“Only by remembering xenophobia’s first instantiation do we bring these broader battles into focus.” Uncovering the origins of a word: stenography, kooky linguistic debates, Romanian ultra-nationalism, the Boxer rebellion, and the stranger-as-enemy rel…
Arachnophobia can eclipse our ability to feel compassion
Why so many of us are casual spider-murderers – “The moment we sense the pitter-patter of their tiny feet across the living room floor, or catch a glimpse of movement in the corner of an eye as they abseil down from the ceiling, they’re likely to end u…