Love & Work
A notebook about how we work, learn, love and live.
It's easy to forget that all politics is sand and gravel. It's as easy to forget that it is art and life that truly feed us. Here's my weekly summary of the art and life that we get right as we muddle our way toward realization.
Happy Friday.
Urbanism, How We Live
The lost cities of the ancient tropics have a lot to teach us about how to live alongside nature.
The 12th-century Ta Prohm temple in Cambodia. Photography by Mark Croucher/Alamy Stock Photo
"Not only did societies such as the Classic Maya and the Khmer empire of Cambodia flourish, but pre-colonial tropical cities were actually some of the most extensive urban landscapes anywhere in the pre-industrial world – far outstripping ancient Rome, Constantinople/Istanbul and the ancient cities of China.
"Ancient tropical cities could be remarkably resilient, sometimes surviving many centuries longer than colonial- and industrial-period urban networks in similar environments. Although they could face immense obstacles, and often had to reinvent themselves to beat changing climates and their own exploitation of the surrounding landscape, they also developed completely new forms of what a city could be, and perhaps should be.
"Extensive, interspersed with nature and combining food production with social and political function, these ancient cities are now catching the eyes of 21st-century urban planners trying to come to grips with tropical forests as sites of some of the fastest-growing human populations around the world today." - Patrick Roberts
Article: The Real Urban Jungle: How Ancient Societies Reimagined What Cities Could Be
History, Learning
The history of science usually focuses on figures like Galileo, Newton, Darwin, and Einstein. But what’s left out when we ignore the crucial achievements of non-Western scientists and thinkers?
"Think of a famous scientist from the past. What name did you come up with? Very likely, someone from Europe or the United States. That’s hardly surprising, because science is often taught in Western classrooms as though it’s a European-American endeavor.
"James Poskett, a historian of science at the University of Warwick in England, believes this myth is not only misleading but dangerous — and it’s something he sets out to correct in his recent book, Horizons: A Global History of Science. Billed as 'a major retelling of the history of science,' the book frames the last five centuries of the scientific enterprise as a truly globe-spanning project." - Dan Falk
Interview: James Poskett on Reframing the History of Science
Advertising, Learning
Turning ads into online "ad poems'
"100 Days is an annual project at New York City’s School of Visual Arts that was founded by Michael Bierut. Each year, the students of the school’s Master’s in Branding Program spend 100 days documenting their process with a chosen creative endeavor."
This year Chay Schmidt turned his project into an Instragram page, @100Poems. The "Ad Poem" under my headline was inspired by the Benetton ad above.
"In 100 Ad Poems, he seeks the transcendent language in consumerism by transforming ad copy into various poetic forms, with an open mind and his tongue firmly in-cheek. His anthology of free verse, dadaist, and concrete poetry satirically considers branding’s role in contextualizing the human condition, with results that range from unexpectedly resonant to nonsensically charming." - PRINT Magazine
Article: Chay Schmidt Interrogates Modern Branding with Thoughtful Poetry
Research
"These findings suggest that upper-class individuals are particularly likely to value their own welfare over the welfare of others and, thus, may hold more positive attitudes toward greed."
Abstract
"Seven studies using experimental and naturalistic methods reveal that upper-class individuals behave more unethically than lower-class individuals. In studies 1 and 2, upper-class individuals were more likely to break the law while driving, relative to lower-class individuals. In follow-up laboratory studies, upper-class individuals were more likely to exhibit unethical decision-making tendencies (study 3), take valued goods from others (study 4), lie in a negotiation (study 5), cheat to increase their chances of winning a prize (study 6), and endorse unethical behavior at work (study 7) than were lower-class individuals. Mediator and moderator data demonstrated that upper-class individuals’ unethical tendencies are accounted for, in part, by their more favorable attitudes toward greed."
