Every Monday on Global Comment, we share the slow, thoughtful, considerate words that our brains – and souls – need but that it’s easy to miss in our busy world. We distil the best of the web and recommend just three links every week that you absolutely must see.
No fluff, no fuss, just three exceptional reads.
Here are this week’s recommendations:
Violent Delights (Sarah Marshall / The Believer)
In the last few years, millennials have been accused of “killing” mayonnaise, diamonds, American cheese, “education as we know it,” milk, malls, cars, lunch, golf, napkins, and—in a fit of overachievement—both marriage and divorce. After all this killing, which is the only way headline writers are allowed to express that Kraft Singles saw a 1.6 percent decline in sales in 2018, it’s remarkable that there was anything left to destroy. But somehow, we managed. ARE AMERICAN SERIAL KILLERS A DYING BREED? a Guardian headline wondered in 2018, and to me, the answer was clear. Millennials killed the serial killer.
In this context, “killing” means either to be less interested in a product or lifestyle than previous generations, or simply to be unable to afford it. Economically, this is murder. And along these lines, I have joked for years that maybe we see fewer serial killers these days because millennials just can’t afford it as a hobby. To be a serial killer, you tend to need a house with a basement or garage, or at least a car. You need a job that pays well enough to let you waste gas driving around and looking for victims, and one that doesn’t eat up so much of your time and energy that you just want to sleep on your rare days off. The millennial serial killer probably has one of those floral day planners that says hustle on the cover in gold. The millennial serial killer wonders how his dad did it. This is the joke I tell, but is there any truth to it? Are serial killers harder to find, and if they are, does it have anything to do with the economy? Fewer homeowners equal fewer murder basements?
Vigilantes for views: The YouTube pranksters harassing suspected scam callers in India (Andrew Deck and Raksha Kumar / rest of world)
Trilogy’s pursuit of vigilante justice has proved a hit with their many fans, whom they refer to as “the squad.” But for some, their antics lay bare an uncomfortable power dynamic in which YouTubers in Los Angeles gain viral fame at the expense of Indian call center workers, physically harassing people whose situation they may know little about.
Sourav Ghosh, a call center operator who used to work at a company targeted by Trilogy, told Rest of World that his department had sold website-building services and was never involved in scams. He says Trilogy’s videos humiliate workers, and warned of the potential lasting impact on individuals caught on camera.
“They’re doing all these things for the sake of likes and the sake of the publicity they are getting for a minimum time, but it might affect someone’s dignity,” he said. Beyond damaging the reputation of former colleagues, Ghosh is concerned that Trilogy’s videos may reinforce negative stereotypes about Indian people. “India is not a scam country,” he said.
Glacier rivers in Alaska hit different (John Derting)
@johnderting Glacier rivers in Alaska hit different #alaska #glacier #2022 ♬ River Sounds – Relaxing Radiance & Calming Candy Music
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Image: Ishan @seefromthesky