How did Londoners speak in the 1300s? A video by Simon Roper gives you a glimpse at how the London accent evolved over time. Roper has many videos with millions of views tackling old accents and everyday language on his YouTube channel, his most popular one being an imaginary conversation between an Anglo-Saxon and a Norseman. To make his videos, Roper analyses poetry from the time and reconstructs how the language might’ve sounded based on which words were used to rhyme with each other. Read full article here
Culture
The Priest in the Arena
The phrase “man in the arena” has been popularized in recent years, but a lesser known, more dangerous archetype is the “priest in the arena”. This figure is responsible for a process called theocratic capture, where an institution surrenders to a cult demanding unaccountable authority, fueled by claims to privileged knowledge. These cults often target powerful institutions and attempt to monopolize conversations with scaremongering tactics and hostile treatment of allies. It is important to identify and stop theocratic capture before it can gain control. Read full article here
Merv
May 29, 2023
