Six Essential Weekend Reads: From Tech's Impact to Parenting Trends
Looking for something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the last seven days, offering diverse perspectives on contemporary issues.
1. What Technology Takes From Us – And How To Reclaim It
Decisions outsourced to algorithms, chatbots substituting for human friendship, and the natural world becoming an afterthought – Silicon Valley is creating lives increasingly void of genuine connection. In a beautiful long read, Rebecca Solnit argues there is a way out of this technological isolation, but it requires collective effort and conscious resistance against the digital tide.
2. The Rise of Fafo Parenting: Is Gentle Child-Rearing Ending?
A significant backlash against gentle parenting has been brewing for some time, with some mothers on social media now advocating a tough, no-nonsense approach they term Fafo parenting. Emine Saner examines whether this method teaches children important life lessons or simply makes them feel isolated and ashamed, exploring the cultural shift in parental philosophies.
3. Drawing the Age of Trump and Turmoil: Two Cartoonists Face Off
A special feature on Guardian cartoonists Ella Baron and Martin Rowson saw the pair produce strikingly different responses to the same prompt about Donald Trump. This fascinating piece reveals how two different generations of political cartoonists operate – one working digitally with pixels, the other traditionally with paint – offering unique insights into satirical art.
4. Mark Haddon on a Loveless Childhood: 'To Say I Was the Favourite Would Imply I Was Liked'
Author Mark Haddon, best known for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, delivers a remarkably poignant exploration of a childhood shaped by parental emotional absence. In this achingly sad memoir piece, Haddon examines the complex nostalgia for an era where he was profoundly unhappy, questioning why certain memories still evoke longing despite their painful associations.
5. Mackenzie Crook on Comedy, Cruelty and Being TV Royalty
After experiencing a difficult introduction to fame in the 2000s, actor Mackenzie Crook decided to adopt a softer approach to his career – ultimately finding success with the beloved comedy series Detectorists. In conversation with Zoe Williams, Crook discusses his obsession with middle age and the PTSD of rewatching his breakout role in The Office, offering rare insights into comedy creation and personal evolution.
6. From Incel Culture to the White House: American Psycho's Dark Hold on Modern Masculinity
As the stage adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's notorious novel returns to London, Tim Jonze explores how Patrick Bateman – specifically Christian Bale's cinematic portrayal – has transformed from satirical target to aspirational figure for certain men. This compelling analysis examines why the tale of 1980s yuppie nihilism feels more relevant than ever in the era of Andrew Tate, Donald Trump, and contemporary tech bro culture.
These six articles provide thought-provoking weekend reading across multiple cultural dimensions, from technological impacts on human connection to evolving concepts of parenting and masculinity in modern society.
