1) A study came out that showed women experience more rudeness from other women, rather than men, in the workplace. This is something I’ve said for far too long. Women complaining about how men treat them, or the oppression of some fictitious patriarchy, is small in comparison to how poorly women treat each other. Women are fiercely competitive with one another and they’d rather see themselves succeed than women as a whole get ahead.
2) We are a nation of addicts. From drugs and alcohol, to sex and porn, we are a people of very little self-control. We can now add smartphone addiction to the list as researchers now believe that this addiction has similar effects to those suffering under substance abuse. The more time one spends on their phone, the more isolated and lonely they feel. There will be a surge in mental disorders in the coming decades from the effects of this new addiction.
3) I’ve always maintained that cities are soul-crushing places and a breeding ground for unhappiness because of the busyness and the crowds of people. A new Canadian study has just concluded the same thing. The greater the population density of a community the unhappier people are. Nature and the outdoors are a respite from the chaos of cities. People continually surrounded by concrete will necessarily lead more dreary lives.
4) This past week, Rene Genest, or Zombie Boy, committed suicide at the age of 32. Social media was full of platitudes and condolences and calls for mental illness to be taken more seriously. Suicide is always horrible and a grotesque act of selfishness; we should feel intense sorrow for those left behind. But let’s be clear about one thing: Zombie Boy wore his mental illness for all to see in the tattoos that covered his face and body. So those shocked and saddened, shouldn’t be, for we know that tattoos are an outward indicator of inner problems. Rather than lauding his disfigured appearance, friends should have come alongside him and recognized these symbols of pain scarring his skin.
5) Hip Hop is to music as pornography is to film. It is a cheap imitation of the form. Hip Hop is a genre of the far less talented that put comparatively little effort into honing their craft with a reliance on overt sexuality and vulgarity to sell. It places greater emphasis on money and fame through a disposable product as the end goal, rather than a time-tested work of art. Hip Hop is highly derivative with no place to grow or change. Hip Hop and porn will converge over time until they are indistinguishable from each other.