The viral Mike Bloomberg dance is fake, but you can still love/hate it
2023-04-07 09:19:12author：dointy.com
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The viral Mike Bloomberg dance is fake, but you can still love/hate it
The 2020 campaign trail is already taking a toll on my sanity, but at least there have been a few laughs along the way.
An overwhelming number of candidates are running, and for some reason they keep doing a bunch of ridiculous crap. There have been Yang antics, Biden malarky(Opens in a new tab), and more, all while an impeachment trial intensifies Trump's regularly scheduled nonsense. To say the end of 2019 has been politically hectic and stressful would be an understatement, but there has been one saving grace: the embarrassing campaign dances.
In November, a video of the "Buttigieg Dance" — a sequence of mortifying moves that Pete Buttigieg supporters set to Panic! at the Disco's "High Hopes" — made the rounds on social media. People loved to hate on the dance, and it wasn't long before another candidate, Mike Bloomberg, inspired a follow-up campaign dance. Except it wasn't from Bloomberg's team at all.
On Friday, Twitter user @nickciarelli(Opens in a new tab) shared a video of "Bloomberg Heads" doing a dance at a Mike Bloomberg rally in Beverly Hills. The dance is done to Maroon 5's ear-bleed-inducing banger, "Moves Like Jagger," and every time Adam Levine sings "Jagger" someone can be heard apathetically saying, "BLOOMBERG!"
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Much like the Buttigieg dance, the Bloomberg dance is painful to watch, but the difference between the two is that sadly, the Bloomberg dance is fake.
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Many people initially believed the Bloomberg dance video was genuinely done by fans of the former New York mayor because Ciarelli's Twitter bio reads "Communications Intern @Mike2020(Opens in a new tab)." A simple Google search reveals that Ciarelli is actually a comedian(Opens in a new tab), so this dance was just a gag. Even Team Bloomberg tweeted to clarify that Ciarelli is not an intern for the campaign.
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The fact that Americans were so quick to believe that a dance this bad was real may seems like an embarrassing new low(Opens in a new tab). But you know what? It's not that we're gullible. It's simply 2019 and we've seen so much stupid shit online that this very well could have been a thing that actually happened.
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The Mayor Pete dance was real, and look how foolish that was.
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The Bloomberg dance may not be real, but like the Buttigieg dance it's incredibly dumb. And sometimes you just need laugh at something dumb to be able get through the grueling months of a presidential campaign.
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The internet made sooooo many jokes about Trumps fake news trophy tweet
Perhaps the biggest bummer about Twitter's new 280-character limit is that it allows the current president to compose tweets like this one:
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On Monday morning, President Donald Trump hit Twitter to suggest a "FAKE NEWS TROPHY" for whichever news network he deems produces "the most dishonest, corrupt" coverage of his presidency. As usual, Fox was excluded from Trump's media rage.
In the same tweet, Trump referred to himself as the American people's favorite president with a parenthetical "(me)." According the most recent Gallup(opens in a new tab) poll, the self-described "favorite" president's approval rating currently sits at 37 percent.
Naturally the internet jumped all over Trump's first tweet of the day. Some even have a solid suggestion for Trump's proposed "FAKE NEWS TROPHY":
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Project Entrepreneur expands accelerator program to help more women entrepreneurs build scalable companies
Since launching in 2015, Project Entrepreneur(opens in a new tab) — a media partner of Mashable — has trained more than 1,200 aspiring entrepreneurs representing 131 U.S. cities. Its annual venture competition has yielded an alumnae community of nearly 400 women entrepreneurs, with the 2016 finalists reporting $10+ million raised in seed and pre-seed funding.
Now entering its third year, Project Entrepreneur (PE) — an initiative from the Rent the Runway Foundation and UBS Elevating Entrepreneurs(opens in a new tab) — is expanding the number of winning companies in the accelerator from three to five.
“We are so excited to continue working with UBS in providing women with the tools they need to create high-growth companies, and see their visions through,” said Jennifer Hyman, CEO and Co-Founder of Rent the Runway. “Past participants in our accelerator continue to inspire us with their incredible progress, including closing rounds of funding. We are eager to provide the next class of talented female founders with the tools and support they need to scale, and to see the disruption their companies bring to various different industries.”
PE's annual venture competition is open to female founders who are in the prototype or beta stages, have their first paying customers, or are generating revenue. The top 200 applicants will be invited to attend the PE Intensive in New York City on April 13-14, 2018, a free two-day event comprised of in-depth workshops, expert speakers and a pitch competition. The five winning founders will each receive a $10,000 grant, a spot in the five-week accelerator program at Rent the Runway’s New York office and mentorship and engagement with UBS executives, entrepreneurs, and investors. Founders interested can apply online(opens in a new tab); but don’t wait, as the deadline is December 1st!
Last year’s winning companies included: New York-based LOLI Beauty(opens in a new tab), the first BIY (Blend It Yourself) clean and green beauty brand; Scottsdale-based The Touchpoint Solution(opens in a new tab), a neuroscience wearable that alleviates stress by altering the body’s stress response in as little as 30 seconds; and San Francisco-based Lace & Liberty(opens in a new tab), merging direct-to-consumer convenience with luxury bespoke bridalwear. Two additional New York-based companies were hosted by The Knot/XO Group Co-Founder Carley Roney and designer Rebecca Minkoff: Repeat Roses(opens in a new tab), a sustainable floral waste removal business that gives back to people and planet, and Reboundwear(opens in a new tab), athleisure wear with a purpose, respectively.
“The caliber of companies we're seeing through Project Entrepreneur further validates what we've always believed — that there is an incredible population of talented female founders in cities and towns across the country,” said Lori Feinsilver, UBS Head of Community Affairs & Corporate Responsibility, Americas. “Being able to reach these women and provide them with access to resources and support that will help fuel their growth gives us confidence that we can indeed level the playing field.”
Visit projectentrepreneur.org/apply(opens in a new tab) for details on Project Entrepreneur’s Venture Competition, and check out PE’s resources including #theTools podcast(opens in a new tab), blog posts(opens in a new tab) and educational modules(opens in a new tab).
This article is part of a media partnership between Mashable & Project Entrepreneur. For more information, visit here(opens in a new tab).
Two people trying to run the same government agency makes for a really awkward first day
Revolutionaries, take note -- if you're planning a government takeover, please use high quality breakfast pastries.
