Everyone misunderstood the For Women Scotland case
I greatly admire trans people. The process of realising one is trans involves a journey of profound self-knowledge and actualisation. It is an example of the highest level of consciousness and self-love a human being can reach. We owe so much of queer and gender liberation to trans people. I
Coquettes-who-read vs deepfakes
I failed my interview for journalism school. In my application, I had written about my passion for telling human stories—the kind that give depth to reality through narrative. And so, they asked me: “Pitch a human story on the AI Summit” (nothing ironic about that). I panicked and gave
The objectification manifesto
Until last Thursday I was happy to be objectified, as long as I was in—what I perceived to be—control. We may have never met, but you still could have met my ass during a night in Bridge, a pole performance, on Instagram stories. My ass and what I do with it are out there in […]
The gooning ideology
Gooning [def]: “masturbation so intense that it becomes a state of meditation that consumes you and provides endless pleasure.” – Urban Dictionary A recent viral tweet called the current trademark style of AI generated art the result of “gooning ideology.” The extravagant, b
The revolution will not be branded: Art, symbolism, and the spectacle of resistance
What happens when Kendrick Lamar raps “the revolution will be televised” at the Super Bowl halftime show? Gil Scott-Heron’s original poem, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, was a scathing critique of mass media’s ability to commodify and dilute political struggle, an assert
Beer is Arab, but whiskey is European: Part II
Part I of this essay can be viewed here. In 1954, Cheikha Rimitti released ‘Charrak Gattah,’ meaning ‘tear and sever.’ In a rich Oranois accent, she instructs a virgin girl to lose her virginity, tear her hymen. All performed to the wooden seduction of the Gasba flute, a fleeting soun
Half the population, only half the story: Western tourism’s revival in Afghanistan
“During a trip through Afghanistan, you will see beyond the turbulent current era and experience a beautiful country with a rich cultural history.” Safarat Travel One travel website offers paid tours throughout Afghanistan, promising to take the keen explorer places which will reve
Beer is Arab, but whiskey is European
Part I July, 1961. In the northern suburb of El Menzah, Tunis, a secretary types as a beleaguered doctor dictates. Tunis – a city described by the Palestinian Poet Mahmoud Darwish as ‘the smell of night musk and salt’ – was a vestige of an eroding cosmopolitan Mediterranean, a city o
The Isis goes to the Presidents’ Summit
Last week, three unpresidential Isis writers visited the Presidents’ Summit, an AI-themed event for presidents of Oxford University societies. They had thoughts, and a lot of free drinks. Only the thoughts are below, entirely human-written. We write for free: you can’t replace us with ChatGPT if