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In a 140-character environment, nuance is often a casualty. The Ideation Project is a creative adventure, with the aim of taking a bigger picture view on newsworthy issues and culture, with the goal of asking questions and starting conversations. The Ideation Project is a new media creative project that features all original words, music, recording and production by Jian Ghomeshi. The content covers a variety of topics from politics to philosophy to pop culture and the human condition.
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In an accelerated world consumed in crisis and knee-jerk outrage, it is possible to press pause and refrain before judgment? Jian ponders the chances of gaining perspective when moderation has become an antique, and urging cooler heads is interpreted as inaction.For more ideations check out TheIdeationProject.com.Words, original music, recording an…
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WH Press Secretary Sean Spicer has been heard to say "Eye-ran" and "Eye-ranians" when speaking of Iran. Is this is just an innocent alternative pronunciation or are there social and political implications to the way names are said? Jian explores how alt-pronunciations like "Eye-talian", "Ay-rab" and "Eye-ran" can been used as pejoratives, and as a …
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How do our dwindling attention spans affect the way we experience music? On its 50th anniversary, the Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is widely considered to be a classic. But would we hear it the same way if it debuted today? Jian explores the impact of attention spans on how we experience art. For more ideations check out TheIdeatio…
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A metonymy is a word that stands in for another word that it is associated with. But what happens in our current era of shorthand, when a metonymy is used to stand in for the caricatured traits and actions of entire groups of people? Jian explores the way in which words like "Muslims" and "Mexicans" have been used to advance social stereotypes in t…
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Can we break our smartphone addiction? And what happens if we don't? On the tenth anniversary of the iPhone, we are a society addicted to social media and our smartphones - and it's messing with our heads. Fear of missing out ("FOMO") has already been a popular discussion point in the last couple of years, but new studies underscore how FOMO is hav…
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We all know Yoda as a little green fountain of genius and accumulated knowledge. And we accept that his wisdom comes with his advanced age. And yet, we don't always treat elders in the real world with the same respect. Jian explores the current pattern of dismissing seniors in contemporary western society with Yoda as metaphor for why we should sho…
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In the movies, predictable is boring. In real life, a lack of consistency at the highest levels of a super power is daunting. Jian explores the chaotic and fast-paced nature of the new Trump world and yearns for a global reality with less political earthquakes and daily bombshells. For more ideations check out http://TheIdeationProject.com.Words, o…
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How scared should we be? We live in a new age of anxiety where multifaceted global industries benefit from fearmongering. But there are also dangers too significant to assume exaggeration. Jian explores the nature of alarmism, a dearth of trusted sources, and the implications of a world increasingly governed by fear.For more ideations check out htt…
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What does it mean when we mourn for the loss of someone who never existed? Drawing from the recent death of popular figures in this season's TV series finales, Jian explores how our growing attachment to fictional characters is connected to the increasing loneliness and social emptiness we experience in a screen-dominated world.For more ideations c…
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It's a time of momentous events in the world, worthy of deep concern. But the combination of accelerated news, the internet, media competition, and Trump pronouncements has led a ubiquity of dire proclamations. Is CNN "Breaking News" broken? Jian explores the ideation that if all stories are delivered with the same hysterical fervour, it is harder …
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What does it mean to truly embrace our impermanence? In the latest ideation, an ode to Prince, Jian explores the idea of mortality. The anniversary of the death of Prince, and other cultural giants like David Bowie and Leonard Cohen, reminds us that no one is eternal. But we also learn that we can seize this moment to evolve, and to celebrate examp…
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Social media and the culture of outrage have created the conditions where we reflexively pick sides and rush to judgment in a binary debate – no shades in the middle. What happens to perspective when the world has become a screaming match?For more ideations check out http://TheIdeationProject.com.Original music, recording and production by Jian Gho…
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In this era of globalization and migration, we are increasingly a world of transplanted beings. But if we belong everywhere, we’re just a step away from belonging nowhere. And scapegoating and xenophobia affect our concept of home. Jian explores the question of what it means to be building a planet of exiles.For more ideations check out http://TheI…
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