musings on everything i've read recently!

article recommendations that will make you more interesting & thoughtful

Hi, friends!

Over the past six-ish weeks, I’ve read about the economy, history, the environment, linguistics, and the ethics of AI. Excited to share some of my favorites… can’t wait to hear your thoughts. 💛

1. This Doctor Pioneered Counting Calories a Century Ago, and We're Still Dealing With the Consequences

   In 1918, only two years before women were allowed to vote, Lulu Hunt Peters brought Americans a new method for weighing their dinner options, distilling her passion for calorie counting into a slim handbook that became the first diet best-seller in history. In doing so, she launched a century of diet fads that left us hungry for a better way to keep our bodies strong and healthy. As GLP-1 agonists skyrocket in popularity, the cycle of diet culture continues to evolve, highlighting how every time women gain too much power or start to voice their opinions, societal pressures push them back into the box of thinness.

   In The Beauty Myth, a book I often return to, Naomi Wolf discusses how the ideal of thinness is wielded as a weapon against women: "The more legal and material hindrances women have broken through, the more strictly and heavily and cruelly images of female beauty have come to weigh upon us."

   The resurgence of diet fads and the relentless pursuit of thinness are not merely about health; they are about control. They serve to distract and diminish women's achievements by redirecting their focus toward personal appearance and away from broader societal influence. Wolf notes, "A culture fixated on female thinness is not an obsession about female beauty but an obsession about female obedience." Peters’ calorie counting and today's modern diet trends, from low-fat to keto, reveal an enduring obsession with controlling women’s bodies. Each time women step forward in their quest for equality, there is a parallel surge in the scrutiny and regulation of their bodies. Anyways, fascinating read.

2. Young Adulthood Is No Longer One of Life’s Happiest Times

   Traditionally, happiness followed a U-shaped curve, with peaks in youth and old age and a dip in midlife. However, recent data show a consistent increase in unhappiness among young people, especially women aged 18 to 25, while older adults experience a rise in happiness. This shift challenges long-held beliefs and highlights the impact of factors like cell phone and social media use on mental health.

   What makes this article so upsetting is its revelation that young adults, who are just starting their lives, are experiencing unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness. This stark contrast to previous generations, who found their twenties and thirties to be among their happiest years, raises alarm about the current state of mental health among the youth. The implications are profound: if young people are entering adulthood with such high levels of despair, what does that mean for their future well-being and societal contributions?

3. What If Quitting Your Terrible Job Would Help The Economy?

   Traditionally, unemployment insurance (UI) is meant to support those who lose jobs through no fault of their own, but Jarow explores a growing body of evidence suggesting that enabling people to quit unsatisfactory jobs might actually boost the economy. The argument is that providing financial support for quitters could lead to higher wages, better job satisfaction, and enhanced productivity as people find roles better suited to their skills.

   This idea, backed by recent studies and models, could reshape how we view economic growth and worker well-being.

   How might this change the landscape of the labor market and our approach to employment security?

4. A.I. Needs Copper. It Just Helped to Find Millions of Tons of It (no paywall link here!)

   KoBold Metals, using AI, has discovered one of the largest copper deposits in over a decade in Zambia, marking a significant breakthrough for the tech industry and the global energy transition. This find is poised to yield at least 300,000 tons of copper annually, potentially generating billions of dollars…

   The excitement surrounding the finding in Zambia overlooks the inevitable adverse effects on local communities and the environment. Historical patterns of mining have left communities with severe environmental degradation, health hazards, and minimal economic benefit. In Zambia’s Copperbelt Province, decades of mining have resulted in toxic waste, polluted rivers, and the displacement of local populations, making the prospect of yet another massive mining operation deeply concerning.

   While global investors and tech giants celebrate the economic and strategic advantages, the reality on the ground inevitably includes environmental destruction and social upheaval, making the enthusiastic discussions around such discoveries feel depressingly disconnected from the lived experiences of affected communities.

5. Social Media Broke Slang. Now We All Speak Phone (no paywall link here!)

   Social media, while ostensibly expanding communication, has in fact homogenized it. The idea that the distinctiveness of language, which once helped people identify and relate to each other, is being lost in a sea of generic expressions is both fascinating and concerning. Brooks’ use of specific examples, like the evolution of the word "tea" and the phrase "it's giving," vividly illustrates how the richness of subcultural language is being flattened into superficial jargon.