totalitarianism today

A collection of great pieces curated from Collector's Weekly.

Through the course of history, romantic love was a form of enchantment to be avoided. Certainly nothing serious enough to take as foundation for a lifelong union. Now love is reason for everything. 

With the market for hot love came the lazy-Susan of shame. 

Being a suffragette required many females to put their personal dreams behind their hope for human rights. Not to mention the prospect of women wearing pants. Men suffered immensely under the reign of suffragette terror. 

That's why the discovery of lesbianism by American markets was a boon for our country. Alas, it also a story in which happy endings were not necessarily had by all.

“The working class must exercise leadership in everything."

One of the fantastic developments of the Mao cult-- mangos were had by all. The relationship between fruit and communist cults has not been adequately explored.

It could be a strange, post-Dimetapp dream but instead it's a slice of history: camping out with the Victorians and their tarps.

There is love among ruins and these ruins range from guitar strings to underpants.  and the Museum of Broken Relationships.

Once upon a time, ads lied to consumers. Now, of course, all ads tell us the truth, but it deserves remembering that consumerism used to be quite dirty.

Sex-ed began with a Puritan impulse. Films to educate youth about sex were intended to shore up collapsing social mores and the hallowed institution of the family. Prior to the sex-is-dirty flicks, rural children learned about sex by observing animals on the farm. This resulted in a mammalesque sexicon.

The sexy history of the canoe is one for the family, though housewives might prefer a nice stash of seaweed.

Finally, given the reduced living space of the holidays, I leave you with two things: vintage snowmobiles and the art of making people go away.

The terror that brings me back to the blog.

After September 11th, I started blogging because it was the only way to leave a record which said, "All these things our government is doing in the name of security-- all these bombs and butterflies-- are not in my name." It makes sense that the tragedy of the Paris attacks bring me back to the blog, inspired by the same questions, the same horror, the familiar terror in witnessing how fear transforms nice Americans into angry, destructive monsters.

So here I am. In the thralls of the terror that brings me back to the blog.

And here's what I know. A loose-held bouquet of scattered impressions. 

The Bataclan Attackers 

I know that the Bataclan attackers were angry young men who wanted revenge. They might have used heroin prior to the attack. Their had the expression of "zombies."

I know that their fervor reminds me more of nihilism than spiritual belief. Maybe their version of Islam is not a religion so much as a lack of religion-- a lack of spiritual journey. Their rage may be the entire story. Can we settle for such a slender plot line in the world of conspiracy theories and Muslim-bashing?

The Death Sentence of Poet Ashraf Fayadh

I know our allies in the Saudi regime are loathed by everyone except the jet-setters who profit from the business opportunities. I know the Saudi regime does not represent the will of the Saudi people. I know that Palestinian poet and leading member of Saudi Arabia’s nascent contemporary art scene Ashraf Fayadh has been sentenced to death for renouncing Islam.

I know that it is easy and even pleasurable to arouse myself with fears of a terrorist attack. I know that people are more likely to "fall in love" while watching scary or suspense-driven movies.

I know that fear can create a cheap sense of solidarity which encourages us to do and think things we would never consider alone. I know hatred has the same power and potency as fear. I know hatred and fear can wind up cousins.

I know the current xenophobia and bigotry makes me so sick that an apple tastes like copper on my tongue. Therefore, I will seek temporary mental refuge in a lovely place called the Yiddish Emporium. But I'll be back. Because truth is the only weapon against terror.  

Sources: Jay Newton-Small; @ErinBurnett; David Smith; @David_Batty; Sebastain Budgen; Verso Books; Anna DuBuis; Ben Farmer; UK Telegraph