Swift and sure

link

What do you think about pop star fan groups being mobilized for political and charitable causes?  Once a star becomes famous and influential, do they have a moral obligation to use their influence to make the world a better place, or should they just stick to what they know best?  What about all of the politicians like Trump or Zelenskyy who were known as entertainment celebrities and had little political experience when they came to power?

Tracing the Romani Studies learning curve

 link

Are Slovaks learning enough about national minorities in the current educational system?  To what extent can education about Roma help to create better mutual understanding and undermine racism?  What do you think about how Ort describes Romani studies and its theory of knowledge (arrggh, TOK...) and research methods?  Would you be attracted to this field of study?   What do you think about Ort’s critical stance toward the concepts of “adapting” “integration” and “harmony”?

The power of politicians, protestors, or the pen?

 link

Is politician a dirty word in Slovakia like it is in Vietnam or Pakistan?  Should it be?  To what extent can anger help or hinder us in pushing for political change?  Do we have solo protestors in Slovakia?  Do we need more of them?  Is a journalist’s vocation to tell (their) stories? Which role is the most virtuous or most effective: elected official, activist or journalist?

Degrees of Uselessness?

 link

This piece is a bit longer than the others, but there are lots of interesting thoughts to tackle here.  What is the point of studying the humanities (like literature, culture or philosophy)?  Is too much or too little emphasis placed on them in the IB program?  In the Slovak educational system?    Should they receive less state funding than STEMs since they are supposedly less practical?  Are governments right to be wary of their influence?  Can they help make democracy stronger?

Nicking Cave’s style

 link

This is the last entry you can comment on for mid-November to mid-December

What do you think about how Nick Cave describes the creative process?  Is he right about the limitations and dangers of AI technologies like chatGPT?  Can chatGPT be used as a creative tool, or is it destined to always produce something inauthentic and derivative?