The Ghost of Bernays in the Machine In 1929, Edward Bernays orchestrated one of history's most insidious marketing campaigns. Sigmund Freud's nephew didn't just sell cigarettes to women. He weaponized their desire for liberation, transforming toxic smoke into "torches...
We like to think we're in control of our decisions. That clicking "add to cart" was our choice. That we stayed up until 3 AM scrolling because we wanted to. That we genuinely prefer that brand of detergent. But beneath the surface of our digital lives, sophisticated...
Disclaimer: Neil Gaiman, the author of The Sandman, has been accused of serious misconduct. While we do not condone his alleged actions or endorse financially supporting him, his influential work has been significant in the fields of psychology, myth studies, and...
Actor Toby Huss on Art, Trauma, and Finding Beauty in America's Forgotten Places: A Deep Dive into Creative Healing Buy the Book! Get Toby Huss's American Sugar Gristle Now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89zo1lyVFbM In a captivating podcast episode, acclaimed actor...
The Convenient Dismissal In 2018, Nickelodeon "parted ways" with Dan Schneider, their most profitable showrunner of the 2000s and 2010s. The timing was no accident. After decades of turning a blind eye to mounting complaints about his behavior—from verbal abuse to...
The Film That Saw Our Future In 1976, screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky and director Sidney Lumet released a film so prescient about the coming media landscape that audiences didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Network wasn't just satire—it was prophecy. Nearly fifty...
A Guide for Psychotherapists and Cultural Critics Why Psychotherapists Should Watch Adam Curtis For mental health professionals seeking to understand the cultural waters their clients swim in, Adam Curtis's documentaries offer an invaluable lens. His films map the...
What is the Point of All Watched over by Machines of Loving Grace I like to think (and the sooner the better!) of a cybernetic meadow where mammals and computers live together in mutually programming harmony like pure water touching clear sky. These opening lines from...
The Psychology of Aspect Ratio How does aspect ratio tell story and influence emotion? In the realm of cinema, the frame is not just a technical necessity but a powerful psychological tool. The proportions of that frame, known as the aspect ratio, profoundly influence...
I. Who is Donna Haraway Donna Haraway (b. 1944) is a prominent American scholar known for her groundbreaking contributions to the fields of science and technology studies, feminist theory, and cultural studies. Haraway's interdisciplinary approach, which draws from...