Good Reads.

Rounding up a few of the best articles I read this week that showed another perspective, made me think, or were just plain interesting.

The Identity Hoaxers

This piece by Helen Lewis explores why people fake fundamental parts of their identity, Rachel Dolezal is the obvious example, but her doesn’t even scratch the surface of those who claim an experience that’s not theirs, whether it’s their racial identity or surviving a crisis like 9/11. In most cases, Identity Hoaxers are attaching very real personal pain to a grander or more empathetic story.

What Was The Wing?

The Wing, an instagram-friendly attempt at replicating the women’s clubs of the early twentieth century, was one casualty of 2020. But COVID-19 wasn’t entirely to blame— problems at The Wing had been picking up speed for months before the shutdowns. They proved to be foundational cracks, not just situational ones. Molly Fischer of The Cut writes about the rise and fall of the millennial pink unicorn as a cautionary tale of commoditizing feminism.

Gardens: An Essay on the Human Condition

Gardens are ubiquitous across history, even having a place among the ancient wonders of the world. This essay tells the story of gardens across the course of human history, suggesting that it ‘ is not a coincidence but suggestive of something important and profound about our psychological and social situation.’

Persuading the Unpersuadable

I’ve read this article by Adam Grant more than a few times— it tells the story of some of Apple’s biggest decisions, from the perspective of the people who changed Steve Job’s mind. Each of them had a different technique, and Grant breaks down when and how to use the strategies that swayed the infamously opinionated product designer’s mind.

Lost in Thought

Meditation is one of those things we think of as unequivocally healthy that we might not do enough, like drinking water and flossing your teeth twice a day. But this article in Harper’s Magazine covers the ‘psychological risks’ of meditation— negative side effects that are more common that we thought.