That's a lesson that White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney(opens in a new tab) apparently hadn't learned when he stepped into the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau today. He was there to take on an additional job as the agency's director.
The only problem? The agency's acting director, Leandra English, refused to cede it to him, in the workplace drama of the decade.
As a Trump appointee, Mulvaney wasn't exactly welcomed at at the job, so he brought crappy Dunkin' Donuts as a way to "ease" himself into an agency he's expected to destroy.
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On Friday, Director Richard Cordray(opens in a new tab) stepped down, leaving English to serve as acting director. Last night, English filed a lawsuit claiming that she is the "rightful acting director" of the agency. English has asked the court to impose a temporary restraining order to prevent Trump from appointing anyone, arguing that she is entitled to her position under the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform Law(opens in a new tab).
Mulvaney brings donuts to his first day at CFPB. Couldn’t hurt. pic.twitter.com/BpKJ2nd1L0(opens in a new tab)
— Katie Rogers (@katierogers) November 27, 2017(opens in a new tab)
None of that stopped Mulvaney. On Monday, the Budget Director stepped into the CFPB, ready to take on his new job.
This is how English responded in an email sent to 1,600 staff.
"I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving. With Thanksgiving in mind, I wanted to take a moment to share my gratitude to all of you for your service,” English said(opens in a new tab), signing the note with her title, "Acting Director."
And that, my friends, is what we call a death drop.
Via Giphy(opens in a new tab)
Here's how Mulvaney responded:
“Please disregard any instructions you receive from Ms. English in her presumed capacity as acting director.” Mulvaney said(opens in a new tab). “I apologize for this being the very first thing you hear from me. However, under the circumstances I suppose it is necessary. If you’re at 1700 G Street today, please stop by the fourth floor to say hello and grab a doughnut.”
If Mulvaney, a budget hawk, thinks he can sway members of an agency whose jobs he's poised to eliminate with Dunkin' Donuts, he's out of his mind. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau(opens in a new tab) was explicitly designed to protect consumers from banks and credit card companies. Mulvaney once famously called the agency "sad" and "sick." He is not, as members of the agency likely know, their friend.
And dude, if you're going to try and win your staff over with breakfast pastries, at least go for something slightly more delicious than Dunkin'. Some suggestions:
Krispy Kreme
Entenmann's Coffee Cake
Savory bacon cheddar scones
Literally anything else
The case is currently being decided. In the meantime, here's Twitter's majority opinion on the issue:
We actually have two people claiming to be the CFPB acting director and this is *not* a romantic comedy where they fall in love at the end. pic.twitter.com/R80kPJdQrN(opens in a new tab)
— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) November 27, 2017(opens in a new tab)
Donuts were a big hit at cfpb. Like they always are. @MickMulvaneyOMB(opens in a new tab) pic.twitter.com/zgX5Y1Rlt3(opens in a new tab)
— john czwartacki (@CZ) November 27, 2017(opens in a new tab)
If there's a Trump strategy here, it's to sideline her as a CFPB messenger by starting round 10,000 of the stupid "Pocahontas" story
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) November 27, 2017(opens in a new tab)
what if i went to the cfpb with bagels and was like "i am your new king, follow me"
— Matt Levine (@matt_levine) November 27, 2017(opens in a new tab)
we should find out who is the real acting director by threatening to cut the CFPB in half
— Alexandra Petri (@petridishes) November 27, 2017(opens in a new tab)
Chef José Andrés, the man who single-handedly served 3 million meals to Puerto Rico post Hurricane Maria, had the best response of them all.
@CFPB(opens in a new tab) team members! i know is confusing. To have two bosses? Please bring a proof you work there to any of our DC restaurants and first drink is on us...
— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) November 27, 2017(opens in a new tab)
Woman posts video of crocodile attack, and it is heartstopping
Welp, this is a close call.
A tourist was bitten on the leg by a crocodile on at Cape Tribulation in Queensland, Australia on Monday night, while standing on a creek bank close to the waters edge.
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A Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) spokesperson said in a statement the crocodile was estimated to be 2 to 2.5 metres (78 to 98 inches) long.
A video posted on the Facebook page of Ally Bullifent shows the crocodile attack, which comes out of nowhere. It'll be sure to give you a shock.
The EHP said it would carry out a site assessment of the area on Tuesday, and will possibly target the crocodile "for removal" as it has displayed dangerous behaviour in a designated area. This means it'll be moved to a crocodile farm or a zoo, according to the Cairns Post(opens in a new tab).
For authorities, it also serves as a reminder about staying safe in areas where crocodiles might be around. Earlier this year, an 18-year-old boy was attacked by a crocodile while reportedly trying to impress a girl.
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Town crier who announced Prince Harrys engagement to Meghan Markle is 100% fake
England, with its quirky traditions and old-fashioned customs, is a land of endless fascination for outsiders, nominally for people from the former colony of the U.S.
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So it's understandable why a town crier -- with his elaborate, red and gold robed dress and tricorn hat -- attracted people's attention on social media when he was depicted in an ABC News video as he announces the news of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's engagement outside of Buckingham Palace:
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"Oyez, oyez, oyz!" He yells in the video. "Buckingham Palace is proud to announce the engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. God save the Queen!"
It can't get any more British than this.
Business Insider posted a similar video, calling him "the Royal Town Crier":
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However, it turns out the eccentric guy is not officially appointed by the Queen, nor is he a real town crier. His real name is Tony Appleton, from Romford, east London, and he's been making royal announcements for years, bell and scroll on hand.
In 2013, he fooled prominent American broadcasters(opens in a new tab) including Rachel Maddow and Anderson Cooper when he announced the birth of Prince William and Kate's firstborn, Prince George, outside St. Mary's Hospital.
"I'm a royalist. I love the royal family," he told (opens in a new tab)AP(opens in a new tab), while acknowledging he had no official royal role. "I came unannounced."
Still, many Americans fell for it:
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Cheeky theory is the best explanation yet for the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle engagement
News of the engagement between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle caught Americans' imagination just like any other story about the British royals -- births, anniversaries, celebrations, jubilees, and so on.
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'Town crier' who announced Prince Harry's engagement to Meghan Markle is 100% fake
But what if behind the jolly facade of a couple in love wishing to declare their commitment before God and the nation there's an actual conspiracy to reclaim a former colony, lost in a never-forgotten, embittered war?
