History is Art

Why the World Still Needs Public Intellectuals—Now More Than Ever By James Love Being a public intellectual isn’t about fame—it’s about sparking minds and contributing to human knowledge. Here’s why we still need them, and what it really means to be one. A Public Intellectual Isn’t in It for Fame—They’re in It for Impact To some, the term public intellectual sounds outdated or elitist. But at its core, the role of a public intellectual is simple: to reach one person, spark curiosity, and contribute something meaningful to the human knowledge base. It’s not about going viral. It’s not about winning debates. It’s about thinking deeply, publishing work, sharing through lectures, and building on ideas with intention and clarity. Being an Intellectual Means Contributing Thoughtfully to a Field An intellectual doesn’t just have opinions—they have perspectives shaped by study, reflection, and the insights of others. True intellectual work is grounded in conversations with pee...

What Is a Normal Mind? Psychology Hasn’t Given Us a Clear Answer By James Love Mental health labels are everywhere, but what is the standard for a normal mind? The DSM lists symptoms—but never defines normalcy. This gap affects how we judge others. There’s No Clear Definition of a Normal Mind—And That’s a Problem In society, people are judged every day for being “weird,” “crazy,” or “not right.” But what are those judgments based on? According to one observer, the truth is unsettling: there is no agreed-upon definition of what a normal mind actually is. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) outlines traits, symptoms, and diagnostic criteria for mental illness. But it says very little—if anything—about what mental normalcy looks like. In a field filled with terms like “disorder,” “dysfunction,” and “abnormal behavior,” one has to ask: What’s the baseline? Psychology Describes Dysfunction, Not Normal Function The DSM is often referred to as the “B...

  Nevermind—Some of This AI Is Scary (Especially for Black Representation) By James Love AI is powerful—but not always positive. If you’re Black and online, you’ve likely seen AI-generated content that misrepresents, mocks, or erases you. Here’s why it’s scary—and what you need to know. You Thought AI Was the Future—Until You Saw the Content At first, you believed in the hype. You said it yourself: AI is one of the greatest inventions we have. And that’s still true. The technology is brilliant. The possibilities are huge. But then you started watching the videos—the AI slop, the deepfake content, the distorted images of Black people—and suddenly the future didn’t feel so hopeful. It felt… scary. Why Some AI Content Feels Like a Digital Attack You’ve probably seen it by now—AI-generated videos and images that make Black people look exaggerated, violent, sexualized, or outright dehumanized. These aren’t accidents. They’re a result of biased training data and systems...