Do you know your zodiac sign? As astrology continues to climb up the ladder in the hierarchy of things the internet is conflicted about, you might know your big three as well- your sun sign, your moon sign, and your ascendant. If you are familiar with these terms, perhaps you’ve already jumped on the wagon to discover the potential your birth chart has laid in place for you, a predestined fortune or misfortune.

As we experience our second year of the pandemic, we find ourselves fully immersed in internet subcultures, whether it is online quizzing, engaging in Twitter feuds, scrolling through reels/attempting to make one, or more recently, the realm of astrology which has witnessed an upsurge in interest, along with the associated field of tarot. One might trace this to the cultural shift towards online spirituality through which tarot readers and astrology have seen an increase in the audience either through elaborately crafted predictions, or statements like ‘

’ which has captured the minds of people who spend most of their lives online.

This shift cannot be understood without any context as such. 

 is the backbone of the internet community, 

 is merely a meek follower, depending on the former for content; most of the meme accounts on Instagram are just portfolios of edited tweets. Twitter is where the original jokes circulate, it consists of a host of witty people commenting on the latest meme-able situation, whether it be a ship stuck in the 

 fashion disaster. Aptly its tagline remains true to its worth- ‘

’ and if something achieves immense popularity on Twitter, it will stick, and right now 

So why is astrology so alluring to the average contemporary internet user? Most times, it is dismissed as 

 and there isn’t enough empirical evidence to suggest the correlation of one’s birth time and date with one’s personality, however, most of us know our zodiac sign, and maybe against your will, you also know the different character traits assigned to your zodiac sign. This primary but vital piece of information is all you need to actively start taking an interest in this cultural phenomenon especially as the associated horoscopes are widely available on the internet to use at your discretion.

Astrology is popular for the same reasons 

 personality tests are – it makes one feel unique and individual in a world where one is forced to reconcile oneself to the fact that one’s interests, motivations, likes and dislikes, and aspirations are shared by many. It emerges as a way to mark one’s personality trope and either ascribe to it unconsciously or find ways to go against it. Astrology makes you feel seen, it also gives you a justification for things that don’t go your way. This is explainable through the 

 which is a common phenomenon wherein people relate strongly to statements about their personality which they believe has been tailored to them when in fact the statements are vague enough to apply to a whole range of people (

 an associated field, closely linked to Romanian culture, which looks at predicting paths and futures for a person through a shuffle of different cards has also cropped up due to its proximity to astrology. There are a hundred different tarot readers on spaces such as Twitter and Instagram who even have their services listed with a fixed price through which clients can contact them and have their cards read. This is a source of income for many self-proclaimed astrologers, and they take their profession seriously, just like the astrologers of ancient times who were consulted to make important decisions. Moreover, it’s not just commoners like us who are believers in the positions of the stars as many celebrities and businesspersons also look towards their birth charts to release their album/movies, or go ahead with important business deals on particular dates, or wear certain colors and give significance to numbers based on the conjointness of both astrology and numerology.

“I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical.”

Therefore, astrology functions like a religion; it gives people a sense of purpose especially if it feels like one is not in control of one’s life. By consulting an astrologer, one can partially hand over one’s fate to the heavens and the planetary positions. This becomes all the more important in a world afflicted with a deadly pandemic, with increasing anxieties over layoffs and social relationships where people feel like aren’t in control of their lives anymore. Moreover, people with troubled relationships or those who are going through breakups are increasingly drawn to tarot readings because they have catchphrases and words which increase the vulnerable person’s conviction that their lover might come back to them, thereby functioning as bait.

 for the same reason religion has been – it is not scientifically proven and therefore nonsensical. However, one does not require empirical data to take into account belief systems, especially of those who aren’t from the first world. Refuting everything that is not scientifically proven is the bourgeois rational way of experiencing life; one need not bend to that, especially when many scientists such as 

 did not discard astrology, as has been said by him – “

We are born at a given moment, in a given place and, like vintage years of wine, we have the qualities of the year and of the season of which we are born. Astrology does not lay claim to anything more

The Ascendancy of Astrology – Written in the Stars

True crime has emerged as a genre that horrifies at the same time it enthralls and every person has tried watching a documentary at least once to see what the hype is about- this includes the recently aired ‘House of Secrets’ that made everyone sweat because of its supposed supernatural angle. Therefore what exactly does true crime entail? And why are we so enraptured by it? Especially when it involves destruction of life, of gore, and violence- something we naturally do not wish to happen to us.

