Is crochet anti-capitalist?
Are we so obsessed with watching other people document their creativity for profit that we’re unable to separate our own creativity from capitalism? Crochet has gone through several evolutions since its (debated) origins in Europe. It is widely agreed that Chinese craftsmen introduced a needlework style known as tambouring to...
Current in Offbeat
Is it really lonely at the top?
It’s long been posited that money can’t buy happiness – apart from maybe the £9.90 it costs for prescribed antidepressants – but can alienation caused by excessive wealth harm our ability to form interpersonal connections? The other day I was walking through the display rooms in a well-known, Swedish, affordable...
‘Fogvid’ was our favourite conspiracy theory of 2024
As barmy conspiracies go, Fogvid 24 made a late play for the title of most baseless and far-fetched of 2024. Let’s get into the details still spreading throughout the tendrils of Facebook. Last year was a great year for conspiracy theories, creatively speaking – in terms of plausibility, perhaps not. In...
Opinion – Gen Z are becoming more about crochet than clubbing
Gen Z seem to be more about crochet than clubbing these days. When did this shift happen and what are the probable causes, though? I love going out. I love the loud music and the pulsating walls. I love dark rooms and sporadic lighting. I love the throng of...
The power of swearing in positions of powerlessness
Is being explicit how we cope with how out of control things are – and how out of control we feel? Recently, internationally acclaimed Irish popstar CMAT (Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson) posted an Instagram story responding to someone who criticised how much she swears on social media. She explained that, sometimes, when...
Exploring Mexico’s tradition of the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe
When culture, tradition, and religion meet From October 13th to December 12th, the streets of Nuevo Leon, Mexico are painted with colors, street vendors, and food stalls in preparation for the hundreds of pilgrimages arriving at the sanctuary of the Virgin of Guadalupe. When we think of Mexican celebrations, what comes...
Exploring how cultural traditions encourage violence and sexism
To what extent can violence be justified by cultural tradition? Traditions are bits of knowledge, beliefs, or customs that are passed down through generations. They help children form their identity and create a sense of belonging within a community, while keeping alive the cultural heritage of our regions. However, many traditions of the past – some of which have been handed down to our present generation – have sexist and violent...
How to navigate family politics this festive season
For many of us, awkward conversations have become a mainstay of winter gatherings. The festive period promises a lot: turkey, tinsel, and a soundtrack of perennial arguments. For a large portion of us, the season has become something other than a celebratory get-together and more of an endurance test, especially in recent years marred by political polarisation. So how do you survive these annual interactions without severing ties or weaponizing a...
Opinion – stop letting men get away with silence
The belief that another person will complete us means that many people are settling for the bare minimum in relationships, rather than taking the time to get to know themselves as an individual. For modern dating to work, we need to recognise the importance of reciprocal communication between partners and an equal distribution of all kinds of labour. Before the evolution of the internet and international travel meant that you...
Why Miss Universe has triggered a ‘wokeness’ debate
The beauty pageant is being hailed as the death of wokeness, and the result of the ‘Trump effect’. Victoria Kjær Theilvig, a 21-year-old Danish woman, is Miss Universe 2024. She’s blonde, blue-eyed, and undeniably beautiful – a fact that should been met with applause and little more. Instead, her win has ignited a cultural skirmish on social media, where far-right commentators have seized the moment to proclaim the supposed ‘end of...
