What’s in a name?

* Site launched on Sunday, October 15, 2006.

Olios is a miscellany, a co-habitation of various artistic, literary, and ideological views that articulate an in-depth discussion within both the popular and alternative culture.

Too often the presentation of a particular website, blog, or print venue is encapsulated within a single viewpoint or ideology. Left alone, that singular vision grows stale and repetitive, losing its impact when it's never challenged. Where's the fun in that? It's a monotone, mumbling into the wind. Why read something when you know what to expect?

We recognize the potential for social and ideological conflict. Our aim is to present divergent views with the intent to get past polarizing rhetoric. We approach current affairs from a comparative perspective and examine each topic within its social context—historical and present—in an attempt to dislodge the slogans and empty clichés that account for most of today’s public and populist dialogue.

But we're more than just a voice in the socio-political debate. We're also about music and the current climate of the indie scene. And about books, new and old in a wide range of genres. Plus the occasional deconstruction of film.

Olios forges the idea that our current and future cultural transactions provide the occasion to discuss their human context. We aren’t here to “preach to the choir.” With a reasoned approach to familiar topics, Olios will split the line between affirmation and the sweet glimmer of disagreement.