Moving to Finland and acquiring Finnish nationality were, for me, decisions I made freely, choosing my own path as an individual. However, when I notified my country of origin, it didn’t take it very well. Spain gave me an ultimatum: sign a declaration of loyalty to the fatherland or lose my nationality. That’s right — […]
politics
The Gun – or Politics
In a small, peaceful plot of land, Prudence is busy at work, sowing seeds for the next crop, when she sees two strangers approach. As they come closer, Prudence notices that one of them is carrying a gun. Stranger: Good day. My name is Justine, and this is Peter. We’ve come here to ask for […]
Freud upside down
In ‘Civilization and Its Discontents,’ Sigmund Freud presents a common view of human nature: ‘Homo homini lupus’ (man is a wolf to man). Civilization, according to Freud, works tirelessly to curb our aggressive instincts through love, sexual repression, and moral ideals, albeit with limited success. The issue arises when considering the agents of civilisation – […]
Really, what is money?
Apparently, it is illegal to destroy a bank note. I didn’t know that when I and a friend ripped two 50€ notes and threw them into the sea. I was just testing that I could do it, because otherwise — I thought to myself — there is a chance that I am psychologically enslaved to money, and I really […]
Countries Do Not Exist
I hate to break it to you, but [insert the name of your country] does not actually exist. Basically, it doesn’t make any sense that something a group of people decide to imagine ‘exists’. If a group of children gets together to play doctors, why is their hospital not real but that of adult people […]
On Anthropology (I)
Sapiens is a digital magazine whose mission is to bring anthropology to the public. It has a pop-up window that asks you whether you are ‘a human’ and would like to subscribe, otherwise you are ‘not a human’. I found it funny and witty, but also odd.