Genuine quotas were explicitly tried in Britain in the 1980s, and they failed. Well, they were sort of tried – Christy Romer argues that the attempt wasn’t serious, and that now’s the time to try to do it properly.
Tag: 12.01.16
The Ghostwriter’s Dark Arts
“She went from sort of daffy and inattentive to intimately involved with her client’s world. Her head cocked, her timbre lowered, and she understood everything. A client could have sat down and told her they were going to murder their parents and she would have said, “Well, they have been very mean to you.” With her, the clients felt heard. They’d open up their lives, reveal deeply buried trauma. She was a truly fantastic interviewer.”
A Lot Of Knowledge Has Been Hiding In Plain Sight. Intelligent Search Engines Are Changing That
“With the ubiquity of the internet and the rise of machine learning, a new kind of solution is beginning to take shape. The infrastructure of the web, built to link one resource to the next, was the beginning. The next wave of information systems promises to more deeply establish links between people, ideas, and artifacts that have, so far, remained out of reach—by drawing connections between information and objects that have come unmoored from context and history.”
Nine Nations And Their Favorite Movies (And The Reasons Why)
These films rarely top critics’ lists, but they’ve definitely captured their people’s imaginations. Britain’s The Great Escape, Russia’s Irony of Fate, India’s Sholay – plus titles for France, Germany, Mexico, Japan, Nigeria, and, of course, the U.S. (for which the choice may be arguable but is certainly credible, especially when you adjust its box-office figures for inflation).
Meet Afghanistan’s First Female Rapper
“Life has not been easy for Paradise Sorouri. In the past seven years, the 27-year-old has been forced to flee her country twice, received more death threats than she can count, and was brutally beaten by 10 men on the street and left to die. Her crime? She covers her head with a baseball cap instead of a hijab, raises her voice for women’s rights, and is Afghanistan’s first female rapper.”
Does Railing Against Racism Make Racists More Racist?
“The idea is that the desire to counter racism might itself end up fomenting prejudice. Based on what we know about the human mind and the psychology of bias, should this ‘backlash’ explanation of the Trump Effect” – the marked rise in incidents of harassment and even assault since the election – “carry any weight?” Daniel Engber looks at the research.
What’s Behind The Staff Rebellion At Berlin’s Volksbühne Theater? The Prop Shop
“Since the Belgian ex-director of London’s Tate Modern, Chris Dercon, was announced as the successor of the Volksbühne’s veteran director Frank Castorf in spring 2015, staff have been in open revolt.” Part of the reason seems to be concern for the theater’s prop and scenery shop, which does some genuinely extraordinary work. But that concern may be based on a simple miscommunication.
Jazz Sucks! This Meme Is Picking Up Speed
“These may seem like isolated incidents, but they are not the only examples in an alarming pattern of offhand derision and dismissal of jazz in popular culture. Why are these media denizens suddenly picking on jazz? What does it mean?”
Instagram Has Fast Become Musicians’ Social Media Platform Of Choice
“Instagram has taken a series of small steps to turn its once photo-driven service into a creative haven where artists tease new music, reveal album artwork, announce tour dates, and offer intimate behind-the-scenes glimpses.”
Andrew Lloyd Webber Report Reports Diversity Crisis In Theatre
The report covers theatre across the board. It says “musical theatre has challenged the monoculture”, with successful productions such as Motown the Musical, “but the success of these shows has bred another problem. The failure of drama schools to take in enough BAME talent has led to a shortage of actors suitable for the roles and, as a result, touring productions have been cancelled”.