That's the joke Greg Pollowitz, editor at Twitchy.com, dug up to explain the royal announcement:
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Meghan Markle is American, so the future offspring will be Americans! Da-daam! Boom! Mic drop!
via GIPHY(opens in a new tab)
It was just a cheeky tweet, but it went absolutely viral and people just loved it:
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There was the obvious Brexit reference:
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As well as the Trump one:
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Some conjectured a crossover between two incredibly popular TV shows:
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But in general the tweets reacting to the joke were just hilarious:
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While someone took it a bit too seriously:
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Dog, sick and tired of waiting in car, slams his paw on the horn
It will be a long time before America finally grants dogs the right to drive.
Until then, dogs will have to do what they can to keep themselves entertained. Take this pup, who was recently left alone in a parking lot in " target="_blank">Nanaimo, British Columbia(opens in a new tab), and slammed its paw on the car horn out of exhaustion. And then it kept it there. For a long time.
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The video was captured by Joris Wiggers and posted on Facebook by Elizabeth Herman(opens in a new tab). It's not entirely clear that the dog knows how to get his paw off the horn, but no problem, doggo, that's what driver's permits are for.
Arbys bought Buffalo Wild Wings, so heres what a combined menu would look like
On Tuesday it was announced that Arby's owner Roark Capital will acquire(opens in a new tab) Buffalo Wild Wings for $2.4 billion (or roughly(opens in a new tab) 162,271,805 orders of BWW House Samplers).
Per Reuters(opens in a new tab), though the wings restaurant will become property of Arby's, it'll still operate on its own.
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We think this is a huge mistake.
Consider the disturbing menu possibilities a marriage of Arby's meats and BWW wings might afford us.
Our suggestions for this menu full of abominations below:
A half-pound Beef 'N Cheddar sandwich dipped in Bourbon Honey Mustard sauce, rolled in Desert Heat seasoning and deep fried
An entire smoked brisket coated in Blazin' hot sauce and served whole on a bed of deep-fried Cheddar Cheese Curds
Potato cakes drenched in Wild sauce
Beer-battered roast beef tacos
An Arby's House Sampler, featuring 12 classic Roast Beef sandwiches stacked in a pyramid
A Crispy Chicken Farmhouse Salad dressed with Hot BBQ sauce
Boneless Wings coated in Cheddar Cheese sauce
A Corned Beef 'N Cheese Slider cut up into pieces and sprinkled over Buffalo Mac & Cheese
A Cheese Curd Bacon Burger with a Pizza Slider speared on top
Every Arby's slider stacked in a tower and adhered to each another with smears of Parmesan Garlic sauce
The pastry shell of an Apple Turnover, filled with the B-Dubs Blender shake flavor of your choice
A large Ultimate Chocolate Shake blended with a slice of Chocolate Fudge Cake and drizzled over a plate of Dessert Nachos
Cheesecake Bites
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Cops share photo of a driver that went a little too hard with their Christmas tree
Look, if you want to cut down a massive Christmas tree, and stick it up inside your two-story living room, go for it. But maybe don't endanger anyone's life in the process.
Police in Massachusetts put up a post on their Facebook page on Friday, reminding people to please transport their Christmas trees safely. They really shouldn't have to do this, but here we are.
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"One of our officer's stopped this vehicle on Route 20 today," the cops said on Facebook(opens in a new tab), posting a photo of what appears to be a Prius topped with a Christmas tree.
The tree is so large, it completely obstructs the view of the side and rear windows. It's not clearly visible, but we're also guessing that it wasn't tied down very well.
While the tree transport was outrageous to say the least, most people in the comments were upset that the police decided to call the tree a "holiday tree" instead of a Christmas tree.
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2017 was the year Congresswoman Maxine Waters was elected president of All in With Chris Hayes.
From the moment she declared that the director of the FBI had "no legitimacy" and then death dropped in front of a gaggle of shellshocked reporters, 79-year-old Auntie Maxine has had our blood loyalty. Every floor she walked on in 2017, whether it was in the Capitol or at the MTV Movie Awards, became her stage and ultimately, a property in her empire.
More so than any other "deplorable" president with a Ziploc bag of fleas for a brain, Maxine Waters was the de facto leader of the free world/MSNBC in 2017.
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Congresswoman Waters gave us so many viral gifts in 2017. Here are just a few of them.
1. The time she accused James Comey of having no credibility and then just walked on out
2. When she revealed that she was "never going to go" to Trump's Inauguration because, "I don't honor him, I don't respect him and I don't want to be involved with him."
3. The time she was asked what she would do once she was done impeaching Trump, and she replied: "Impeach Pence."
4. When she delivered MTV's first ever "Best Fight Against the System" award, did a plié, and got a standing ovation.
5. When she tweeted that it was time for our "racist throwback" Attorney General to go back "to the plantation"
Sessions doesn't remember what he said, when he said it, & where he was when he said it. Don't blame him. Time to go back to the plantation.
— Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) November 3, 2017(opens in a new tab)
6. Her "Bye, Felicia" moment
Tillerson's plans are backfiring. Russia sanctions still in place, State is in shambles, & he discovered his boss is a moron. Bye Felicia!
— Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) October 6, 2017(opens in a new tab)
7. When she busted out this stunner of jean jacket, rose pants ensemble at the Tax March
Credit: tom williams/CQ-Roll Call,Inc.
8. When she started railing against Trump and told a room full of supporters, "We've got to stop his ass"
9. The moment she just said it:
Maxine Waters on Trump: "I think he's the most deplorable person I've ever met in my life" https://t.co/25utCvqtAh(opens in a new tab) pic.twitter.com/pLADTiE9l1(opens in a new tab)
— The Hill (@thehill) August 4, 2017(opens in a new tab)
10. And the tweet that did it too:
Trump asked what Blacks had to lose. It was apparently healthcare, housing, college admission, & freedom after Sessions locks everyone up
— Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) August 2, 2017(opens in a new tab)
11. That day Bill O'Reilly tried to humiliate Auntie Maxine and just ... lol, sorry bro. She can't be intimidated.
12. When she "reclaimed her time" from Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin
13. So the internet did too
14. And the Women's March made "Reclaiming my time" the theme of a whole convention
Credit: rachel woolf/The Washington Post/Getty Images
15. When Congresswoman Maxine Waters finally passed on her torch to the generation that needs it the most.
These kids dressed up as Maxine Waters for Halloween to #ReclaimTheirCandy(opens in a new tab)https://t.co/BbSP1haf5c(opens in a new tab) pic.twitter.com/8jI1fHSw6W(opens in a new tab)
— Mashable (@mashable) October 31, 2017(opens in a new tab)
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Foodies, festival lovers, and wellness fans: here’s why Sun Valley, Idaho will be your next favorite vacay spot
So, you need a vacation. Who doesn’t? The trick is finding a place that has everything you want without all the crowds. The whole point of taking a vacation in the first place is to get away from it all, right?
