Papers for your thoughts
Papers for your thoughts is where you’ll find some (hopefully) interesting and entertaining articles on just about anything. An archive of articles from a variety of publications and authors.
All the curse words Taylor Swift uses on her new album 'folklore'
Mashable
Watch out, world: Taylor Swift swears now.
Her surprise new album folklore, which dropped at midnight Thursday, East Coast time, with less than a day's notice, is the first to sport a Parental Advisory label. Five songs feature lyrics with naughty words, including "bitch," "shit," and her favourite, "fuck."
The Case for Cursing
The New York Times
You know when you stub your toe and involuntarily utter an expletive? You probably didn’t give it much thought, but you might have been on to something.
As children we’re taught that cursing, even when we’re in pain, is inappropriate, betrays a limited vocabulary or is somehow low class in that ambiguous way many cultural lessons suggest. But profanity serves a physiological, emotional and social purpose — and it’s effective only because it’s inappropriate.
Nicolas Cage’s History of Swear Words Is a Freakin’ Delight
Slate
The elevator pitch for Netflix’s History of Swear Words is an immediately appealing one: Nicolas Cage, cinema’s patron saint of lunacy, walks viewers through the history behind a specific curse word, and curses copiously in the process. In other words, it’s Nicolas Cage swearing ASMR. [...]
Cancel New Year’s Eve Forever
The New Yorker
Everyone says that 2020 sucked, and I am not going to argue with that, mostly because I have lost the ability to argue with anyone but myself. (I live with someone, but we have decided that there’s no point in arguing anymore, because if it escalated we wouldn’t be able to break up until March at the earliest.) [...]
If 'Folklore' Turned You On to Taylor Swift, These Are the Deep Cuts You'll Like
Billboard
So, maybe you were never into Taylor Swift. But you were intrigued by Folklore, and somehow it's become your quarantine soundtrack.
Would you like the rest of her discography? Where should you begin?
Folklore is an album of stories, of (as Swift's liner notes explain) "fantasy, history and memory," crafted with some of her finest lyrics to date. But Swift has been writing fine songs for a long time. [...]
“I Take Responsibility” and the Limits of Celebrity Activism
The New Yorker
Hollywood is perhaps one of the last places to look for inspiration—practical, emotional, or otherwise—in times of crisis. Still, our gilded class’s response to the societal shitstorm that has dominated our minds and screens for the last four months has felt notably unfastened. In April, the comedian and talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres made headlines when she joked that life while quarantined in her ten-thousand-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion felt like “being in jail.” [...]
Why Influencers Won’t Stop Partying Anytime Soon
The New York Times
In late July, dozens of social media stars flocked to the Hype House, a Hollywood Hills mansion where several top TikTok creators live, for a birthday party. The décor was glittery and pink, with balloons and silver streamers strewn about. Hello Kitty strobe lights pulsed over a crowded dance floor. [...]
Africa on the Fly
Smithsonian Magazine
The children playing at the elementary school across the street from George Steinmetz's house didn't miss a beat when, grunting in his driveway, he strapped on his flying machine. His outfit was pure New Jersey dad—loafers, blue jeans and a fleece vest—but his hair was wild and the shadows beneath his eyes were as dark as the volcanic craters he likes to photograph from the sky. [...]
I'm Scared to Learn New Things
¡Hola Papi!
I used to be a curious, ambitious kid, but a combination of art school, an abusive household, and bad relationships knocked it all out of me. I've been recovering for the last four years, but every time my peers talk about being excited to learn new things, or pick up new skills, I get horrible anxiety. [...]
