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Coincidentally, I also stumbled across this book lying on a table at the B&N this afternoon. It examines the history of government secrecy: what gets classified, why, and how it impoverishes our culture.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/545793/the-declassification-engine-by-matthew-connelly/

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This is really interesting. I've been watching a lot of paranormal documentaries recently. One of the best was Seth Breedlove's ON THE TRAIL OF THE LAKE MICHIGAN MOTHMAN, which featured several interviews with a folklorist, who studies oral traditions of all sorts, and who made keen observations about how audience attention shapes stories (consciously or not).

https://www.avclub.com/film/reviews/on-the-trail-of-the-lake-michigan-mothman-2021

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