You may not be able to point out where Sun Valley, Idaho, is on the map — but that’s exactly the reason you might want to check it out. Sun Valley has all the rugged outdoorsy stuff that you’d expect, like world-class skiing, gravel and mountain biking, rafting, and fly fishing, but there’s a whole other side to it. It’s also a bona-fide hotbed of restaurants, art galleries, outdoor music festivals, and other unique cultural events. With nonstop flights(Opens in a new tab) from six major cities including Los Angeles and Chicago, it’s easier to get there than you think. Once you arrive and feel your shoulders drop as you breathe in that fresh mountain air, here’s what to put on your itinerary.
Soak up the kickass culture
Fun fact: Sun Valley is the country’s first destination ski resort and a historic mountain town in its own right — but it’s also one of the best small towns for art. Sun Valley has over a dozen galleries and many of them are stuffed within a few short blocks, so hitting them all is a snap. The (Opens in a new tab)Sun Valley Gallery Association(Opens in a new tab) (SVGA) also hosts six free gallery walks a year and that’s a great time to see what’s new on the circuit.
If live music, theater, and dance are your jam, Sun Valley won’t disappoint there either. Take your pick from a lineup of performance venues, including the new (Opens in a new tab)Argyros Performing Arts Center(Opens in a new tab). This modern, high-tech facility hosts everything from international music and live theater to big-draw local events such as the (Opens in a new tab)Sun Valley Film Festival.(Opens in a new tab) Book lovers can catch a reading or lecture at the (Opens in a new tab)Sun Valley Writers’ Conference(Opens in a new tab). Past authors have included the likes of Salman Rushdie and David Sedaris and many of the events are held outdoors.
If you want to enjoy an outdoor music festival but the whole Burning Man desert-dust-in-your-eyes vibe doesn’t really appeal to you, you can catch everything from the classically inspired Sun Valley Music Festival(Opens in a new tab) to country bands and shows by artists that you might not expect to play a small venue at the Sun Valley Pavilion.
Hop on the wellness train
Sun Valley is a haven if you’ve been crushing it on your laptop lately and need to reconnect to your roots. Yoga studios(Opens in a new tab), organic food, and juice shops are as plentiful as pizza joints in New York City, but if you want a deeper dive, spots like (Opens in a new tab)Sun Valley Salon(Opens in a new tab) and (Opens in a new tab)Zenergy Spa(Opens in a new tab) will set you right. You can spend the entire day sampling the CBD massages, cupping treatments, and craniosacral therapy sessions.
Credit: Stellar Media / Visit Sun Valley
For the past 25 years, the annual (Opens in a new tab)Wellness Festival(Opens in a new tab) has also been a magnet for wellness experts from all over the world. The lectures and hands-on workshops really live up to the hoopla.
If your idea of wellness is a leisurely stroll in a beautiful garden, Sun Valley also has you covered. Check out the Sawtooth Botanical(Opens in a new tab) Garden(Opens in a new tab) and feel your stress melt away as you meander through the Garden of Infinite Compassion, featuring a Tibetan prayer wheel blessed by the Dalai Lama himself.
Bring your appetite
As if you need any more reason to catch the next flight to Sun Valley — the town’s (Opens in a new tab)food scene(Opens in a new tab) is seriously spot-on. Whether you're looking for a farm-fresh brekkie, some après-spa sushi, or post-concert vegan tapas, Sun Valley has an eatery to fuel your ambitions. You can always just order a football-sized Idaho potato somewhere and call it a night, too.
For the night owls and bar flies, grab a cocktail in the same town where Ernest Hemingway used to knock them back in his day. Wine lovers can hit up the annual (Opens in a new tab)Sun Valley Wine Auction(Opens in a new tab) and spend a few days partaking in vintner tastings and wine walks.
Sun Valley(Opens in a new tab) is packed with so many cool things to do and the kicker is that it still falls under most people’s radar. If you decide to check it out, bring your laptop because you just might want to extend your vacay and set up shop for the entire summer, because isn’t experiencing new places the whole point of this hybrid remote work world we’re living in?
Ciara and Russell Wilson nailed their Beyoncé and Jay-Z Halloween costumes
It takes a talented and ambitious couple to successfully pull off Beyoncé and Jay-Z Halloween costumes.
Many have tried and many have failed over the years, but as Halloween 2019 approaches, two people finally did the musical power couple justice: Ciara and Russell Wilson.
On Wednesday, Ciara revealed the extremely on-point Halloween costumes on Twitter. The two dressed as Bey and Jay, but really went the extra mile by imitating the outfits and iconic Mona Lisa scene from the couple's joint "Apeshit" music video, which was filmed in the Louvre.
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For reference here's the full music video(Opens in a new tab), and a GIF of the Bey and Jay moment that Ciara and her hubby used for inspiration. They absolutely nailed it.
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Ciara and Russell Wilson's outfits bear uncanny resemblances to the Carter couple's clothes, but they did make one change Bey and Jay's scene. Can you spot it? Instead of the Mona Lisa Ciara and her hubby posed under a framed photo of Barack and Michelle Obama.
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In case the fashion and video wasn't flawless enough, Ciara also channeled her inner Beyoncé and shared three dramatic solo shots of herself that have real Bey Instagram(Opens in a new tab) Energy.
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Great Halloween costumes apparently run in the family this year, because on Tuesday Ciara gave Twitter and Instagram followers a glimpse at her kids' costumes. They dressed as "The Jacksons," and their costumes are equally brilliant.
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Though Beyoncé has yet to reveal her family's Halloween getups this year, she's known for slaying the costume game as well, and will definitely be impressed by Ciara's efforts.
Kangaroos hungry for carrots and McDonalds are attacking tourists
It goes without saying, but feeding wildlife can have unintended consequences.
