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Tag: Society

All longform pieces tagged with #society on The Slow Scroll

The Men Spending $1,000 a Day in Pursuit of Big Bass 
Texas Monthly23 Feb 2025 • ~6150 words

Some bass fishing enthusiasts are willing to spend up to $1,000 a day in search of the ultimate catch: a trophy-sized largemouth bass. Ryan Krogh explores the unique subculture of anglers, who pursue these elusive fish in private lakes across Texas. The piece delves into the pass...

Dredging Up the Ghostly Secrets of Slave Ships
The New Yorker24 Feb 2025 • ~6650 words

Julian Lucas writes about the efforts of maritime archeologists and the Slave Wrecks Project to locate and excavate slave shipwrecks, focusing on the Camargo and its connections to the transatlantic slave trade and Brazil. He explores the historical context of the slave trade, th...

The Teacher in Room 1214
New York Times23 Feb 2025 • ~3000 words

This piece examines Ivy Schamis' journey following the loss of two students in the Parkland school shooting, highlighting her steadfast dedication to supporting her students' emotional and mental health in its aftermath. Though she eventually left Parkland to focus on her own hea...

Chatbots of the dead
Aeon21 Feb 2025 • ~5400 words

Chatbots of the dead are AI technologies that simulate conversations with the deceased using their personal data. There are important questions about the ethics of these technologies, but the authors are optimistic, arguing for them to be viewed as artistic props, fostering imagi...

The Shrouded, Sinister History Of The Bulldozer
Noema20 Feb 2025 • ~9300 words

The history of the bulldozer is darker than you might think, and its evolution goes beyond simple construction and demolition. Joe Zadeh explores its origins in violent voter suppression, to its weaponization in war and state-sanctioned home demolitions, and how it has been a sym...

Grave Mistakes: The History and Future of Chile’s ‘Disappeared’
Undark Magazine19 Feb 2025 • ~9150 words

As Chile commemorated the 50th anniversary of Augusto Pinochet's coup, President Gabriel Boric's unveiling of the National Search Plan aimed to confront painful historical wounds. The initiative seeks to find the remains of many Chileans who disappeared during the regime, but tru...

Why Place-Names Matter
Pioneer Works05 Feb 2025 • ~4750 words

Names are not just labels; they carry stories, power, and cultural memory. In this excerpt from his book, “Names of New York,” Joshua Jelly-Schapiro invites us to reconsider how the names we encounter daily affect our perceptions and connections to the places we inhabit.

How the Moon became a place
Aeon13 Feb 2025 • ~3200 words

Danny Robb traces how our perception of the moon evolved from a mythological entity to a real place that has been scientifically explored and mapped. He recounts through centuries of observation and technological advancements, revealing how our relationship with the Moon has shif...

Ley Lines and the Allure of Imposing Order on History's Chaos
Atlas Obscura12 Feb 2025 • ~3250 words

Colin Dickey explores ley lines, theorized as unseen lines connecting ancient sites, and their evolution from archaeological speculation to metaphysical importance. It traces the origins of the idea to Alfred Watkins' "The Old Straight Track" and its subsequent interpretations, c...

The Secret Pattern
Granta12 Feb 2025 • ~3300 words

Aube Rey Lescure recounts a journey back to China after years of absence, the return to a homeland that feels both familiar and foreign in unexpected ways.