On the face of it, The Wire is merely another crime drama in the milieu of the dying, violence filled streets of an ordinary American city, yet is often considered one of the greatest television shows of all time. Spawning multiple books and being the subject of various courses at elite universities, The Wire isContinue reading “Broken Window Theory, Gini Coefficient and The War on Drugs: 5 Lessons from “The Wire””
Category Archives: Culture
“The Social Dilemma”: The Dark Side of Social Media
In a day and age where the majority of our interactions happen through social media, it becomes paramount to consider its effects on ourselves, on society, and our future. In an eye-opening documentary by Netflix, named The Social Dilemma, former employees of major Silicon Valley tech giants discuss in-depth how these platforms work and whatContinue reading ““The Social Dilemma”: The Dark Side of Social Media”
The Boys: How A Superhero Satire Deconstructs Celebrities
What if superheroes were real? Released in July of 2019, Amazon Prime’s binge-worthy black comedy The Boys (based on the comic of the same name) answers this very question. Unlike the show Watchmen and the movie The Incredibles, which tackle the idea of “good” superheroes being treated like criminals, The Boys takes us into aContinue reading “The Boys: How A Superhero Satire Deconstructs Celebrities”
Virtue Signalling in the 21st Century
Amidst the deluge of posts raising awareness for one issue or another, I came across a term I had never heard of before—virtue signalling. It seemed extremely prevalent when looked at through the lens of the armchair activism that is all the rage these days, and I was curious to learn more. As I continuedContinue reading “Virtue Signalling in the 21st Century”
Impostor Syndrome: Insecurity and Self-Doubt is Everywhere “Among Us”
Due to the recent widespread acclaim and success of the social deduction game Among Us in which players must seek out the “impostor” within their group, this term, impostor, has been growing in popular usage. But what does it really mean? On a larger societal level, what does it signify for each of us toContinue reading “Impostor Syndrome: Insecurity and Self-Doubt is Everywhere “Among Us””
Politicising Everything: “Standing Up” is Tearing Us Down
For any healthy democracy to function, there needs to be a contrasting diversity of thoughts and ideas; in its essence, this is what a tolerant and free society is all about. But if you ask anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock, there seems to be an uneasy amount of political discourse nowadays. MoreContinue reading “Politicising Everything: “Standing Up” is Tearing Us Down”
A Case for Critics in Culture
While answering the reading section of the ACT exam a few weeks ago, I found myself unusually interested in one of the passages. Yes, I am the sort of person who actually enjoys that bit and likes learning about the things they include. Crazy, I know. And this time was no different—while everyone around meContinue reading “A Case for Critics in Culture”
The Ultimate Productivity Guide: Flow States and the Pomodoro Technique
In this article of mine from a few weeks ago, I discussed how and why we procrastinate To summarize the piece, I made the point that based on the best scientific research and psychological studies available, it seems that procrastination stems from having negative feelings towards tasks we feel overwhelmed by. The first step toContinue reading “The Ultimate Productivity Guide: Flow States and the Pomodoro Technique”
The Death of SSR: Cognitive Dissonance, Due Process and Sensationalism
The death of Sushant Singh Rajput has captured the imagination of the Indian public for the past 4 months, since that fateful day, June 14th; the day the Bollywood actor was found dead in his Bandra home. The nation’s attention and reaction to the case however has become larger than the death of Sushant itself,Continue reading “The Death of SSR: Cognitive Dissonance, Due Process and Sensationalism”
A Brief History of Hip Hop: Edginess Can be Poetry
Hip-Hop, for a long time now, has been one of the most prolific genres of all time. Yet, the genre doesn’t get as much appreciation for its poetry as it does for the edgier, unfiltered side. I admit I’m a big fan of the “ignorant” side, but I’ve noticed that it’s this edgier sub-genre thatContinue reading “A Brief History of Hip Hop: Edginess Can be Poetry”
The Candid Contrarian 