Tourists visiting the Australian town of Morisset have learnt the hard way, as the area's large, wild kangaroo population has been responsible for an increasing number of attacks on visitors.
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A stuffed anteater just took down the winner of a wildlife photography competition
The problem stems from kangaroos being fed human foods which are outside of their natural diet, causing them to be hungrier and more aggressive for it.
"There have been a number of reported incidents in which kangaroos have attacked visitors, in one case causing a very deep gash to a man's stomach," Greg Piper, a Port Macquarie MP, said in a statement.(opens in a new tab)
"In most cases they have been kicking out, clawing faces, and grappling with people, causing lacerations or significant scratching."
A local shuttle operator, Shane Lewis, told ABC News(opens in a new tab) that he wants more people to be educated about the dangers of feeding kangaroos.
While there is ample warning signage at Morisset Hospital, where people stop off to see kangaroos, tourists lugging bags of food to feed the animals have ignored this.
"The kangaroos see at least 2,000 tourists a week and they don't need 2,000 carrots or bananas and bread, chips and biscuits," Lewis told the news outlet.
"I've even seen some silly people feeding them McDonald's, KFC, corn chips, oats and there are some foods they are very aggressive for."
Lewis said a man who had just visited a McDonald's had his stomach "gashed open" by a kangaroo, who for some reason went at him, despite having no food in possession.
Piper said he didn't want to stop people from seeing the kangaroos, but there should be more signage -- in multiple languages -- warning visitors to not feed.
"The genie is out of the bottle and it seems unlikely that this tourism can be stopped ... there should be appropriate signage about not feeding the animals as well as advice that the kangaroos can cause injury," he added.
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Dogs are a treasure and this GPS will help ensure you never lose yours
The viral Mike Bloomberg dance is fake, but you can still love/hate it
The 2020 campaign trail is already taking a toll on my sanity, but at least there have been a few laughs along the way.
An overwhelming number of candidates are running, and for some reason they keep doing a bunch of ridiculous crap. There have been Yang antics, Biden malarky(Opens in a new tab), and more, all while an impeachment trial intensifies Trump's regularly scheduled nonsense. To say the end of 2019 has been politically hectic and stressful would be an understatement, but there has been one saving grace: the embarrassing campaign dances.
In November, a video of the "Buttigieg Dance" — a sequence of mortifying moves that Pete Buttigieg supporters set to Panic! at the Disco's "High Hopes" — made the rounds on social media. People loved to hate on the dance, and it wasn't long before another candidate, Mike Bloomberg, inspired a follow-up campaign dance. Except it wasn't from Bloomberg's team at all.
On Friday, Twitter user @nickciarelli(Opens in a new tab) shared a video of "Bloomberg Heads" doing a dance at a Mike Bloomberg rally in Beverly Hills. The dance is done to Maroon 5's ear-bleed-inducing banger, "Moves Like Jagger," and every time Adam Levine sings "Jagger" someone can be heard apathetically saying, "BLOOMBERG!"
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Much like the Buttigieg dance, the Bloomberg dance is painful to watch, but the difference between the two is that sadly, the Bloomberg dance is fake.
SEE ALSO:
Tinder reveals the politicians users talk about most — and, yes, AOC tops the list
Many people initially believed the Bloomberg dance video was genuinely done by fans of the former New York mayor because Ciarelli's Twitter bio reads "Communications Intern @Mike2020(Opens in a new tab)." A simple Google search reveals that Ciarelli is actually a comedian(Opens in a new tab), so this dance was just a gag. Even Team Bloomberg tweeted to clarify that Ciarelli is not an intern for the campaign.
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The fact that Americans were so quick to believe that a dance this bad was real may seems like an embarrassing new low(Opens in a new tab). But you know what? It's not that we're gullible. It's simply 2019 and we've seen so much stupid shit online that this very well could have been a thing that actually happened.
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The Mayor Pete dance was real, and look how foolish that was.
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The Bloomberg dance may not be real, but like the Buttigieg dance it's incredibly dumb. And sometimes you just need laugh at something dumb to be able get through the grueling months of a presidential campaign.
The viral Trashtag Challenge encourages people to clean up litter
There's a new viral challenge spreading across social media, and it's making the world a cleaner place.
The "Trashtag Challenge" is inspiring people on Twitter(Opens in a new tab), Instagram(Opens in a new tab), and Reddit(Opens in a new tab) to take a walk outside and clean up any litter they stumble upon.
To participate in the challenge, simply seek out a litter-filled area or overflowing trashcan, clean it up, and share before and after photos online using the hashtag #trashtag. It's incredibly wholesome.
SEE ALSO:
One overlooked way we can significantly improve our mental health: more nature
The hashtag has been around for years, and in 2015 UCO(Opens in a new tab), a company that makes gear for camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities, even started the #TrashTag Project(Opens in a new tab) to inspire people to work together to pick up 10,000 pieces of trash in the wilderness by October 2016. But the movement gained traction again over the weekend, and reposts that explain the challenge, like this one from @thescientistfacts(Opens in a new tab), are helping spread the word.
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As more and more people learn about the challenge, they've been sharing their own #trashtag efforts on social media. The before and after shots are truly an inspiring sight.
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The constructive, and even somewhat earnest social media challenge is a refreshing change of pace, especially after a series of dangerous viral challenges that have taken over the internet over the past few years.
Though some challenges like the Cheese Challenge, in which people throw slices of cheese on babies and dogs, are lighthearted and fun, others have the potential to cause real harm. The Bird Box Challenge, where people attempted daily tasks while blindfolded caused at least one car wreck in January. And who could forget 2018's infamous Tide Pod Challenge, which consisted of teens daring each other to eat the toxic, detergent-filled pods.
Let's keep the good viral challenge streak going, please.
YouTube Rewind is dead. Can Escape2021 take its place?
This year, YouTube is trying something new: a 24-hour, gamified three-part interactive livestream called "Escape2021." Like YouTube Rewind, the ill-fated annual video event that preceded it, Escape2021 celebrated the year’s top content trends and featured some of the platform’s most popular creators, as well as major artists like BTS, Blackpink, Doja Cat, and Olivia Rodrigo.
YouTube clarified(Opens in a new tab) that Escape2021 was not intended to "replace" Rewind, to which I say: tomayto, tomahto.
