CBC Radio | Quirks & Quarks | April 8, 2006
Heading into the 21st Century, our planet is undergoing rapid change. Species are disappearing daily, and along with them human languages and cultures. Terry Glavin, a conservationist and writer, set out to document these changes in his new book, Waiting for the Macaws. Along the way, he also discovered tales of humans and nature interacting in ways that protect the species and cultures around us. Journeying from the tropics to the northern tip of Norway, his story is one of hope for our future.
A fascinating interview challenging some of the language of conservationism. However, from a cognitively narrative point of view, all it is doing is offering an alterative cognitive model (or story). The typical narrative of conservationism is that of macro-phenomena illustrated by individual stories or images. Glavin offers a micro-phenomenon and is hoping that it will be the basis of our macro-salvation. To me this illustrates the need for a fractal vision of the social and natural sciences where we can avoid implicit linear causal links in our academic discourse (or at least a study of how it works, because chances are that such an approach is cognitively impossible for us).
Another interesting aspect of the interview was Glavin’s focus on ethno and linguo diversity as a counterpoint to biodiversity. It is an illuminating blending of two conceptual spheres. And one very much influenced by a neoromantic view of the world.
NPR : Global Sex Survey: Satisfied in the West
A groundbreaking international sex survey reveals that couples in Western countries are the most sexually satisfied, while countries in the East appear to be less satisfied.
The reporter commented that it is ironic, that in societies where men were the dominant gender, they also tended to be less sexually satisfied (he followed it by an idiotic comment about ‘unless the mother is satisfied, no one is satisfied’ but it was an interesting point nevertheless.) Of course, you could also say that people in societies where sexual well-being is most discussed tend to be more satisfied - but it could be an interesting selling point for men less gender-liberated countries. (Well probably not. Looking at this again, this is one of those research-generated assonant symmetries that have us in awe of the wonderous complexity of the world but probably hold no meaning other than the one we feel compelled to inject into them.)
Wired News: How Lara Croft Steals Hearts
I think young boy gamers loved Lara for reasons that were considerably stranger. They weren’t just ogling her: They were identifying with her. Playing the role of a hot, sexy woman in peril — surrounded by violence on all sides — was, unexpectedly, a totally electric experience for young guys.
An interesting feminist perspective on Lara Croft. I think the ‘male gaze’ and other concepts regarding the supposedly ‘mysogynic’ and ‘objectifying’ nature of much of the male symbolism are due for a revision. Not because they ‘don’t really exist’ as surface phenomena but because their underlying causes are much more complex both socially, cognitively and affectively.
