The hottest Critique Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Literature Topics

“The Algorithm” is the only critique of “The Algorithm” that “The Algorithm” can produce

Never Met a Science • 77 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Critique Social media Technology Communication
  1. The concept of 'The Algorithm' serves to mask larger systems at play, pushing us to believe in a singular cause for societal issues.
  2. Anxieties about algorithms reflect a broader issue of how technology governs our lives in ways we don't fully understand.
  3. The influence of social media and quantified audience feedback has transformed communication, shaping our interactions and content consumption.

Outside's lazy, fragile editors embrace ignorance and irresponsibility while blaming the world for their self-imposed anxieties and mental disarray

Beck of the Pack • 78 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Media Mental health Fitness Social Issues Critique
  1. Outside editors are criticized for embracing ignorance and blaming others for their mental issues
  2. Corporate publications aim to shift blame for psychological distress onto external factors
  3. Critique is given on the quality and messaging of mental health articles published by Outside publications

The English Major is Dead. Long Live... Statistics?

Litverse • 598 implied HN points • 03 Apr 23
📚 Literature Education Critique Analysis Humanities Culture
  1. The traditional focus on English majors and humanities is declining in college, with more students opting for fields like statistics and focusing on tangible results and financial outcomes.
  2. There is a shift towards valuing passion over privilege in the humanities, while statistics and data-driven analysis gain popularity in educational pursuits.
  3. The current generation is redefining education and career paths, emphasizing skills and practical knowledge over the traditional humanities subjects, reflecting a cultural shift in how knowledge is valued and applied.

Songs My Son Gave Me

So Here’s a Thing • 589 implied HN points • 16 Apr 23
🎶 Music Critique Pop Rock Genres
  1. It's okay not to like all modern music trends, but there are still artists producing enjoyable material.
  2. Artists like Billie Eilish, UPSAHL, and Nessa Barret are worth exploring for a break from the usual.
  3. Exploring new music, even if it's not your typical genre, can uncover hidden gems and offer a refreshing change.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Fast days, slow company

gen yeet • 373 implied HN points • 21 Jul 23
📚 Literature Film Memory Critique Analysis Book
  1. Memory is like a true fiction, a subjective version of the past that exists in our heads.
  2. Non-linear storytelling and abstraction in fiction can keep readers engaged and intrigued.
  3. Movies like Midnight Cowboy and Past Lives explore themes of unfulfilled romance and longing, leaving room for interpretation.

Hyperion and boring techno futures

Yasha Levine • 412 implied HN points • 02 May 23
📚 Literature Science fiction Critique Existentialism
  1. The story of Hyperion explores a conflict between a traditional civilization reliant on AI technology and a post-humanist society embracing genetic tinkering and self-directed evolution.
  2. The author questions the idealized futuristic utopia presented in the Hyperion series, highlighting the potential downsides and complexities of a tech-driven society.
  3. There is a comparison drawn between the themes in the Hyperion series and ideologies of technology-driven utopias seen in history, pointing out the different perspectives and potential outcomes.

Hey Centrists — The Left Was Right

JoeWrote • 41 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy Economics Media Bipartisanship Critique
  1. Centrists often dismiss leftist viewpoints without consideration, but recent events show the left has been proven right on issues like American militarism.
  2. Recent events have validated leftists' critiques of American imperialism, such as the failure to stop Houthis in Yemen and the true motives behind military campaigns.
  3. Leftists have been proven right on issues like Israel's assault on Gaza and the cause of inflation, despite initial dismissal by centrist pundits and politicians.

The Hater - The TV Food Man

Vittles • 315 implied HN points • 22 May 23
🍲 Food & Drink Food Writing Critique
  1. The post discusses a biography of a TV Food Man from the perspective of someone who dislikes him.
  2. The Vittles website offers subscriptions for accessing their content.
  3. Consider subscribing to Vittles for full access to their back catalog and new columns.

A Tale of Yachts and Yacht-Nots

Litverse • 139 implied HN points • 26 Aug 23
📚 Literature Authors Novels Themes Critique Historical context
  1. The writing in Hemingway's 'To Have and To Have Not' showcases a deep exploration of characters' actions over their feelings, with strong themes of desperation and survival.
  2. The novel delves into the moral ambiguity of characters like Harry Morgan, who navigates ethical dilemmas in a harsh and unforgiving world, where decisions are made in the moment without much thought for consequences.
  3. Hemingway's work from his pre-World War II era, like 'To Have and To Have Not,' highlights a shift towards vulnerability and social commentary, reflecting his evolving perspective on human nature and societal injustices.

Review: "Brandon Sanderson Is Your God" by Wired

coldhealing • 255 implied HN points • 25 Mar 23
🎭️ Culture Fantasy Journalism Literature Critique Empathy
  1. The article criticizes popular fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson for his perceived lack of depth in his works and personal life.
  2. The Wired article attacks Sanderson's character through ad hominem attacks rather than engaging with his literary merit.
  3. There is a comparison with a YouTube video that provides better journalism and artistic exploration than the Wired article.

