Greetings, everyone. I read things, and find them interesting. Here are some things I read this week that I found interesting. I’ve split it this week, because there’s been a fair amount of comment on the situation in Paris at the moment. Note that just because I’m linking content that criticised racism doesn’t mean I think they deserved to die. I cannot believe that needs saying. Scroll down if you’re sick to the back teeth of it for other links.
Charlie Hebdo and reaction
In the Wake of Charlie Hebdo, Free Speech Does Not Mean Freedom From Criticism (Jacob Canfield)
Unpopular Opinion: Satire Should Punch Up. Charlie Hebdo Did Not. (Kitty Stryker)
I hate that every time something awful happens… (Alex Shams)
Why I am not Charlie (A Paper Bird)
Unmournable Bodies (Teju Cole)
General
The authenticity gap: Are trans people really ‘real’? (CN Lester)- Questions cis people should ask themselves.
The resilience of neoliberal urbanism (Tom Slater)- What does the buzzword “resilience” mean? This piece deconstructs the term.
Woman Brilliantly Shuts Down Man Who Accuses Her Of Lying On OkCupid– This is superb.
5 things you should read before saying the IMF is blameless in the 2014 Ebola outbreak (Adia Benton & Kim Yi Dionne)- Well worth looking through this summary.
Gamephobias– Signal boosting this fantastic initiative for crowdsourcing a list of triggers in video games.
recent leftist male Google searches– Your new favourite Tumblr.
Five Destructive Myths Perpetuated by Roleplaying Games (Oren Ashkenazi)- Examining potentially harmful tropes in RPGs and what they teach us. Also recommends games that get round the problems.
Behold, the Pillars of Creation (Bad Astronomy)- Examination of a very important “before-and-after” shot, with some stunning pictures.
FRIENDS: Where Are They Now (The Belle Jar)- A very funny, astute piece of writing with very gratifying Ross-hate.
And finally, just look at this ad for Windows 95. Just look at it.
Another angry woman 