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My colleague Dr. Elias Aboujaoude has made a name for himself as an interpreter of how social networking affects our emotions and identity. Stanford’s SCOPE blog recently interviewed him about the way that the Internet is changing how people grieve losses and traumas, such as the 9/11 atrocities. Among his points is that because almost [...]
Archive for September, 2011
September 13th, 2011
Category: Campaign 2012, Watching Conservatives
Audience reaction at the GOP debate.
September 12th, 2011
Category: Britain, Financial crises
The Vickers report on banking reform in the UK: ring-fence retail banking.
September 12th, 2011
Requiem for the past subjunctive.
September 12th, 2011
Category: Britain, Personal moment
In the brilliant film Syriana, George Clooney’s character, a spy, tells an Arab that he is Canadian, not American. This technique is often recommended to Americans travelling in Middle East hot spots, as a way of lowering the likelihood of verbal or physical aggression. I have been to Iraq, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan and was [...]
September 11th, 2011
Category: Personal moment, Terrorism and its control
I hope our experiences of trauma, heroism, and loss—and, yes, our subsequent mistakes and misdeeds related to that day—will increase our empathy for so many others who endure natural and man-made catastrophes across the globe.
September 11th, 2011
Category: Religion and Politics
If we want to commemorate the event by expressing our hostility to the people who brought it about and the ideas they serve, let us today celebrate everything they hate: freedom, science, secularism, religious tolerance, and equality for women.