Rachid Zidine
Bio
French teacher in Morocco, BA in French Literature | Essays on language, society, culture, philosophy & anthropology.
Stories (12)
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The Counter-Intuitive Path to Happiness: Why Mark Manson Says You Need to Care Less, Not More
In a world saturated with self-help gurus preaching the gospel of positive thinking, relentless ambition, and the pursuit of endless happiness, Mark Manson's bestselling phenomenon The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck arrives like a bucket of cold water to the face. Since its publication in 2016, the book has spent over 300 weeks on bestseller lists and sold more than 20 million copies. Its success lies not in offering easy answers, but in delivering a brutally honest truth: the key to a good life isn't caring about more things—it's caring about fewer things and caring about the right things well.
By Rachid Zidine5 days ago in BookClub
The Invisible Government
By any conventional definition, governments rule nations. They levy taxes, pass laws, regulate markets, and enforce environmental protections. Yet in the 21st century, multinational corporations often exert influence that rivals—and sometimes eclipses—that of elected officials. Through lobbying networks, aggressive tax strategies, global labor arbitrage, and environmental maneuvering, the world's largest companies have become powerful architects of the global order.
By Rachid Zidine8 days ago in Journal
The Mirage of Separation: Why Autonomy Under Moroccan Sovereignty Is the Only Viable Path Forward
For nearly five decades, the dispute over the Moroccan Sahara has lingered as a frozen conflict—sustained less by the will of its people than by entrenched political narratives and regional rivalries. What began as a decolonization question has evolved into a geopolitical stalemate, one that has trapped generations in uncertainty and hindered integration across North Africa.
By Rachid Zidine13 days ago in History
The Mirage of War: How Algeria’s Generals Manufacture a Foreign Threat to Mask a Domestic Crisis
For nearly five decades, the dispute over the Moroccan Sahara has been framed as a regional liberation struggle, a question of decolonization, or a matter of international law. But beneath the diplomatic rhetoric lies another possibility—one far less discussed in official discourse inside Algeria.
By Rachid Zidine13 days ago in Critique
War in the Age of Globalization
War has accompanied humanity since the earliest civilizations, evolving in form but never disappearing in substance. In the twenty-first century, despite unprecedented economic interdependence and technological progress, armed conflicts continue to erupt across the globe. Globalization was once expected to reduce violence by binding nations together through trade, diplomacy, and communication. Yet paradoxically, this interconnected world has generated new causes of war and transformed its nature. Today, war is no longer confined to physical battlefields; it extends into cyberspace, media platforms, and economic systems. Understanding the causes and consequences of war in this era requires examining both traditional motivations and emerging dimensions shaped by information technology.
By Rachid Zidine16 days ago in Critique
The Long Afterlife of Colonialism
Colonialism is often treated as a historical event—something that ended when flags were lowered and independence was declared. But what if colonialism never truly left? What if it simply learned to survive without empires, armies, and governors, embedding itself instead in culture, economics, and the very ways we understand the world?
By Rachid Zidine20 days ago in History
The Ecology of Self-Destruction
Human civilizations often imagine their downfall as something imposed from the outside—by enemies, invasions, or natural disasters. Yet, as Jared Diamond argues in Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, many societies have played the central role in their own destruction. Through the reckless over-exploitation of natural resources, short-term thinking, and failure to adapt to environmental limits, nations repeatedly undermine the very ecological systems that sustain them. Diamond’s comparative study of past and present societies reveals a sobering pattern: environmental self-destruction is rarely accidental, and collapse is often the predictable outcome of collective choices.
By Rachid Zidine21 days ago in History
Capitalism as a Social and Ecological Crisis: Why Profit Is Destroying the Planet and Deepening Inequality
Introduction: Capitalism as a Sociological Problem In sociological inquiry, capitalism is not merely an economic system but a total social structure that shapes institutions, social relations, cultural norms, and individual subjectivities. While often defended for its capacity to generate wealth and innovation, capitalism has also produced profound social and ecological crises. From widening class inequalities to environmental collapse and the commodification of everyday life, its consequences raise fundamental questions about social justice, sustainability, and human well-being.
By Rachid Zidine23 days ago in Critique
Chasing Shadows: Why “More” Doesn’t Mean Happier
Last year, the World Happiness Report highlighted a striking pattern: even in developed countries where people spend substantial amounts on non-essential goods, higher consumption beyond basic needs does not significantly increase life satisfaction. Imagine Jane, a young professional scrolling through her social media feed: her friends flaunt new cars, exotic vacations, and the latest gadgets, making her feel inadequate despite owning everything she once dreamed of. This scene is far from unusual. Every advertisement, post, and billboard seems to whisper: “You need more.” Yet, the irony of modern life is stark: despite unprecedented access to wealth and goods, many of us feel lonelier, more anxious, and less fulfilled than ever. The promise of happiness through consumption is, in reality, an illusion that leaves us running in circles, chasing temporary pleasures that fade almost as soon as we acquire them.
By Rachid Zidine25 days ago in Critique
School as a Sorting Machine
Education is often presented as the most powerful instrument of social mobility, a neutral arena where merit prevails over origin. In Morocco, as in many postcolonial societies, schooling is officially framed as a republican promise: equal opportunity for all citizens regardless of class, geography, or family background. Yet, behind this discourse lies a deeply stratified educational system that systematically disadvantages students from poor, rural, and working-class backgrounds. Rather than correcting social inequalities, the Moroccan education system frequently reproduces and legitimizes them. This discrimination has severe social, economic, and political consequences, and it raises an urgent question: how can Morocco move toward a genuinely egalitarian educational system?
By Rachid Zidine25 days ago in Critique
Alone Together: The Quiet Loneliness of the Connected Age
We have never been so connected, and yet loneliness has never felt so loud. It hums beneath notifications, pulses through glowing screens, and settles quietly in the spaces between posts. It is not the dramatic loneliness of exile or abandonment; it is subtler, more insidious—a loneliness that exists even when the room is full, even when the phone vibrates in our hand.
By Rachid Zidine26 days ago in Confessions
Beyond Bars: Rethinking Prisons, Punishment, and What Justice Is Really For.
Do we need prisons? It is a deceptively simple question—one that exposes deep assumptions about justice, responsibility, fear, and hope. My answer is yes, but only provisionally. Prisons should exist, but only as a last resort, tightly limited in scope, radically reformed, and oriented toward a clear moral purpose: restoration and public protection, not suffering for its own sake.
By Rachid Zidine26 days ago in Critique
