FORBIDDEN TOPICS

In a matter of mere hours, I -- like many of you! -- will be far from the Internet/this impending East Coast snowstorm and happily ensconced with family/friends. Alas, we are at the tail end of a particularly contentious news cycle, which tends to make for unhappy ensconcements. In that spirit, and with all due credit to @rainwater_et_al (who unironically compiled a version of this list and sent it to his mom with the subject line "FORBIDDEN TOPICS"), here are some suggested conversation points to avoid over Thanksgiving this year:

1. Ferguson / Darren Wilson / Michael Brown

2. President Obama's recent immigration reforms

3. Bill Cosby

4. Marriage

5. Estranged or semi-estranged family members (add your own here!)

6. The liberal and/or "lamestream" media

7. The recent Republican upset in the House

8. Pope Francis

9. Money

10. Climate change

You may, however, feel absolutely free to discuss anything you find in the links. Onward!

1. Should your therapist follow you on Twitter? When Amanda Bynes suffered a mental breakdown earlier this fall, millions of followers clung to her every tweet -- not just because they were fascinating, in a gross rubber-necking kind of way, but because we all wanted to play the diagnosis game. As it turns out, social media could play a more substantial role in psychiatric diagnosis than we think. If therapists followed their patients on Twitter, they could learn all kinds of things.

2. Don't have a Thanksgiving date? Rent one on Craigslist! The online holiday-date-renting industry is, amazingly, a real thing -- and it's not just that "28-year-old felon" who's doing it. (The felon's name is, by the by, Nicky Schmidt. He's pretty hilarious.)

3. How slang terms spread online. It actually has little to do with geography -- and a lot to do with race.

Dunno if this is cute or terrifying.

Postscripts: When an art museum turns incubator. If the Internet took on the "first" Thanksgiving. Friends in space, wtf start-ups, and R.I.P. Racket Teen. How climate change could alter your holiday menu. How an app could save you from your drunk self. Ongoing mystery of our eon: Did Al Gore invent the Internet?!

PSA: Links is on vacation until MONDAY. (Crazy, I know.) In the meantime, safe/conflict-free travels and happy Thanksgiving.

See you next week,
@caitlindewey

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