Work of freelancer, that often means working from home. From a teenager’s point of view it may seem like something really cool. And also from the point of view of all those who have to wake up early to get somewhere in a sad office. But thinking about the “real situation” and being inside it, it can often be completely different…
Fast fashion, if ethics is not a trend
Fast fashion was created in the Nineties thanks to brands that proposed a recognizable and low cost dressing style. It developed through these decades following high-fashion, but remaining much cheaper and most of all it changed timing. Collections went from two cycles a year (basically summer and winter) to almost weekly ones, for a constant renovation of the store shelves. Sustainability is the other side of the coin, though
Hollywood, from a prohibitionist village to the star system
Looking at all the stories of alcohol and/or drugs addiction that affect the showbiz, it’s hard to believe that Hollywood was founded with the purpose to create a prohibitionist town. At the end of the XIX century, the entrepreneur Harvey Henderson Wicox, during the honeymoon, is convinced by his wife Daeida Hartell to buy an area of 50 hectares to establish an oasis free from alcohol…
From Dylan Dog to Morgan Lost, media and narcissism of evil
We were already used to the lonely, mysterious and handsome hero, but with Morgan Lost it is like Dylan Dog had passed through Alice’s mirror…
The traditional family is the one which evolves
Even if we talk of a “traditional family”, the basic concepts which historically defined and described family relationships had been very fluid and connected to economy more than blood lineage or love…
This is Halloween
Not totally pagan or Christian, Halloween is one of the many examples of religious syncretism. Rooted in Celtic and therefore pre-Christian traditions, Halloween was “resumed” during the VIII century by the monk Alcuin of York, who superimposed All Saints’ Day to the celebrations of Samhain, a joyful memory of the dearly departed. The name itself Halloween is the contraction of All Hallow’s Eve…
You can’t be neutral on a moving train
Historians, such as journalists, focus on the most important people. “What really matters are the countless small deeds of unknown people who lay the basis for the events of human history”, Howard Zinn once said. Why did he write a history book? Because there wasn’t any like it. It’s A people’s history of the United States, published in 1980 and corner stone of this specific sector. Because Zinn was one of those who changed the narration perspective, placing the last ones with the greatest characters…
The law of Jante
We are used to think of Scandinavian Social Democracies as one of the best political models around the world, able to conjugate collectivism and liberalism. It’s a common belief that the main pillar of Social Democracy is the Law of Jante, a decalogue created by the Danish writer Aksel Sandemose in his novel of 1933 A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks…
Fake news, fake problem
Fake news are the alarm of the last few years. A BBC survey, conducted in 18 countries, revealed that 78% of the interviewed feels worried because of the spreading of misinformation. But the real question, in the end, is: do fake news have an actual role in influencing elections, like Donald Trump or Brexit? Or is it just an easy scapegoat to divert attention from personal responsibilities and much deeper social and cultural issues?
1816, the year without summer
1816 had been the year without summer because of the eruption of Tambora, that caused hundred thousand dead people all over the world for dearth and famine, due to the sudden cooling. But even from such a catastrophe, something positive stem. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, for the dark mood of the season, the Flemish painters got inspired by the particular sunsets, the ancestor of the bicycle was invented…