YouTube officially canceled(Opens in a new tab) Rewind in October, but the format died years ago. A sore spot for creators and fans alike, 2018’s Rewind was the platform’s last earnest attempt at a year-end video that celebrated the creator community while also wooing advertisers. Instead, it became a symbol of how YouTube had lost its way, jumping the shark to the tune of "Baby Shark."(Opens in a new tab) The internet burned it to the ground, making it the most-disliked video(Opens in a new tab) in YouTube history within a week.
[Disclaimer: The author worked as a consultant to YouTube’s Culture and Trends Team from September 2017 to January 2020. She provided suggestions around each year’s top-trending content but was not directly involved in the production of YouTube Rewind.]
It wasn’t always this way. Rewind was originally a celebration of all the things that made YouTube great, a joyous community year-in-review.
Initially a simple "top videos" list in 2010, by 2012, YouTube had debuted the Rewind format(Opens in a new tab) that would become standard: a recreation of the year’s top music videos, memes, and moments in vignettes that featured creators themselves. It was celebratory, self-aware, and silly. Every year, the budget for Rewind grew bigger, the production slicker, the references more robust. As YouTube evolved into an industry juggernaut and an advertising machine, Rewind transformed from a true year-in-review into a showcase of YouTube’s shiniest, least offensive elements, a commercial for the platform itself. That often meant its most colorful creators were sidelined(Opens in a new tab) in favor of sanitized alternatives. The number of featured creators ballooned, as did the inclusion of late night talk show hosts and mainstream celebrities.
By 2016, the video(Opens in a new tab) opened with The Rock and closed with James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke.
In 2017, YouTube faced an existential crisis: the "adpocalypse," a platform-altering debacle in which advertisers pulled their spots after discovering that they sometimes ran alongside extremist and hate content. To placate these brands, YouTube offered new filtering options that excluded wide swaths of content from running alongside ads. This change impacted the earnings of some of YouTube’s most prolific and beloved creators, who watched their revenues drop(Opens in a new tab) as their trust in YouTube dwindled. Then Swedish gamer Felix Kjellberg, otherwise known as PewDiePie and the platform’s most-subscribed creator at the time, made anti-Semitic comments and defiantly sparred(Opens in a new tab) with the Wall Street Journal. Advertisers fled.
As a result of this fallout, there was immense pressure on the platform to make YouTube Rewind 2017 as brand-friendly as ever. It opened with Stephen Colbert asking Lele Pons and Lizy Koshy, two innocuous Vine stars-turned-YouTubers, to tell him about 2017 to the tune of a "Despacito" and "Shape of You" mashup. The video featured at least half a dozen other Vine alums, including Logan and Jake Paul, and ended with creators smiling broadly and sliding through slime. There was only a single indication that YouTube was aware of the year it had endured: Kjellberg was notably absent for the first time in five years.
Pons (left) and Koshy (right) opening YouTube Rewind 2017.Credit: YouTube
As 2018 approached, it’s possible that YouTube thought the worst was over. Then, on Dec. 31, 2017, Logan Paul uploaded what is commonly referred to as his "suicide forest video(Opens in a new tab)," a vlog in which he encounters, films, and reacts to a body hanging in Japan’s Aokigahara forest. Paul, one of YouTube’s top-earning creators at the time, endured scathing criticism and fumbled through a set of(Opens in a new tab)apologies(Opens in a new tab). As YouTube scrambled to react, copies of the video appeared on the Trending Tab for a portion of users(Opens in a new tab). The site ultimately took more than a week to address the debacle in an "open letter" on Twitter(Opens in a new tab), which was widely derided. YouTube’s moderation policies were called into question, with long-time news commentator and YouTube watchdog Philip DeFranco opining(Opens in a new tab) that "YouTube is either complicit or ignorant" in the video gaining more than 6 million views before Paul took it down.
Before YouTube could catch its breath, Infowars’ Alex Jones twisted February’s Parkland shooting into conspiracy theory fodder. A video suggesting that Parkland survivors were crisis actors(Opens in a new tab) reached YouTube’s Trending Tab, further eroding public and creator trust in the platform’s ability to moderate itself at scale. June brought Tanacon(Opens in a new tab), August the much-publicized Logan Paul vs. KSI fight(Opens in a new tab). And then, on Aug. 29, Kjellberg posted a video(Opens in a new tab) playfully calling on his viewers to help him defeat a looming threat: the Indian production studio T-Series, whose YouTube channel was set to pass his own in subscribers. Kjellberg’s "bro army" waged an all out guerrilla war: hacking(Opens in a new tab)printers(Opens in a new tab) and buying billboards(Opens in a new tab) encouraging the public to subscribe to Kjellberg and unsubscribe from T-Series, in an attempt to stave off the inevitable.
The PewDiePie vs. T-Series campaign would last more than seven months, with Kjellberg admitting defeat in April 2019. It was not so much a battle between one of YouTube’s most recognizable, beloved, and problematic creators and an Indian production studio as it was an allegory for the end of an era. Kjellberg was held up as the last bastion of the old YouTube guard. If he succumbed, the YouTube we grew up loving — politically incorrect parodies, home videos, and double rainbows — no longer belonged to creators and the community that had built it.
SEE ALSO: T-Series finally surpassed PewDiePie in YouTube subscribers
PewDiePie vs. T-Series also highlighted the growing divide between the demands of advertiser-friendly content and creators’ ability to keep up. Large studios like T-Series could produce more content in a week than a single creator could in a year. Celebrities were opening YouTube channels with teams of producers and backing from YouTube itself. Plagued by burnout and worn down by demonetization, creators found themselves teetering on the edge of an uneven playing field.
YouTube Rewind 2018(Opens in a new tab) tried its best to create a shimmering highlight reel of a terrible year. The result was, as tech creator Marques Brownlee put it(Opens in a new tab), a "chaotic barrage of clips that’s really hard to watch." The video opened with a (much-memed(Opens in a new tab)) Will Smith cameo and went on to cover Fortnite, parody K-pop, and then pause for an awkward segment acknowledging a bevy of social issues, including mental health, Asian representation in entertainment, the "empowering art of drag," education, women’s empowerment, and "people who put aside their differences."
