Everything is Interesting
In cultural anthropology, a shame society is the concept that, in a given society, the primary device for gaining control over children and maintaining social order is the inculcation of shame and the complementary threat of ostracism.
A shame society is contrasted with a guilt society in which control is maintained by creating and continually reinforcing the feeling of guilt (and the expectation of punishment now or in the hereafter) for certain condemned behaviors.
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Beyond Culture is a 1976 book by American anthropologist Edward T. Hall where he describes a dichotomy between ‘high context cultures’ (focused upon in-groups) and ‘low context cultures’ (focused upon individuals). Low context cultures like the US don’t cater to ‘in-groups’ (a discrete group having similar experiences and expectations, from which, in turn, inferences are drawn), and there is less use of similar experiences and expectations to communicate. Much more is explained through words, instead of the context.
Conversely, high context cultures prefer high context messages over low context messages in routine communication. This choice of communication styles translates into a culture that will cater to in-groups. In a high context culture, many things are left unsaid, letting the culture explain. Words and word choice become very important in higher context communication, since a few words can communicate a complex message very effectively to an in-group (but less effectively outside that group), while in a lower context culture, the communicator needs to be much more explicit and the value of a single word is less important.
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Face, idiomatically meaning dignity/prestige, is a fundamental concept in sociology, psychology, and political science. Chinese author and translator Lin Yutang (1895-1976) claimed ‘Face cannot be translated or defined.’ However, some definitions have been attempted: ‘The term face may be defined as the positive social value a person effectively claims for himself by the line others assume he has taken during a particular contact. Face is an image of self delineated in terms of approved social attributes.’
”Face is the respectability and/or deference which a person can claim for himself from others, by virtue of the relative position he occupies in his social network and the degree to which he is judged to have functioned adequately in that position as well as acceptably in his general conduct.’
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Hercules and Love Affair is a musical project from New York based DJ Andy Butler. Members include Butler, Kim Ann Foxman, Mark Pistel, Aerea Negrot, and Shaun Wright. It is signed to DFA Records. The single ‘Blind’ featuring guest Antony Hegarty (lead vocalist in Antony & The Johnsons) was released in 2008, as was their self-titles debut album (produced by Butler and Tim Goldsworthy).
The band’s central figure, Andrew Butler, began his musical career at 15, DJing in a Denver leather bar run by a hostess called Chocolate Thunder Pussy. He then moved to New York, in order to attend Sarah Lawrence College. According to Butler: ‘I’ve been writing songs since childhood. I made music for dance performances in college (where he studied under Martin Goldray), like a remake of Gino Soccio’s ‘Runaway’ done in the style of Kraftwerk.’ In early interviews, Butler stated his intent to release music with a rotating cast of performers and musicians.
The Copycat Building is a Baltimore landmark containing artists’ live/work/paint spaces. The building was originally occupied in 1905 by the Crown Cork & Seal Company (originators of the modern bottle cap).
It is home to many young artists, musicians, filmmakers, and professionals looking for a large space to live, create, study, and live in the city. The cost of rent is 50 cents per square foot. The building is used for the set of the talk show, ‘It’s a Remarckable Time Who Cares.’
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Future Islands are a synthpop band based in Baltimore. The band is composed of Gerrit Welmers, William Cashion, and Samuel T. Herring.
The band met and formed in while studying art at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Their first band was Art Lord & the Self-Portraits, which lasted from 2003 until 2005. In 2006, Cashion, Herring, and Welmers formed Future Islands with Erick Murillo, who played an electronic drum kit.
The Daily Omnivore 