The MediaVillage Articles Club: Autumn Selections
Aside from the great company and pizza, one of the best things about our monthly Articles Club meetings is the way in which our discussions often veer from course and we arrive at many a tangent. From an oral history of the Kennedy family to a retelling of respective senior prom nights, we covered a lot of ground this month. Perhaps we should consider publishing a transcript. But for now, I’ve shared below our article selections from the month of October.
Missed our selections from last month? Find them here.
My pick: Death Draws Attention to Wall Street’s Grueling Pace
By William D. Cohan, The New York Times
Why did you pick this article?
Many of my friends who do not work on Wall Street often quip “wish we worked on Wall Street” when we get the check after a nice evening of dinner and drinks. Since reading William Cohan’s piece focusing on the suicide of a 29-year-old investment banker and the intense strain that an up-and-coming career in finance effects, I am unsure if that $400K bonus is all it is cracked up to be. The work hard, play hard mentality that pervades young financiers is like a co-ed fraternity that is both intriguing and, at times, sickening -- and the perfect discussion topic for Articles Club. (If only we had AC members who worked in finance to offer their unique perspective. It’s unlikely they could ever make our 7pm meetings).
Chelsea’s pick: Stop Googling. Let’s Talk.
By Sherry Turkle, The New York Times
Why did you pick this article?
“This article on "the psychology of online connectivity" and dividing one's attention between human interaction and looking at a screen made me think about how often I'm on my phone when I'm in public. It seems like there's a new ‘etiquette’ around when it's acceptable to have a phone out at the dinner table or while in conversation with friends. The piece revealed some grim data about how constant connectivity is affecting the way we develop friendships, but offered some great suggestions for re-prioritizing solitude and making ‘alone time’ a regular part of our routines. I was curious to hear if the other club members felt the same attachment to their phones that I sometimes do, and what they've done to carve out technology-free time.”
Faith’s pick: Baby-Faced Men Opt for Beard Transplants
By Andrew Adam Newman, The New York Times
Why did you pick this article?
“Obstacles in the workplace for women is a heavily discussed topic at our ladies-only Articles Club meetings. However, I decided to mix it up this month when The New York Times published an article about men receiving beard implants (it’s a real thing!) in order to look older and more professional. Before reading this piece, I always considered beards a fashion statement. Getting a beard implant seemed ridiculous. But the personal stories in this article quickly shifted my perspective. Facial hair is a major factor when gauging a man’s age.”
Katie’s pick: Watch John Oliver Explain Broken U.S. Mental Health System
By Ryan Reed,Rolling Stone
Why did you pick this article?
“Mental Health Awareness Day occurred not too long ago, making John Oliver's monologue about finding and creating good help for people who suffer from mental illness even more important than it already was. His monologue also came right after the Oregon shooting and Oliver perfectly connected the gun control debate and politics to our nation's dialogue about mental health. I think it's really important to keep having discussions about this (as long as they eventually lead to action). Oliver addressed the gun debate in a way that I've never thought about before and I really wanted to get everyone's perspectives.”
Lyndsay’s pick: Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain and the Gendering of Martyrdom
By Molly Beauchemin, Pitchfork.com
Why did you pick this article?
“As a big music fan (specifically of Nirvana, having watched Montage of Heck myself only a few months ago), I found this article to be simultaneously fascinating and depressing. This is one of those areas where I was completely blindsided by seemingly blatant sexism. The article makes a great case for the disparity between the portrayal of male and female musicians by the media, something that I have witnessed without noticing. While I think there are certainly differences in the given examples other than gender (such as talent level and self-presentation), I think this is an area where we feel we are relatively 'evolved' in terms of sexism, and it's important to call out how far we still have to come.”
The opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage/MyersBizNet management or associated bloggers.
Charlotte Lipman
Charlotte is Senior Manager, Business Intelligence at Xandr where she manages development and execution of market-leading research. Prior to Xandr, Charlotte served as Research Director for MediaVillage. During her four years there, she led the release of Me…