The flub led to an almost-inspiring unification of fandoms. PewDiePie fans were upset that their idol and efforts to defeat T-Series had not been acknowledged. Creators were upset that they had been portrayed as unbearably cringey. Driven by a combination of anger, embarrassment, and disappointment, they began to dislike the video en masse. They were eventually joined(Opens in a new tab)by(Opens in a new tab) the BTS Army, who were disgruntled after view count freezes and the removal of tens of millions of views(Opens in a new tab) from BTS music videos (a result of YouTube’s perpetual fight(Opens in a new tab) against spam views) complicated their streaming efforts and jeopardized their record-setting goals(Opens in a new tab).
Together, they made YouTube Rewind 2018 the most-disliked video in YouTube history. In 2019, YouTube returned to its list format and in 2020, they pointed to the global pandemic as a reason for skipping Rewind altogether. Finally, in October 2021, YouTube announced Rewind would not be returning and that they would be highlighting creator-made rewind videos instead.
So, is Escape2021 an improvement over Rewind? I think so. Ultimately, Rewind tried to be too many things to too many audiences. "The problem with YouTube Rewind," explained Brownlee, "is pretty simple: YouTubers and creators and audiences see it as one thing" — a celebration of the best moments on the platform — "and YouTube… sees it as something completely different" — an advertiser-friendly highlight reel.
YouTube can’t make everyone happy, and Escape2021 knows that.
Ultimately, Rewind tried to be too many things to too many audiences.
The event featured notably brand-safe creators and trends. Mark Rober made an elephant toothpaste volcano, with an assist from Mr. Beast, as a gaggle of schoolchildren looked on. Soccer fan content creators AFTV(Opens in a new tab) commentated a nail-biting marble race crafted by Jelle’s Marble Run.(Opens in a new tab) A very charming magician duo faced off in a test of their skills. And there were no less than four “Real or Cake” guessing games featuring Sideserf Cake Studio(Opens in a new tab). Most of these segments were accompanied by interactive gameplay for viewers in the live chat. This creator-centric content was offset by games and music video trivia highlighting artists like The Weeknd, Blackpink, Doja Cat, and The Kid Laroi. The finale featured a virtual concert with Maneskin and BTS, hosted in Minecraft. The tempo of the event was relaxed, even slow at times. It was beautifully produced and palatable and, most importantly, it didn’t feel forced.
Julia Alexander(Opens in a new tab), who reported extensively on YouTube for The Verge and Polygon from 2017 to 2021, and whose work is referenced throughout this piece, says Escape2021’s format makes sense.
"YouTube is at the point where their creators exist in their own infamy, they kind of don't need to be involved," she says. "If we look at YouTube's trajectory over the last five years, what they want to put emphasis on as a brand, it's just become much more music-focused."
A lo-fi scene from Escape2021. Credit: YouTube
So putting on a show with big artists and spotlighting brand-safe creators is a smart path forward. "That way, it's hard to argue YouTube as being inauthentic," Alexander adds. "You can argue YouTube is making an advertising play, and they are. But at the end of the day, that's still better coverage than what they're going to get out of Rewind [which is] simply, ‘It's cringey.’ And that's the best option."
According to Alexander, there’s not a huge difference between YouTube Rewind and Escape2021. "One is in celebration of YouTube," she explains, "and one is in recognition of YouTube."
As I contemplated the stream, and watched a giant knife cut into an inanimate object for the 10th time to reveal whether it was made of cake or not, I realized what she meant. Whereas Rewind sought to encapsulate the culture of the platform, Escape2021 seeks to capture the content. Creators represent a wild spectrum of perspectives and personalities; they’re complicated, difficult to predict, and messy in all the ways humanity can be. Content, on the other hand, is a commodity. Content can be controlled.
Whereas Rewind sought to encapsulate the culture of the platform, Escape2021 seeks to capture the content.
Still, Julia thinks it would be wise for YouTube to invest in a new way of celebrating all of its creators, even the ones that don’t meet its advertiser-friendly standards, "in a way that is not just a commercial on NFL Sunday." That’s especially crucial when Black(Opens in a new tab) and LGBTQ+(Opens in a new tab) creators report feeling that demonetization affects them disproportionately.
The question is, "What [do] you do that celebrates [creators] and reiterates that you are one of the few companies [providing them with] a good revenue split? Looking at those types of positives," she says, will be the key to rebuilding that relationship.
If you want to talk to someone or are experiencing suicidal thoughts, Crisis Text Line(Opens in a new tab) provides free, confidential support 24/7. Text CRISIS to 741741 to be connected to a crisis counselor. Contact the NAMI HelpLine(Opens in a new tab) at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email [email protected] You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline(Opens in a new tab) at 1-800-273-8255. Here is a list of international resources(Opens in a new tab).
Dataminr helped cops surveil Black Lives Matter protesters, report finds
Analyzing all your dumb tweets is big business, and for the big data company Dataminr that business just so happened to involve helping police surveil Black Lives Matter demonstrators following the killing of George Floyd.
So reports the Intercept(Opens in a new tab), which on Thursday detailed how the New York-based data company alerted law enforcement to protests across the country. Dataminr, which bills itself(Opens in a new tab) as offering a "real-time AI platform [that] detects the earliest signals of high-impact events and emerging risks from within publicly available data," hoovers up all public-facing Twitter data, quickly digests it, and offers customer-relevant insights.
When the customer happens to be police departments across the country, apparently those insights include tracking constitutionally protected activities like peaceful protest.
The ACLU of Minnesota wasn't happy with the news, and criticized Twitter for allowing Dataminr access to its data.
"Let us be clear: By allowing this practice, @Twitter is directly endangering protesters," announced the organization(Opens in a new tab). "These actions aid surveillance and risk exposing people to investigations, watchlists, and state violence for calling attention to injustice and exercising their First Amendment rights."
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We reached out to Dataminr in an attempt to confirm the Intercept's report, but received no immediate response. Twitter, on the other hand, had plenty to say.
"We see a societal benefit in public Twitter data being used for news alerting, first responder support, and disaster relief," wrote a company spokesperson over email. "Twitter prohibits the use of our developer services for surveillance purposes. Period."
Indeed, Twitter's developer terms(Opens in a new tab) are clear: "We prohibit the use of Twitter data and the Twitter APIs by any entity for surveillance purposes, or in any other way that would be inconsistent with our users' reasonable expectations of privacy."
