FIFTY SHADES OF OPERANT CONDITIONING

by Alex Fontana

"I know very well that these transgressions are not really transgressive, but are just artificial coloring serving to re-emphasize the grayness of social reality." 

Slavoj Zizek

I admit it, I caved. Curiosity peaked, and the phenomenon of "mommy porn" just would not go away, so I admit it: I watched Fifty Shades of Grey, and now I have to take a long, long shower, mostly for the tackiness and hammy acting, which I'm not sure will ever wash away.

I was not scandalized by the film; it was rather a tamed and unimaginative version of La Belle et la Bête. For the mature, emotionally stable adult, the film was a flop as a stimulant, neither appetizing sexually nor artistically; it was just a dud, hardly worthy of review. The dangerous and noteworthy thing about the film lies in its tipping point as a cultural phenomenon, and its influence on younger people or those with immature minds.

THE HOLY INQUISITION

by Ioannis Auxentiou

There is probably no other institution in the medieval world that has been slandered as much as the Holy Inquisition. Enlighteners, Protestants, and Jews managed for a long time to tarnish this very important institution in every possible way. Even in our own day, Hollywood continues to produce movies that reinforce this view.

But, as the saying goes, “lies have small feet.” Modern historical research has proved that a lot of the so-called “truths” that were widely believed about the actions of this institution were just myths created by modernity.