“The Gramophone Spins, the Glock Speaks: Lessons in Adaptable Wisdom” There’s something deliciously ironic about how we’ve managed to arm ourselves to the teeth with both rules and the means to ignore them. On the one hand, my country churns out regulations like a factory on steroids—an endless stream of shalt and thou-shalt-nots that would…
“Oil on Crumpets and Butter on Naan”
As a land that welcomes refugees, we face one moral masterful merit: figuring out how to provide these people with proper education.The question of language arises immediately.Which alphabet should we teach? They need ours to navigate their new home, certainly. But if they eventually leave, shouldn’t they be prepared to make a better land of…
“Chic & Covered Colonialism”
Someone asked me the other day, “What do you miss about your city (Amsterdam)?” I had to think deeply for a while until it popped: Sjaakie Swart. People who know about him would not immediately connect why, but of course, I will explain. For those who don’t know, Sjaakie Swart was a legendary Ajax football…
“Podunk Tragic Theater”
A Wanderer’s Chronicle: Of Ecological Shops and Cultural Dissonance This morning, I found myself in a quaint ecological shop, where I occasionally indulge in “genuine” eggs and “authentic” wine—as if food requires existential validation. As a conscientious shopper, I’m quite particular about what I put in my Harrods bag (wink, wink)—only whole foods will do….
“Masters, Myths, and the Manipulation of Masses”
In a world obsessed with superhero movies and reality TV, the greatest show on Earth plays out in plain sight, unnoticed by its audience. The plot isn’t particularly original—powerful figures manipulating a narcissistic businessman with financial troubles and presidential ambitions. Yet its execution has been masterful. Our protagonist wasn’t chosen for his brilliance but for…
“A Tale of Tyrants & Tantrums”
The Melting Bullies: From Village Tyrants to Oval Office Tantrums There’s something deliciously predictable about bullies. Whether terrorizing village newcomers or occupying the Oval Office, their tactics remain as transparent as their fragile egos. Last night, like many worldwide, I watched the grotesque, toe-curling one-man show that was Trump and his Vain trumpet bullying Zelenskyy….
“Catherina & Kompromat
A Letter to Russian Women “Hey, Russian Ladies – It’s Time to Shape Your Country’s Future! After knowing Russian women since 1992—working with escaped ballerinas during my modelling days, employing them in my wine bar and shoe shops, hosting them in my home (even assisting in labour!), and building genuine friendships—, I’ve noticed something remarkable:…
“Aristocratic Upbringing Meets Woke Offspring”
“From Tram Observations to Chicken Liberation: An Anthropologist’s Woke Journey” Ah, wokeness… Let me regale you with a tale from the annals of my aristocratic youth, shall we? Picture this: early seventies, yours truly perched in a tram traversing my birth town. In a rare fit of proletarian adventurism, my mother had deigned to mingle…
“Defusing Fascism”
“Refugees to Rebuilders: Reversing the Rise of Radicalism” After hours of wrestling with Europe’s migration complexities (read rising of fascism), it suddenly hit me – we’re facing an Occam’s Razor moment! You know, that brilliant philosophical principle that the simplest solution is usually the right one. Strip away all the noise, and what emerges is…
Cantakerous Anthropological Perspective
“A Tale of Two Mothers: Echoes of Warning Across Continents” Maria Ivanovna stares out her Leningrad window, cradling her third son – her only surviving child. The siege has left its marks on her soul, just as surely as the cold has etched lines into her hands. She whispers prayers for this late-life gift, this…
The C.O.M.C. Files 