Voyeurism is a director’s job description. It’s an artist’s too

, where we take sneak peeks into the lives of everyone worth documenting, whether it be through the glamourized façade of social media, or the multiple family reality shows, and documentaries made on the rich and famous. We live vicariously through their daily vlogs and highlight reels which feature abundance and luxury, but it’s not just the living embodiments of fame that have our attention, it is also the ones who have already been declared dead.

We follow them to their graves and our attention peaks usually if their deaths are more memorable than their lives. This is where true crime enters. 

 has been defined as a non-fiction – literary, podcast, and film – genre which examines an actual crime and its details based on real-life situations. They emerge as saviors to quench our thirst of curiosity for the most violent and gruesome deaths, or the ones which have pieces of the puzzle missing – pushing and prodding us to figure it out by ourselves.

The need to watch such documentaries are usually akin to a car crash you can’t look away from-a morbid instinct, psychologically explained as the high you get from a situation which triggers your fight or flight instincts but also keeps you at a relatively safe distance from it. Watching the horror that is recreated in 4k in the comfort of your living rooms, knowing that you are safe, is definitely an enjoyable experience even as you are fed the psyche of a violent criminal through his biography as well as a full account of the deaths and how they came to be. Several 

 shows have gained leverage in this genre including ‘

Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes

’ just to name a few; and one can also not go on without mentioning the most recent one, based on the 

Many of these shows attempt to recreate the happenings of the actual incident, or several incidents in many cases in order to satisfy the taste buds of true-crime fans, and there are even podcasts which are solely dedicated to discussing these stories at an alarming level of description. The shows may also include happenings such as school shootings, rapes, and terrorist attacks which increase the shock value of these shows. The problem that one encounters in the making of these productions is that they are often treading a fine line between entertainment and information and therefore are often subject to inquisitions about the ethics of it- the ethics bordering on packaging a person’s life and reducing it to their ghastly murder and gross entertainment value. Not to mention, there are names of the surviving families plastered over the shows leaving it up to people to search for them on the ever-available internet due to which they are harassed if tried and charged guilty by the public. Also, since the media consumed is never neutral in its course, there are going to be certain biases against the people involved if there are no perpetrators identified- such as in the case of 

These shows are often produced with a large budget in hand and that makes for very convincing theatrics; it can range from filming in actual locations, getting lookalikes for the casting, and even support from the police officers involved in the primary investigation. This creates a very realistic depiction even as the plot may be enhanced to supplement the interest of the audience, most often they tend to be.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile’

 have an elaborate storyline which can sometimes move the viewers into sympathizing with the protagonist despite his horrendous acts, especially if played by a conventionally attractive man such as 

 (through the positive bias from the halo effect). Moreover, as 

the increased access to true crime gives an illusion of greater involvement

” especially as there is an internet community dedicated to solving cases (or threads) on 

 made by amateur sleuths who take up digging clues in cases as their main hobby.

Thus, our consumption of true crime makes crime into a ‘

’- as elaborated upon by social theorist 

The spectacle presents itself simultaneously as all of society, as part of society, and as instrument of unification. As a part of society, it is specifically the sector which concentrates all gazing and all consciousness. Due to the very fact that this sector is separate, it is the common ground of the deceived gaze and of false consciousness, and the unification it achieves is nothing but an official language of generalized separation

”. Contextualizing this – the unification of the audience over an opinion over a crime scene, or the potential perpetrators is not actual unison, but is effectively manufactured through media.

True crime therefore, is a contested topic of discussion, even as it has negative consequences at most points, such as the insensitivity of playing rock music while portraying a serial killer responsible for the deaths of many, or leading people to form opinions at the cost of infamy of the surviving families or a more recent criticism being that it holds interest only when the victim is a white woman. However, it also helps in expanding our knowledge about potential perpetrators who can be prevented from committing such a crime if they receive help for their psychosocial abnormalities, especially if they have been brought up in a troubled or abusive environment. True crime can also make us aware of the dangers of our surrounding such that we are always hyperaware of things that could go wrong, leading us to take adequate precaution. This could be the reason true crime has much more of an audience amongst women as women are the ones who are also mostly victims of such grisly incidents.

 exist (yes, people eat mountains of food while talking about the dismembered victims of 

) for whatever reason they might appeal to a person on the internet, true crime is definitely a genre that has grown immensely during this pandemic which is unsurprising given the influx of new shows across streaming sites and people left with nothing to do while staying in and for that reason, and many more, it looks like its here to stay on for a very long time giving us a voyeuristic reflection ultimately of our own selves.

