Meaningful Name

Take a look at these GAP ads from 2016. These ads are similar in format; two children (white, blond, blue-eyed children) in a fairly nondescript room accompanied by fairly nondescript text. One is a boy and one is a girl. The boy is very hopefully and positively labelled "The Little Scholar," while the girl is appropriately referred to as "The Social Butterfly." Perfectly normal. Okay, hold on. Considered alone, each ad seems reasonable. It aims for a demographic and reaches it. Together, however, the fact that the boy is the smart, manly future genius and the girl is already supposed to be preoccupied with fashion and popularity is obviously problematic. "Hey, boys! You will all be smart, go to school, and contribute greatly to society! Girls, you just focus on looking good." This campaign subscribes to and perpetuates gender stereotypes, and makes me wonder if GAP's marketing department isn't entirely male. It's disappointing and dishea...

Happiness is a chemical reaction. That much is clear. It's harder to pin down what causes the chemical reaction in the first place. Everybody has a different list. Personally, I'm happiest when my homework is done and my medications are working. At the same time, I hesitate to call antidepressants a source of happiness. Generally they do nothing but make actual sources more effective. Key word: generally. Sometimes antidepressants work so well that they are the cause, and sometimes they don't work at all. I'm also unsure of whether to call "lack of stress" a source of happiness. It's certainly satisfying to have nothing to do. I just think that saying "lack of stress" is like saying "lack of depression" or "lack of a gaping wound in one's chest." Of course it's nice to not be stressed or depressed or bleeding to death, but does it make us happy? Maybe it does. Maybe our default state is happiness, but there is so...