Liven up your Monday with a few idea-sparking reads. To get them in real time, follow me on Twitter @ingenuediaries. Don’t forget to tweet me your favorites!
Most people have never participated in an involuntary mental health commitment. As a social worker, I have, a number of times. When you’ve participated in one, especially one that has gone awry, you see with crystal clarity the reasons for so many layers of protections for the detainee. When a civil commitment is authorized in the state of Pennsylvania, it becomes a warrant to take them into custody. People who go to psychiatric units against their will don’t go in ambulances, they go in paddy wagons. – “Confusing Mental-Health Intervention and Violence Prevention” by Jeff Deeney via The Atlantic
The researchers discovered that definitions of “slutty” behavior and the act of slut shaming was largely determined along class lines rather than based on actual sexual behavior. What’s more, they found the more affluent women were able to engage in more sexual experimentation without being slut-shamed, while the less-affluent women were ridiculed as sluts for being “trashy” or “not classy,” even though they engaged in less sexual behavior. – “Slut-shaming has little to do with sex, study finds” by Marisa Taylor via AlJazeera America
Mostly their relatives just vanished. Yalda’s brothers and cousin were on their way to deliver blood for a transfusion to their infant nephew who was having an open-heart operation when they were stopped at a roadblock, and interrogated about the blood. The three men did not arrive at the hospital and were never seen again. I did not want to ask what happened to the nephew. – “So many ways to die in Syria now” by Neil Gaiman via The Guardian
11.45am Around 500 people crammed into the temple. I was hoping people wouldn’t start doing speeches. Maybe that’s why the celebration goes on for four days. Divya gave me a plate of rice to hand out to the guests. This is thrown over the couple once they’re married. It’s better than confetti in a way as it’s easier to vac up, and it’s reusable. – “I spy, with my third eye” by Karl Pilkington via Conde Nast Traveller
“It was tricky, because we didn’t want to change much from the book,” Mr. Weber said. “Hello! Please hire us! We want to bring absolutely nothing to the table!” – “Reviving the coming-of-age movie” by Brooks Barnes via The New York Times
About all I remember at this point from 2013 is the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl and Ron Rivera acting out that fan fiction I wrote about the coach who always goes for it. – “Numbers rarely lie” by Bill Barnwell via Grantland
“Nature always gives you back a much wider idea. I like to be bewildered by how much nature can give you. Bewildered by wilderness. By freeing imagination, it will bring individuals closer to a genuine art experience. It feeds forward to the future.” – “Fujiko Nakaya on Making Sculptures Out of Fog” by Ken Miller via Times Magazine
One thing you see in the cards is a tendency to assume some things won’t change, even though they undoubtedly will. In one image, a couple flags down an aerotaxi. That’s futuristic enough, but the man is wearing spats and carrying a cane, while she has a parasol and an enormous hat with a feather. – “Here’s How People 100 Years Ago Thought We’d Be Living Today” by Greg Miller via Wired
What did you read this weekend? Share your picks in the comments!