The Optics of True Crime

“In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau’s famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau’s, who is, in this critic’s opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau’s soon, hungry for more.”

 movie, famous for its romanticization of the city of lights, the charming accordion music, exquisite food imagery, and its depiction of the powerful idea that ‘

’ and by extension- anyone can do anything they put their mind to. But this seemingly family-friendly film also holds a dialogue around poverty and the culture that encourages its perpetuation.

There is a wholesome and warm-hearted message pushed forward by the odd friendship between the protagonist Remy, the rat with extraordinary culinary skills, and the awkward garbage boy Linguini, who is, by the most unfortunate or fortunate of situations put into the position of a cook that he has no relevant skills for. This leads to a convenient scheme between Remy and Linguini in which Remy controls Linguini’s hand movements by pulling on his hair beneath his toque and therefore the two can successfully pull off the artistic process of cooking at a high-profile restaurant.

This children’s movie as it has so been classified as is as simple as a good movie can get, but also has layers of messages threaded into its ‘bare essentials’ plotline. It develops on the tragic history of both Linguini and Remy being nobodies and suddenly acquiring the limelight through the hustle and bustle of the top-rated Parisian restaurant framed by the renowned chef by the name Gusteau, who remains pertinent as Remy’s imaginary mentor and encourages him against all odds, to cook- with no prior training, and more importantly, also even though he is, in essence, a rodent.

This overarching message has details so intricately carved into it that if one were not aware of the culture of poverty, one would probably miss it, as I first did, when I watched the movie in 2010, however, rewatching it made the message as clear as possible- Remy is a rat, and therefore is conflicted by his duties and loyalties to his rat family, and his passion for cooking for human tastebuds. This is a message that is pushed forward even in major films like 

 but what makes it so metaphorical is that Remy is not a human, and what are people who come from the lower classes of society often referred to? Maybe not rats, but some version of “

” in a derogatory sense and this sense of shame and humiliation is embodied by Remy. He is torn between his metaphorical class status and the dream he wants to pursue. The fact that he is demotivated by his father’s continuous rebukes and harsh reminders of his identity as a rat is not dissimilar to a strong sense of feeling which prevents persons from poor families from pursuing their passions, especially in unconventional fields.

The culture of poverty has been described as a “

concept in social theory which asserts that the values of people experiencing poverty play a significant role in perpetuating their impoverished condition

). Therefore, even as class mobility can be possible (limitedly) through purely economic factors alone, socio-cultural norms and expectations of one’s class status make it impossible to strive for better standards of living. The culture of poverty, as demonstrated excellently in 

Children of Sanchez-Autobiography of a Mexican Family

’ is a detailed life story and account of the choices that people who experience poverty in the urban areas are compelled to make, not because they are inherently bad or lazy people, but rather because they have internalized certain ideas of conformity to their class identity which makes it impossible for them to move on forward with their lives, and even if they choose to opt-out of the labyrinth, they will have to fight their own family to live differently.

Thus, the movie brings our attention to this in its subverting framework wherein Remy convinces his rat kin that he wants to follow his heart into cooking. His father hates the idea of servicing humans who see them as pests. This is no different from our society where the lower class may develop animosity towards their economic superiors because of generational wealth and privilege which allows the latter to suppress the former.

Moreover, getting into a specialized field often requires investment into education and the loss of a potential helping hand in informal labour that poor families are often engaged in, which is why poverty-stricken families are usually not in favour of the long-term results of proper education and may prefer short-term but economically sustaining minimum-wage labour on a day-to-day basis, and the other fields which require one to have social privilege and connections such as in the entertainment industry, business, fashion, and even in the culinary field are almost impenetrable to those from the lower classes despite the talent they may possess in the particular field.

Ultimately, the movie does see Remy triumphing by opening up a restaurant after winning the heart of a renowned and formidable food critic Anton Ego, to whom he serves a peasant dish- Ratatouille, which is also the name of the film. This dish brings back Ego to his humble beginnings and is also perhaps a tool to show how both Ego and Remy have crossed over certain barriers in order to achieve success. Therefore, there is a hint of class solidarity through the helping hand of Ego which ends the movie and leaves a sweet and lasting taste in the mouth of the audience, while also letting a bitter after taste sneak into the minds of the critical audience who know that it is not just the story of a rat fulfilling his cooking dreams, but rather the reality of many who will never get to fulfil their own.

Articles by Ashwini Gurung

The Ascendancy of Astrology – Written in the Stars

The Optics of True Crime

The Culture of Poverty in Ratatouille

The Ascendancy of Astrology – Written in the Stars

The Optics of True Crime

The Culture of Poverty in Ratatouille