I’ve been thinking about a post-WWI novel detailing the life of a 14th century Norwegian teenager, brazen criminality, contemporary class structure and the concept of shame. I don’t think I understand any of those things well at all. But they all keep bouncing around in my head. Bear with me. I got a point here. I think.
Let’s start with medieval Norway. The Kristin Lavransdatter novels of Sigrid Undset portray a family in 14th century Norway. When the titular protagonist disobeys her father, he laments that she is not “shamefasted.” I didn’t like much of the rest of the book, to be honest, but I’ve carried that word around for a while. It’s an odd and antique sort of word, and possibly an artifact of an awkward translation. But what a word: bound by shame. Being bound by shame probably strikes 21st century Americans as a bad thing, but clearly has been a virtue in other places and other times.
And then, just this week, I saw this tweet from a notable sociologist:
Shame, in particular, is a very middle class emotional landscape.
Tressie McMillan Cottom (@tressiemcphd) February 15, 2021
Dr. Cottom isn’t referring to the entire historical sweep of shame, of course. “Middle class” wouldn’t even make sense in 14th century Norway, while honor and shame were probably pretty critical to everyone there. She’s talking specifically about the variance in emotional responses across power differentials in the US right now. And in this place and time, it seems that the elite are just not properly shamefasted. Look at Ted Cruz not even bothering to pretend to help his constituents, or the entire public persona of Steve Mnuchin.
It’s like that classic line from The Wire: “Is you takin’ notes on a criminal fuckin’ conspiracy?” These people have been doing dirt so regularly that it seems normal. They have forgotten to be ashamed, or perhaps think their wealth and power insulate them from needing to even consider it.
Apparently there’s quite a bit of research on the topic, and new power dynamics create new feelings of shame or shamelessness pretty rapidly. Power corrupts, in other words, and it corrupts quickly.
Do we need to bring back some kind of external shame enforcer, like the ancient cobradores del frac that have seen a revival in 21st-century Spain? Like, should we arrange to have someone walk behind Senator Cruz ringing a bell and shouting SHAME SHAME SHAME everywhere he goes? (Anyone want to run a kickstarter to pay someone to do that? Is that even legal?)
I don’t know. I’m not a sociologist. Or a lawyer. But it’s on my mind.
(Incidentally, the lady ringing this particular bell here is Hannah Waddingham, who is just stellar in the warm and hilarious Ted Lasso.)
Content Curation
This NYT article about Garfield and remix culture (yes, Garfield) is quite excellent. Trust me.
This incredible Atlantic piece about deep-sea parasites is worth it for the marine biology alone, but it’s so much more. Trust me.
some ✨personal news ✨
Jenny (@jennyrdrguez) February 4, 2021
I’m so excited to share that i have no idea what I’m doing with my life ❤️
Joy
Voidcat.
Eggcat.
Absolute unit of a bunny.
Incredibly cool iced-up lighthouse.
Lightly vandalized fast-food signs = hilarious.
A very cold bison.
A very clever child misinterpreted some instructions.
A pie chart of what pie charts are called in different languages (in France, it’s a Camembert!)
A very glamorous penguin.
Kitten dressed up for lunar new year.
Secretly Ironic 