The Top 5: Hypnotism, tax season, stay-at-home parents, unemployment & aliens
Welcome to the latest edition of the Top 5 articles we’ve read this week. Each week, we read dozens of articles in the hope we find essays and reporting that speak to big ideas, trends, future looks, and incredible human stories. We hope you enjoy our list, and do always let us know if you have a suggestion or a recommendation!
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The Top 5 articles for your week:
“There’s a Tax Season Villain, and It’s Not the I.R.S.” (NYT)
Because Johnny Harris and Binyamin Appelbaum argue that America’s tax system is much more complicated than elsewhere in the world.
“The Paradox of Stay-at-Home Parents” (The Atlantic)
Because Elliot Haspel explores compensation for stay-at-home parents. “While stay-at-home parents tend to be left out of public benefits, they are frequently used as a wedge in policy debates.”
“No job? No shame. Younger workers are opening up about unemployment.” (WaPo)
Because Taylor Telford chronicles how younger gens deal with unemployment.
Young workers say they find catharsis and connection in cataloguing the havoc layoffs have wreaked on their finances and mental health. As they vent about the impersonal nature of the job search in the age of AI recruiters, they’re also being open about their willingness to walk away from work that’s unfulfilling. Their candor marks a stark change from the shame and silence that used to accompany unemployment.
“No, Aliens Haven’t Visited the Earth. Why are so many smart people insisting otherwise?” (New York Magazine)
Because after the popular headlines this summer concerning government documents and interactions with UFOs/aliens, Nicholas Baker suggests that evidence is still weak. “Yet even after more than 70 years of claimed sightings, there was simply no good evidence. In an age of ubiquitous cameras and fancy scopes, there was no footage that wasn’t blurry and jumpy and taken from far away.”
“I was Hypnotized as a Teen. Was it Dangerous?” (Longreads)
Because Emily Latimer investigates the history and popularity of on-stage hypnotism — especially its ethics.
ICYMI on Wear We Are:
The Morning Five: February 5, 2024
The Morning Five: February 6, 2024
The Morning Five: February 7, 2024