek and no experience in translation? Then you’re perfect for this project.
Shirley Dent talks about the difference between idiom and slang, especially as it relates to culture.
...moreThe Guardian has a strange (to me) story about the world’s cocaine bar, called Route 36. It’s in La Paz, Bolivia, and because it’s an after-hours club which, you read that right, serves cocaine, it’s constantly on the move. For some reason, the neighbors tend to complain.
...moreAlison Flood, writing in The Guardian implores her fellow citizens to vote in the BBC’s poll for the nation’s favorite poet. She’s worried that there will be a rehash of 1995, when Britain chose Rudyard Kipling’s “If” as its favorite poem.
...moreA confluence of politics and poetry: Senate Sotomayor votes explained in haiku.
No great surprise, but poetry is disappearing from B&N bookshelves in Chico, CA. And pretty much every B&N, for that matter.
Sometimes I feel like I should just put a link to Mike Chasar’s blog in every one of these posts.
...moreNovelist Orhan Pamuk asks in The Guardian “why do beautiful scenes inspire us to kiss?”
Millions of people who live outside the west – and especially those who, like me, live in Muslim countries – never get to see two lovers kissing on the lips in everyday life (of course, you do not necessarily have to be lovers to kiss on the lips)
I hadn’t considered before how western an act a public kiss can be.
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From The Guardian UK: “The story of how Actaeon was turned into a stag for glimpsing the naked goddess Diana has inspired artists through the centuries. Charlotte Higgins on a new exhibition that explores the idea of the forbidden gaze.”