Unboxing videos, cover quotes, acknowledgement pages

The Leftovers • 179 implied HN points • 04 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture Media Literature Critique
  1. Unboxing videos, cover quotes, and acknowledgment pages in the Anglophone scene are criticized in the post for being disliked authorial rituals.
  2. The author started the day with reflection and writing, but an encounter with an unboxing video led to an angry rant about aspects of the contemporary literary scene.
  3. Subscribers need a 7-day free trial to access the full post archives on The Leftovers.

The Conspiracy of NFTs

Banana Peel Pirouette • 59 implied HN points • 18 Nov 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Contemporary Art NFTs Art market Art history Critique
  1. NFTs were a hype but have lost their appeal, leading to exhaustion and disinterest among many people.
  2. The debate on whether NFTs qualify as 'Art' highlights the evolving definition and role of contemporary art in today's society.
  3. The embrace of NFTs reveals the commercialization and elitism inherent in the art world, blurring the lines between art, investment, and spectacle.

Does The Female Gaze Exist?

Paging Dr. Lesbian • 176 implied HN points • 26 Feb 23
🎭️ Culture Feminism Film Representation Intersectionality Critique
  1. The concept of the female gaze is not a scholarly term and lacks rigorous evaluation.
  2. The male gaze in cinema is rooted in psychoanalytic theory and apparatus theory, privileging the masculine perspective.
  3. Black feminist scholars like bell hooks critique the lack of intersectionality and representation in traditional feminist film theory.

Cultural Red Teaming

Cybernetic Forests • 99 implied HN points • 20 Aug 23
🎭️ Culture Art Technology Events Critique Community
  1. Red Teaming in cybersecurity involves trusted allies acting as enemies to identify weaknesses and strengthen defenses.
  2. The Generative Red Team event focused on testing AI models by tasking players with unique challenges like eliciting misinformation from language models.
  3. Engaging with AI systems and addressing biases requires a more nuanced and community-involved approach beyond Red Teaming events.

Literary clickbait

The Leftovers • 79 implied HN points • 19 Sep 23
📚 Literature Analysis Critique Rhetoric
  1. Clickbait often targets specific demographics, like authors, to generate outrage and drive traffic.
  2. Be wary of overgeneralizations in clickbait articles and carefully consider the rhetorical strategies used to manipulate readers.
  3. Understanding how literary clickbait operates can help readers resist its allure and approach content more critically.

The Problem with 'American Fiction'

Political Currents by Ross Barkan • 14 implied HN points • 07 Feb 24
📚 Literature Fiction Critique Publishing Novelists Adaptation
  1. The film 'American Fiction' critiques corporate publishing and shallow identity politics of 2010s.
  2. Contemporary elite literary fiction focuses on professional class struggles over traumas from marginalized communities.
  3. The movie 'American Fiction' highlights issues of representation and commodification in the literary industry.

A photo of a hamburger

Internal exile • 9 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Technology Entertainment Critique Social Commentary
  1. Generative models like Sora can automate video creation but may lead to an influx of unwanted content and job loss in the industry.
  2. OpenAI's Sora model aims to attract investment by presenting itself as a promising video simulator, emphasizing sample quality improvement.
  3. The 'dopamine culture' narrative simplifies complex societal issues around attention and addiction, shifting focus away from larger systemic problems.

The Black Prince

Regress Studies • 78 implied HN points • 18 Jul 23
📚 Literature Reviews Authors Themes Critique Writing
  1. Iris Murdoch wrote the novel 'The Black Prince' which explores the relationship between love and art.
  2. Martha Nussbaum and Clare Coffey discuss animal welfare and the philosophical approach of 'capabilities'.
  3. Isaac Wilks examines the sociological effects of distinctively Zoomer ills in his work 'The Zoomer Question'.

Communication in the Presence of Noise

Cybernetic Forests • 39 implied HN points • 19 Oct 23
🎶 Music Experimental AI Critique Resistance
  1. The new album "Communication in the Presence of Noise" by The Organizing Committee is a blend of AI experimentation and antifascist critique in music.
  2. The project aims to start conversations about AI early, challenging the perception of music created by machines as opposed to humans.
  3. The Organizing Committee's music serves as a form of resistance against unregulated technological optimism, applying critical data studies to subvert computational ideologies.

Profit-Maximizing Barbie

Good Reason • 56 implied HN points • 19 Aug 23
🎭️ Culture Movies Critique Corporate Influence Body Image Consumer Culture
  1. The movie 'Barbie' critiqued the doll's unrealistic standards while making billions in profit.
  2. Corporate entities like Vought in 'The Boys' and Mattel with Barbie can profit off criticism and controversial themes.
  3. Mattel faced criticism for Barbie's body image standards, attempted changes, but struggled due to societal norms and children's preferences.