When Positivity Turns Toxic
Pick Of The Week – 20th January 2026
This newsletter is a curated cornucopia featuring some of the best of Medium and Substack, and the wider world, rumoured to exist outside of these platforms.
Please note that in view of the impact of AI on the writing community, Eco has a stringent “No AI-content” policy, and will seek to actively avoid any articles we consider to be partly or fully generated by AI, and not feature authors believed to be using it in this way again. We are fully committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. In support of our aims and objectives, 10% of earnings from this series will be donated to Greenpeace.🌈
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Ecosia; The Environmental Transport Association; Mary Grindeland; Writer Chick With A Ukulele; Adéla Valčíková; Rob Moir;
Pick of Medium – (advisory allergy note – may contain poetry)
Carlo Zeno is avoiding toxic positivity:
https://medium.com/another-fucking-publication/fending-off-positivity-c594eb486f44
Maria Rattray is clock-watching:
https://medium.com/reign-verses-raine/my-tidsoptimist-friend-remains-unrepentant-9cc3fd1035d7
Robin Wilding explores the world of insults:
https://medium.com/@robin_wilding/gen-z-insults-are-mind-bogglingly-acerbic-528244a74d69
Marya Khan shares some favourite jokes:
https://medium.com/the-humor-pub/my-all-time-favorite-jokes-to-brighten-up-your-day-aea5ad3280e7
Dt. Tinna experiences sisterly love that saves the day:
https://medium.com/women-write/%EF%B8%8Fno-one-else-would-have-done-this-bc9ef96547ef
Gary Martin reflects on the state of the UK-
https://medium.com/write-a-catalyst/is-the-uk-a-third-world-country-535880e67528
Tip of the week –
Mack Collier shares some top tips for success on Substack:
Pick of Substack:
James Fallows offers a quick guide to Greenland:
Rob Moir reports on efforts to prevent the deregulation of pesticides in the US:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-184831848
Kerala Goodkin shares an eventful year:
https://substack.com/@keralagoodkin/p-183838648
The wider world:
An environmentalist is trying gene therapy to save species:
Climate change is impacting on the behaviour of species most affected:
A new spin on the food debate as we appear to reach “peak vegan”:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/18/why-am-i-a-vegan-i-do-it-for-my-mental-health
Political News
Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown comments on the new world order:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/20/donald-trump-greenland-world-plan-leadership
Commentary on the crisis created by Trump’s ambition to annex Greenland:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/16/greenland-us-trump-diplomacy-european-troops
Some US transgender people are claiming asylum in Europe due to hostility in the States:
Conflict in the Middle East has spilt over into the Australian cultural world:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgm4jkwz2z8o
Not all Americans approve of Trump’s outrageous foreign policies:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/17/americans-on-trump-foreign-policy
Time to leave X suggests a commentator – a red line has been crossed:
This article warns of dangers of other nations imitating the activity of ICE in the US:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/19/ice-crackdown-britain
Owen Jones comments on the new “Board of Peace” appointed to rule Gaza:
Technology:
On the AI boom:
Crypto:
The perils of investing in crypto:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93w30gl5jno
Life Hack of the Week –
Dr Priyanka Upadhyai i shares her approach to being too busy:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-184099188
Health tips to make you feel better:
Tim Wiesnerer explains the Japanese concept of ikigai:
https://stories.bytim.net/ikigai-explained-why-purpose-is-a-process-not-an-epiphany-f0279a3eca96
On the value of more fibre in our diets:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1lze6n0e6mo
A little more exercise would benefit most of us:
Quote of the Week:
“You will never get everything done. The only question is whether you’ll spend your time on what matters most, or on what matters least.” ― Oliver Burkeman
“Writing is the closest thing we have to real magic. Writing is creating something out of nothing, is opening doors to other lands. Writing gives you power to shape your own world when the real one hurts too much. To stop writing would kill me.”
-From “Yellowface” by Rebecca F Kuang
Joke of the Week:
(Health warning – swallow coffee before reading)
I love Lebanese food but if I have too much I always falafel.
I was addicted to soap, but I’m clean now.
“A wife called her husband during his drive home: “Herman, I just heard on the news that there’s a car going the wrong way on Interstate 90, please be careful!” Herman said, “It’s not just one car. There’s hundreds of them!”
Exaggerations went up 1,000,000% last year.
My sensor light is too sensitive. It finds certain subjects very triggering.
Did you know?
Five fun facts about Greenland:
Greenland is the world’s largest island, but one of the least populated places on Earth. It’s larger than Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, yet has a population of only about 56,000 people, most living along the coast. Much of the interior has no permanent human presence at all.
Around 80% of Greenland is covered by ice, so heavy it reshapes the land.
The ice sheet is up to 3 kilometres thick in places and is so massive that it actually presses the Earth’s crust downward. As the ice melts, the land beneath is slowly rebounding upward.
Greenland is geographically in North America but politically European.
It sits on the North American tectonic plate, yet it is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, giving it an unusual mix of Inuit culture, Nordic governance, and Arctic geography.
Greenland has weeks of total darkness, and weeks of uninterrupted daylight. North of the Arctic Circle, the sun does not rise at all for part of the winter and does not set for part of the summer. In some towns, the sun stays above the horizon for over two months straight.
Greenland was named to attract settlers, not to describe reality.
The name is widely believed to have been a piece of early marketing by the Viking explorer Erik the Red, intended to make the land sound appealing to potential settlers, despite its harsh climate and icy terrain.
Word of the Week:
trivet – an iron tripod or bracket for a cooking pot or kettle to stand on; a small plate placed under a hot serving dish to protect a table or surface.
Clip of the Week:
The founder of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales explains where its name came from:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cql4076kyzeo
Parakeets feed on a barn wall:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c99km49ejjeo
As always, thank you for reading, and enjoy your day.
Editor’s comment: It is noted that the authors featured above have not consented in advance to their inclusion - I have assumed that authors appreciate a mention and sharing of your work – but if you do not wish to be featured please let me know and apologies.
Happy Tuesday evening, John
Exaggerations went up 1,000,000% - finally, a statistic I can trust lol
Thank you for putting this together.