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kevin

@kevinng.bsky.social

I write about music and culture.

846 Posts10186 Follower2913 Folgt
Aparna Nair@disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 2mo ago

"Since Saladin, however, there has been scant sign of comparable Arab achievement — consider Nobel prizes, or an absence of them. Colonialism cannot take all the blame." I mean, WOW. Such uniquely pungent British racism. This piece just made my eyes pop.

I talked to many soldiers who, in those days, almost all spoke English. I was captivated by the stories of their own lives, of the modern Jewish experience. When the war ended, I wrote a deeply emotional leader page article, expressing my admiration for “a very great people, who have come closer to destruction than blind Europe seems willing to recognise”. What fresh strikes in Iran and Lebanon mean for peace negotiations Then — and this is the bit that made me cringe in the fields last week — I added: “I yearned to carry a rifle beside them”. At the time, I really felt like that. But journalists should never express such sentiments, and I was castigated by some colleagues. My only excuse is that I was 27, which today seems very young. Evidence is all around us of a Jewish genius, both in Israel and the Diaspora. Since Saladin, however, there has been scant sign of comparable Arab achievement — consider Nobel prizes, or an absence of them. Colonialism cannot take all the blame. Beyond science and commerce, there has also been an Israeli military genius, though in recent times this has atrophied. The IDF is discovering that merely killing your enemies, no matter in what numbers, does little to resolve ancestral issues; it is likely indeed to breed a new generation of Israel-haters.
flyingrodent@flyingrodent.bsky.social · 2mo ago

This is free to read, so I think we can take it that the gleeful, joyous murder and destruction has now got so mortally embarrassing that it is fine for the right type of respected one-of-the-lads to recognise what was right in front of us all along www.thetimes.com/article/1879...

Aksel Tollåli@akseltoll.bsky.social · 2mo ago

If you think you might object to the opera with the rollerskating naked nuns that also includes live sex, cannibalism and people hanging from hooks by their skin, maybe don't see a production directed by a director who is famous for shows with a lot of nudity, sex, violence and also cannibalism

derek guy@dieworkwear.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Pierre Bourdieu once argued that the question of whether something is art isn't answered by the artist's intention or even the object itself. Instead, the quality of being "art" is conferred by a community — curators, dealers, auction houses, audiences, etc. 🧵

Someone on Threads writes: "The Met Gala feels like real dystopian shit. People can’t afford groceries or gas. But we’re going to celebrate this event which is nothing more than wealth porn."
Gil Durán@gilduran.com · 3mo ago

Remember when y'all made this thread on Paulina Borsook go viral? Well, that resulted in her getting a deal to re-publish her book in the USA, the UK & Commonwealth, Belgium, France, and Switzerland! Coming Sept. 15—with a foreword by some guy named Gil Duran. Pre-order! www.cyberselfish.com

cover for "Cyberselfish: A Critical Romp Through the Terribly Libertarian Culture of High Tech" by Paulina Borsook. Foreword by Gil Duran.
Gil Durán@gilduran.com · 11mo ago

1/ A longtime Wired editor just wrote a mush-brained essay about how he totally missed the political rot of Silicon Valley (& still doesn't get it). But in the late 1990s, a Wired journalist warned of a toxic ideology bubbling up from tech. Paulina Borsook has largely been erased. Let's change that

photo of paulina borsook
Jay Hulme@jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 3mo ago

My biggest conspiracy theory is that telling working class people that engagement in the arts is a middle / upper class thing and to do so makes you a class traitor is a psyop to make them disengaged with themselves and the world and the beauty of being human, so that they accept worse treatment.

Paul Boldrin@paulboldrin.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I read a history of early 20th century socialism and it's crazy how much of it is just clubs doing art or reading books and trying to get miners and factory workers to do art and read books.

🎹 sharon su@doodlyroses.com · 3mo ago

Lots of deliciously dismaying details in this but nothing sums up the billionaire mindset like “attend one orchestra rehearsal as an audience member and believe as a result that you are being groomed to become its next music director”

The Baffler@thebaffler.com · 3mo ago

Once upon a time, years of training and competition were required to rise to the top of classical music. But as Jeffrey Arlo Brown reports, the under-qualified ultra-wealthy are skipping to the front of the line, wads of cash in hand.

Stephanie Kirchgaessner@skirchy.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I recently reported that Botstein told staff he would be cleared by WilmerHale. But the Epstein files had raised a lot of questions about Botstein's activities. Botstein appears to have defended himself this way: ‘I would take money from Satan if it permitted me to do God’s work."

Stephanie Kirchgaessner@skirchy.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Botstein is stepping down after WilmerHale completes its review. Among other things it suggests Botstein was warned not to have dealings with Epstein www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Marie Le Conte@youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 4mo ago

went to check out the techno rave outside Parliament and I don't think I have the data allowance to share a video from it but let me tell you: there sure is a techno rave outside Parliament right now, celebrating Orban getting ousted

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