Research Paper: Higher Social Class Predicts Increased Unethical Behavior
Corporate Social Responsibility
Brand leaders: be affluent in cultural/societal ideologies
"Major global events have reverberated and affected our perception of our culture and society. The pandemic, the war in Ukraine, climate change, and social justice movements like MeToo, Black Lives Matter, and LGBTQ rights have become part of a larger conversation that brands can no longer ignore. Actions speak louder than words when it comes to expressing values and beliefs consumers respect. Doing nothing is the equivalent of complicity. It’s not just consumers who feel this way. All stakeholders, including funders, shareholders, employees, suppliers and partners, as well as local communities are connecting to companies that do more than give lip service to the issues they care about." - Alan So
Editorial: Brands Must Get Social & Political
Social Messaging, Advertising
“The unthinkable has happened, and there is an urgent need to create international pressure."
"Amnesty International is launching a global campaign asking you to sign the petition to stop the roll back on abortion rights in the USA.
"The film shows the different situations of different women and girls, each facing the consequence of strict abortion laws. One is a teenager, another is a mother with several children, and a third may have found some terrible news about her pregnancy as she stares at the ultrasound screen with concern. What each woman is going through is barely telegraphed in order for the viewer to fill in the blanks. A really stark rendition of the 'Star Spangled Banner' plays as we careen to the end of the film where the super 'You’re Not Free' followed by 'When You Can’t Decide Your Own Future' writes us all on the nose.
"The video, created by Norwegian ad agency Anorak, was launched June 24 and is currently trending on TikTok, having received 3.3 million views in the first 48 hours. It has been liked 939.5k times, shared 77.7k times and has prompted more than 12.7k comments.
“'The hope for the campaign is to help Amnesty put pressure on those in power and all Americans in general and give them an opportunity to reflect on whether they can still call themselves "the Land of the Free,' says Peter Power, a copywriter at Anorak, who was part of the creative team.
"The campaign will run on digital and social in more than 10 countries, across multiple continents, and has been translated into six languages, including - oh the irony - Chinese." - Dabitch
Article/Video: Amnesty - The Land of the Unfree / “You’re Not Free” Challenging US Supreme Court Abortion Decision
Humor
Sometimes humor is the best medicine.
Throughout the pandemic comedian, Julie Nolke, has been trying to make sense of a very scary world. She's been doing it with a series of videos populated by her current self and various past selves. In this one her current self visits her January 2022 self, who does not know that Russia is at war with Ukraine, of the hijacking of justice by the SCOTUS, or anything about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. It is hilarious.
Video: Explaining the Pandemic to my Past Self Part 7
One-liners
Article: Cannabis ads may soon be allowed on local TV, radio
Article: JetBlue places free book vending machines throughout city of Newark
Article: Unilever to supply Intercontinental Hotel Group with full-size products in bid to eliminate single-use plastics
Article: The first 24/7 plant-based convenience store in the US
Playlist
Last week our client, Tom Chase, sent me a link, with this note: "Can't quite put my finger on why, but when my wife Cathy, shared this video clip with me it reminded me of your weekly roundup. Maybe it was the creativity, or maybe it was just the sheer joy in the kids' faces. I suspect you'll enjoy making up your own mind."
You're right, Tom, I love this clip, and am intrigued by what makes it so infectious. In addition to the unbound creative confidence that these girls own, the unencumbered joy that they share, and the delightful musicality of Vivaldi being played on Marimbas, I'd add: they are obviously students in a very good school.
Their exuberant expressions of individual and collective self are presented in the center of what looks like an all-school meeting. They are performing to an audience of caring peers and teachers.
Thanks for reminding me of one of my personal missions: If every kid on the planet had this level of education, and the parental and community support that comes with it, we'd have world peace in 18 years. It's that simple.
Video: South African Schoolchildren Play Vivaldi in Exhilarating Marimba Performance
Image of the Week
An obvious predecessor to the tabbed browser, the book wheel allowed researchers to work with up to 8 open books at the same time. This one is from the 18th century.
Tweet: This weird engine is the 18th Century CE
What's Love & Work?
Love & Work is the weekly newsletter by me, Mitch Anthony. I help people use their brand - their purpose, values, and stories - as a pedagogy and toolbox for transformation.
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