Derek HopperAn Arab Winter Through Rose-Tinted GlassesHow conflicting social realities created unwarranted western optimism about the Arab SpringNov 21, 20181Nov 21, 20181
Derek HopperLondoners and the Emergence of “Apathy-Signalling”One of the weirdest social phenomena to emerge out of the many terrorist attacks in England over the years is one I call…Nov 12, 2018Nov 12, 2018
Derek HopperThe Whying of Lot 49: first encounters with Thomas PynchonMy first experience of Thomas Pynchon, if you can call a movie adaptation an experience with a writer, was Paul Thomas Anderson’s…Nov 7, 2018Nov 7, 2018
Derek HopperOn the Importance of Ideological Diversity in the MediaIn 2014, the Washington DC-based think tank Pew Research Center found that Republicans and Democrats were “more divided along ideological…May 11, 2018May 11, 2018
Derek HopperAlexander the Great at PersepolisThe end of Persepolis came when Alexander the Great sent his army there in the year 330 BC. The Macedonians met some initial resistance at…May 6, 2018May 6, 2018
Derek HopperSome Thoughts on “Shitholes”The reactions to Trump’s comments about “shithole countries” have got me thinking. Why is it that people are so outraged? Here are a couple…Jan 13, 2018Jan 13, 2018
Derek HopperOur Virtual UniversesJust over a year ago one of my students asked me if I was familiar with a game called Eve Online. I confessed that I was not, but he seemed…Nov 23, 2017Nov 23, 2017
Derek HopperThe Islamic Reformation must be contained, not globalised.Some pop singer said “Remember that the people knocking on Europe’s doors are fleeing the same horrors that now cause us to stand still in…Nov 15, 2017Nov 15, 2017
Derek HopperVote Labour…If You Hate LondonArt and culture of the kind we associate with New York and London are present because of banking and finance. Every schoolchild knows that…Jun 8, 2017Jun 8, 2017
Derek HopperMeditations on VaporwaveIt’s kind of hard to remember what life was like before the world wide web. We work on it, communicate on it, socialise on it and shop on…Jun 6, 20172Jun 6, 20172