Misogyny in action. Not talking about AI. Healthy hobbies. Serendipity and luck. Seeing more than a slice of culture. The cost of FOMO. Paying for writing.
“When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself, ‘I am going to produce a work of art.’ I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention, and my initial concern is to get a hearing.”
— George Orwell
More music from my past this week: Heart. And to showcase my eclectic nature, as I write this, I’m listening to a Gregorian Chant playlist.
Still recovering from all those Corgis. It was a blast, but a tiring one. 
Hope you’re having a good week.
1. “Would this have happened to my male counterpart?”
The Misogyny Tax – Kate Manne – (More to Hate)
Every time a woman is suspected of succeeding, it will be a recipe for her being taken down, scolded, and reprimanded on some trumped-up charge or other.
Manne shares her story of rampant misogyny for having the audacity to put some of her Substack behind a paywall. It’s an example of a common problem women face; what men can do without thinking or backlash, women are routinely vilified for.
Of course it’s more than that as well.
It’s worth pointing out that similar penalties apply, mutatis mutandis, to anyone subject to racism: just as a woman will pay a tax relative to a male peer of the same race, a person of color will pay a tax relative to a white counterpart of the same gender. The same can be said—again, mutatis mutandis—for those subject to classism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and fatphobia, in all of their multiply burdensome intersections.
In today’s society it’s only getting worse.
Do this: I strongly recommend reading the essay. Especially if you’re a white male.
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2. “Needing to unclench, again and again and again.”
Let’s stop talking about A.I. – Oliver Burkeman – (The Imperfectionist)
Burkeman is tired of how almost every conversation in almost every realm eventually turns to AI. As he points out, it brings out “a major disease of our times: overthinking”.
So whatever insecurities already lurk in your psyche, it’s highly likely to activate them. Both hostility to and zealous enthusiasm towards A.I. can be explained this way.
While AI is certainly the topic of our time, it seems this characterization can apply to many, many topics that latch on to our collective psyche. Sometimes we need to take a step back, and … as the takeaway suggests … unclench a little.
Do this: Step back, and … you know.
3. “Reading is one of the healthiest hobbies for your mind”
The Reading Mind: Surprising Science-Based Benefits of Reading Everyday – Anne-Laure Le Cunff – (Ness Labs)
I disagree with the essay’s title: it’s not surprising at all.
Studies show that reading can help relax your body by lowering your heart rate and easing the tension in your muscles. Research has also been shown to slow the rate of memory deterioration and even improve your memory and thinking skills. And researchers have found that, compared to using social media, reading helps improve concentration by increasing the capacity for longer attention spans.
Aside from promoting the benefits of reading, the article also discusses how odd it is that reading activates the same regions of the brain across the works, even though we’ve not had nearly enough time for that to be a result of evolutionary changes.
The steps suggested to begin, resume, or improve a reading habit are simple: pick something you’ll enjoy, commit to as little as a single page a day, and pick a time of day that works well for you. Me? Sci-Fi, multiple pages, and bedtime, at a minimum. (I also make sure that I always have a book with me, in the form of the Kindle app on my phone.)
Do this: Read. Develop the habit.
4. “Nurture a ‘serendipity mindset.'”
3 ways to make your own luck – Jonny Thomson – (Big Think)
It’s safe to say I’ve had a very lucky life. I attribute that mostly to a positive mindset and being open to the opportunities that crossed my path. Yes, there was some hard work involved, but as we know, hard work alone doesn’t guarantee success.
We cannot stop the traffic jams, but we can choose the podcast to listen to.
I truly believe that the combination — positivity and openness — is key.
The truly lucky person is the one who is paying attention and is ready to jump when the time comes.
Do this: Pay attention.
5. “Why are we so obnoxious?”
Issue 401 Your call is important to us – Kai Brach – (Dense Discovery)
In his newsletter intro, Brach points to two articles discussing Japanese culture for us to compare and contrast. One is the typical “I went to Japan and everyone was polite, quiet and on-time” kind, and the other … less so.
… watching a country so rule-bound now that a stroll through a park comes with a looped announcement banning rollerblading and running, while everyone shuffles past staring at their phones.
… plenty of writers in this genre skate right past Japan’s very real problems – overwork, rigidity, bureaucracy, conservatism – to make a tidy point about the terrible state of our public toilets.
It’s easy to miss the whole picture when we’re fixated on one aspect that has our attention, be it toilets or, in the U.S. at least, national politics.
Do this: Look for the whole picture.
6. “Technology was supposed to make room for life”
Never Enough – Armin Ronacher – (Dark Thoughts)
One of the biggest problems in the tech space right now (and perhaps other spaces, I suppose) is FOMO: the Fear Of Missing Out. It drives unrealistic desires and unreasonable actions.
Everyone is chasing the person ahead of them, with little time to remember where they meant to go.
Rather than deciding whether something, anything, is correct, appropriate, or “right for me”, actions are based on trying to outdo someone else. The corporate world is even worse: rather than deciding whether something is the right thing to do, the decision is based instead on competition and one-upsmanship.
… find peace not by getting ahead, but by no longer needing to.
While that might be a difficult ideal to apply at the corporate level, as an individual it’s life-changing.
Do this: Worry less about competition and FOMO.
7. “Writing was already in trouble because we created a world in which nobody expects to pay for it.”
No, AI isn’t coming for writers – we were already fucked! – Annie Scott – (Annie Scott’s Wankery Watch)
We need proper writing. Not just because it’s better and more engaging to read – but because it’s one of our most important defences against misinformation. Proper journalism has this curious little eccentricity: it is supposed to be true – researched, checked and supported by evidence.
Scott makes the case that well before AI came along, good writing was already in trouble. We became used to it being free, online. Our expectations were set. As a result, good writing — the kind that costs both time and money — is on the decline. Yes, AI’s helping that decline, but it was already well underway.
I try to do my part by paying for many of the subscriptions I have (they’re marked on my sources page), but it’s a difficult situation becoming more difficult every day.
Do this: Don’t expect everything to be free, especially the good stuff. And if you can, pay for what you identify as quality writing.
Random links
Other things I found interesting this week.
- The Trouble with Cancer Screening – Tests for cancer often lead to more confusion than clarity. Here’s how to understand them.
- Mecca and the mall – In a bid for spiritual renewal, I made a pilgrimage to Islam’s holy city. Almost everything I expected to see was gone
- Stay – A touching remembrance of a dog, recently lost. Having recently lost a pet myself, this landed hard.
What I’m reading now
- Neuromancer – William Gibson (Re-read)
- Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences – Neal Allen, Anne Lamott
- The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark – Carl Sagan
My Reading List – everything I’ve read since 2021.
My Sources Page – the common sources I scan/read regularly.
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