Mark Twain on the Root Cause of Antisemitism

In 1898, Harper’s Magazine published an essay by Mark Twain titled ‘Concerning the Jews’, in which the author responds to a letter from a lawyer who asks Twain to explain why antisemitism is so rampant in society and why Jewish people throughout history have born the brunt of so much hatred and hostility. Twain essentially…

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Fears About Ageing and Old Age: The Root of Negative Attitudes Towards Older People

Ageism, a form of prejudice and discrimination based on age, was originally formulated by the psychiatrist Robert Neil Butler in 1969 to refer specifically to prejudicial attitudes towards older people, old age, and the ageing process; discrimination against older people; and the stereotyping of older people. Nowadays, ageism applies as a general term for prejudices…

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Tackling Fake News With Media Literacy: A Lesson From Ukraine

In an effort to challenge fake news, propaganda, disinformation, and hate speech in the media, schools in Ukraine have been teaching students media literacy skills. This programme was initiated following the war in eastern Ukraine, which saw government forces in conflict with Russian-backed separatists. The war led to a rise in propaganda and disinformation in…

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The Flexitarian Diet: Potentially Sustainable But Morally Questionable

A flexitarian is someone who has a primarily vegetarian diet, but who occasionally eats fish and meat. Not all flexitarians are alike. As the name suggests, it is a flexible diet. While one person may only meat at the weekends or one day a week, someone else may reserve meat for dinner only, and another…

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What’s Behind the Rise in Benzodiazepine Abuse, Dependence, and Addiction?

Benzodiazepine medications are traditionally prescribed for the treatment of anxiety disorders, such as generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social anxiety disorder (SAD), but people may also find them useful for the treatment of other mental health conditions, as well as insomnia. These medications include diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), and…

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