Tag: Society
All longform pieces tagged with #society on The Slow Scroll
When the AIDS epidemic was in full swing, the Ambassador Hotel in San Francisco became a sanctuary for those affected by the crisis, transforming from a residential hotel into a vibrant community center. Stathis G. Yeros explores how activists and residents created a unique model...
A 1969 experiment in Coventry saw 21 Indian women fed chapatis baked with radioactive isotopes, without their consent. Revisiting the history behind this unsettling study explores broader issues of trust, consent, and medical ethics within vulnerable communities.
Sisters from a convent outside Waco are visiting women on death row in Texas to offer spiritual support. This piece from Lawrence Wright explores the profound connections that develop between the sisters and the inmates, and how visits filled with compassion and understanding con...
Michael Erard writes about the phenomenon of delirium that often accompanies the dying process. He contrasts our cultural expectations of last words with the chaotic reality of a disoriented mind, revealing how this disconnect can affect both patients and their families.
Rojava, an autonomous region in northeastern Syria, has a government with perhaps the most complete gender equality in the world, in a society fractured by conflict and misogyny. Natasha Walter explores how women in this region have forged a movement for rights and empowerment am...
Factory farming is destructive to the environments that many people call their homes. When people take a stand and fight, though, they face harassment, intimidation, death threats, and social ostracism. Kenny Torrella reports on the stories of some who opposed factory farming, an...
In this excerpt from his memoir “Alligator Tears,” Edgar Gomez reflects on his childhood insecurities about his teeth and his family's financial struggles. The narrative explores the impact of his new teeth on his self-esteem and social interactions, as well as coming to terms wi...
Five authors contribute narratives of cohabitation among New Yorkers, revealing how shared living arrangements shape relationships and community. From the bonds formed during the pandemic to the intergenerational ties within immigrant families, the stories highlight the lasting i...
Zachary Garrett ruminates on Keum Suk Gendry-Kim’s comic book Dog Days, a rare example of autofiction used in this form. His writing weaves in personal experiences, explores similar work both in comics and other formats, inevitably discusses dog farming and consumption in South K...
Sam Kriss connects what we now call “vibes” to Hegel's philosophy of “Geist”, and explores various metaphorical "vibe machines,” that attempt to explain how they shift. Just like vibes, this piece flows between being playful and serious. “We need another universal theory of vibes...