Best of 2023

 5) Werewolves - My Enemies Look and Sound Like Me

When I first started my job at a tech company I remember the "ice breaker" question was, "What is the weirdest food you've ever had?" At a certain point leadership at the company determined this question was too divisive, that the word "weird" made people feel less included.

I can't help but think we're losing something by taming our conversations in this way. "Weird" isn't a negative word in my opinion, our weirdness should be held close to our heart and shared whenever a person feels comfortable doing so, sometimes even when they feel uncomfortable doing so, as long as it comes from somewhere honest.

Werewolves pushes this idea to the extreme because the only word that comes to mind listening to this record is "hatred." Are there still avenues where we can express true hatred? Is hatred even a valid emotion anymore? Fuck yes is my answer. If you have a good reason to hate, go ahead and hate and share your hatred. Say something aggressive. If it turns out what you've said is too offensive for your given audience they'll let you know by ousting you from their community. This is how I believe society should work, a collection of honest people expressing themselves freely and grouping based on tribal biases. Self-censoring is lying, it's insulting your audience by pre-emptively deciding they can't handle the truth.

People aren't born weak, they are either sliced into something paper thin, or layered in armor. Werewolves is a reminder that true uncensored expression still exists and anyone who isn't afraid of the extremes of emotion should give it a spin. Those more interested in inclusivity and not ruffling feathers should avoid this one, and by extension avoid me.