Don't Bogart My Blog: Sunday Best: What quitting social media could do for your soul

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Sunday Best: What quitting social media could do for your soul

OCTOBER 6, 2019

We get a pretty clear sense of the presidency through appearances, events, news stories (and in President Trump's case, his own Twitter account). But what about the first lady? It turns out that it's an incredibly weird job — and it's one that can be peppered with eye-roll-inducing frustrations. While Eliza Reid, the first lady of Iceland, says the job is a privilege and an honor and "every workday is blessedly different," she also gives us a glimpse of the downside: "It can feel like the stifling of my identity by a thousand paper cuts." — Alexandra March

I Used to Fear Being a Nobody. Then I Left Social Media.

Natalie Keyssar for The New York Times

"What's happening?" Twitter encourages people to share their lives in 280 or fewer characters. But after publicly sharing her thoughts and musings for nine years, Bianca Vivion Brooks stopped tweeting. Since quitting social media, she realized she can now truly answer that question: "I'm just beginning to find out."

'Harvey Weinstein Told Me He Liked Chinese Girls'

Rowena Chiu.Jason Henry for The New York Times

"What happened on that night would shape the rest of my life. Unbeknown to me, I was about to keep a secret — a devastating, suffocating secret, one that would drive me to attempt suicide twice, one that I wouldn't breathe a word of to my husband of a decade, one that would utterly silence me for the next 21 years."

The Forgotten History of America's Worst Racial Massacre

Praying at the dedication of the Elaine Massacre Memorial.Andrea Morales for The New York Times

One hundred years ago this week, a group of white men opened fire into Hoop Spur Church near Elaine, Ark., where black sharecropper families were gathered. The details remain difficult to verify, but it seems that was just the beginning. "For the next five days, Colonel Jencks and his troops, assisted by vigilantes, hunted black people over a 200-mile radius."

The Future of Medical Research Depends on Your Handing Over Your Data

Claire Merchlinsky

With the number of recent data breaches and privacy violations, why would you ever want to willingly hand over your health data? One good reason: Doing so could lead to earlier diagnoses and better treatments.

The Worst Part of a Divorce Is the Dog

Daniel Salmieri

You've heard of a "prenup" but might want to consider a "petnup" before bringing a four-legged friend into a marriage. "Options include sole custody, joint custody and even pet support."

Read the full Opinion report here.