“Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.”
― Bertrand Russell, Unpopular Essays

Genuine question for my friends of a certain age (aka, at least older than me): has summer always been a season of carnage and I’m just waking up to this at 31 years old? From terrorist attacks and hate crimes to (another) uptick in the senseless killings of people of color in the US, every summer of recent memory for me seems…charged in some way. And the past few weeks are starting to feel like the beginning to yet another season of it.

More positively, I’m glad to say that this weekend is somewhat lowkey. I’m catching up with friends, brunching with my husband, doing a spot of shopping for the both of our work wardrobes, and exercising. We’re on a health kick and, while I’m hating every minute of it, it’s already been pretty good for us. Damn it.

Here are your links, tell me your weekend plans in the comments!

Another attack in London, this time the terrorism directed at the Muslim community. Violence begets violence and the argument of “they started it” is both a two year old’s excuse and woefully inadequate in the face of thousands of years of history. But faith leaders like this? They truly are doing the lord’s work, whatever the lord you believe in looks or sounds like.

Of course, after typing the above, there was another attack in Paris.

I’d love for my hair to cooperate enough to try any of these. But my follicles are laughing at the mere suggestion.

Let’s face, when the world ends, you’re going to need to have had your “look” thought out.

Nothing is new and this fashion conspiracy theory has merit as far as I’m concerned.

The least surprising thing in this story for me is the idea that Steven Bannon fat-shames Sean Spicer. Meanwhile, prospective laws are being crafted behind closed doors and the White House is refusing to allow the press to ask questions in public. Seems super legit.

This semi-famously gay Mormon dude gets it.

Speaking of, it’s actually rare that Mormon news crosses into the mainstream but Elna Baker perfectly expresses my feelings to this Facebook kerfuffle.

One month to go.

An exhibition I will definitely be hitting up at some point this summer.

I am a disappointment to myself. 17%. I’m amending this by the end of summer.

There is not a single kerfuffle of any sort he’s currently going through that doesn’t not lead back to his big mouth saying idiot things for stupid reasons. Time and time again, he bluffs, he’s called, and he doesn’t have a hand. I understand populist rage and resentment, I understand the appeal of outsiders, I understand the appeal of trolling. I do NOT understand how this man convinced millions of people he was their champion, much less a strategic, thoughtful, or rational human being. A month of scrambling, lying, and frantic attempts to shift the media conversation away from a twitter threat he shouldn’t have made based on leverage it turned out he didn’t have, to try and silence a man he shouldn’t have fired because he was grumpy that he looked bad in the press. The wound is ALL self-inflicted.

You get what you vote for, people. Also, this anonymous farmer sounds like an ass.

Album of the week: Evolve, by Imagine Dragons