“The sun, the moon
and the stars would
have disappeared long
ago had they happened
to be within the reach
of predatory human hands.”
Henry Havelock Ellis
from The Dance of
Life (1923).
36 / Feature / i
The Max Mosley affair was a scandal in more ways than one: in exposing one man’s unorthodox sexual tastes to the world, a British tabloid also exposed the worst excesses of tabloid culture and unwittingly helped concentrate debate on privacy. This case study in tabloid excess provides background for our second feature article.
Max Mosley’s war for privacy is now
a nation’s, by Daryl Champion
40 / Feature / ii
Dumbing down the population, political collusion and corruption, police collusion and corruption: the tabloid ecosystem is more than the popular press, it’s more than merely 'tabloid culture', and it represents one of the most challenging cultural crises the Anglo–Saxon world is facing today. For the United Kingdom in particular, this crisis of culture is one of the most serious the country has had to face for decades.
The tabloid ecosystem and crimes against society, by Daryl Champion
46 / Reflection
SDk02’s featured writer, Ohio-based Marilyn Jaye Lewis, has provided us with a stunningly candid look at the most personal aspects of her life. We are privileged to present this original autobiographical piece, as we are her story 'To my beloved I am a stranger', written especially for SomethingDark (page 116). Our interview with Marilyn completes the picture of this innovative and courageous writer (page 122).
The Code d’Odalisque: BDSM revisited,
by Marilyn Jaye Lewis
54 / Critique / i
Column writer Eugène Satyrisci argues that the theory of French cultural critic Guy Debord not only remains relevant today, but is important in helping us understand our contemporary cultural predicament. In doing so, Satyrisci continues developing the theme of his contribution to SDk01.
Celebrity, spectacle, and cultural crisis, by Eugène Satyrisci
56 / Critique / ii
SDk’s editor has been paying some attention to economics, and he thinks you should, too, since your future depends on it. He’s not known for his optimism when it comes to issues of power and influence, whether in the field of politics or economics, which are becoming systemically increasingly indistinguishable.
Fantastic economics and the fantasy economy, by Daryl Champion