So what happened here? Well, Twitter insists that the data pulled by Dataminr is all public — that is to say, only public-facing tweets — and as such is fair game. Which may be true as far as Twitter's policies are concerned, but that doesn't make the Intercept's findings any more palatable.
"Dataminr meticulously tracked not only ongoing protests, but kept comprehensive records of upcoming anti-police violence rallies in cities across the country to help its staff organize their monitoring efforts, including events' expected time and starting location within those cities," reads the Intercept's report. "A protest schedule seen by The Intercept shows Dataminr was explicitly surveilling dozens of protests big and small, from Detroit and Brooklyn to York, Pennsylvania, and Hampton Roads, Virginia."
Dataminr, for its part, offers a product called First Alert which the company advertises(Opens in a new tab) as "[alerting] first responders to breaking events, enabling the fastest real-time response."
An add for the Dataminr service First Alert.Credit: BLUELEAKS / DATAMINR
An add for the Dataminr service First Alert.Credit: BLUELEAKS / DATAMINR
It was the First Alert product that reportedly kept law enforcement abreast of protesters' movements — often, according to the Intercept, explicitly peaceful protesters were monitored in this way.
"We proactively enforce our policies to ensure customers are in compliance and will continue to do so," concluded the Twitter spokesperson. "We consistently hold ourselves accountable to rigorous standards, including third-party audits of key products and services like Dataminr."
SEE ALSO: Police used ‘smart streetlights’ to surveil protesters, just as privacy groups warned
And rigorous standards, in theory, are good. Practically, however, when your self-described rigorous standards allow for private companies to enable those who wield violent force against peaceful protesters, they become less so.
Hate groups are moving to encrypted online platforms, making them harder to track
Some hate groups might have been deplatformed from social media, but that doesn't mean that their bigotry has disappeared.
A new report from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) warns(Opens in a new tab) that it’s going to be more difficult for researchers to keep tabs on extremism as white supremacists and other hate groups move to encrypted online communications channels.
In the report released on Monday, the SPLC found that the number of hate groups in the U.S. fell 11 percent between 2019 and 2020 — to 838 active organizations. However, as the report points out, this doesn’t mean “a reduction in bigoted beliefs and actions motivated by hate.”
In fact, thanks to online platforms, many extremists no longer even need to officially join these groups.
“Online platforms allow individuals to interact with hate and antigovernment groups without joining them, as well as to form connections and talk with likeminded people,” reads the report.
The growth of both the QAnon conspiracy theory and the Boogaloo Boys movement are perfect examples of this dynamic. Neither group requires membership nor do they have an official organization you can join. Yet both QAnon and the Boogaloo Boys movement have been involved(Opens in a new tab) in real-world violence, and even death, in 2020.
“The insurrection at the Capitol was the culmination of years of right-wing radicalization,” said SPLC’s Intelligence Project director Susan Corke. “Most recently, it was the product of Donald Trump’s support for and encouragement of radicalized individuals and groups to buy into conspiracy theories about a ‘stolen election.’”
The storming of the Capital, which resulted in five deaths, was propelled by QAnon, a conspiracy falsely claiming that Trump is waging a war with a Satanic child-trafficking ring run by his political enemies. Many QAnon believers took part in the violence at the Capitol on January 6.
On top of that, white supremacists and other hate groups are becoming more spread out across the internet, making them harder to track.
Over the past few years, mainstream social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have come down harder on these types of users, banning them from their services. Right-wing networks, like Parler, have also been taken down by internet service providers, leaving some of these extremists without an alternative social media option. Instead, many hate groups have turned to encrypted platforms, like Signal and Telegram, which offer secure, private messaging.
“Trump may no longer be in the White House, but the white nationalist and extremist movement he emboldened and incited to violence is not going anywhere – and may grow more dangerous to our country,” warned Corke.
The fall out from recent extremist actions and the online platforms’ response to them has yet to be fully understood. The SPLC says it will be going deeper into how the encrypted messaging platforms affect researchers' work in tracking hate groups in a future report.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup, which kicked off this week in Qatar, has been ridden with controversy and criticism — long before the event even started.
This year's host country is under scrutiny for its history of human rights abuses(Opens in a new tab) and alleged bribery and corruption in connection with FIFA(Opens in a new tab), in addition to the conditions surrounding the event itself, such as the injustices faced by migrant workers(Opens in a new tab) (including unexplained deaths(Opens in a new tab)) responsible for building the World Cup stadium and infrastructure(Opens in a new tab). Meanwhile, Qatar's laws regarding homosexuality — same-sex relationships are illegal(Opens in a new tab) in the country, and punishable by up to three years in prison — have led to further condemnation.
SEE ALSO:
The Qatar World Cup is already going viral for all the wrong reasons
These circumstances have simultaneously placed in question the integrity of the global extravaganza(Opens in a new tab), along with its ambassadors and stakeholders. Qatar has been accused of sportswashing(Opens in a new tab), or the practice of countries hosting major events for the sake of cultivating influence, improving reputation, and distracting from a country's condemned humanitarian or environmental practices.
Notably, discourse surrounding Western hypocrisy(Opens in a new tab) has simultaneously emerged, and not only from FIFA President Gianni Infantino(Opens in a new tab) (who used his hour-long speech on the eve of the World Cup to declare European critics of the tournament hypocritical in their demand for human rights). Others have written of the complexities of engaging with the cup(Opens in a new tab) regardless of handing out criticism(Opens in a new tab), as well as football's documented history of priotising money over human rights(Opens in a new tab).
This ongoing back-and-forth, however, has not eclipsed the crux of the issue(Opens in a new tab) for many. FIFA itself adopted the U.N.'s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights(Opens in a new tab) in 2016, which codifies its responsibility to uphold human rights. The criticisms towards both Qatar and the governing body of football have resulted in various protests, both on the pitch and off.
Here's an ongoing list of protests being staged against this year's World Cup.
Germany players send a message
Germany players cover their mouths during the Qatar World Cup match between Germany and Japan.Credit: Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images
On Nov. 23, Germany players covered their mouths with their hands during a team photo before their World Cup opener, a match against Japan at Khalifa International Stadium(Opens in a new tab). "It was a sign, a message that we wanted to send out. We wanted to convey the message that FIFA is silencing us," said head coach Hansi Flick(Opens in a new tab).
The team's action came days after FIFA banned players from wearing rainbow armbands in Qatar(Opens in a new tab). The bands are a component of the OneLove campaign(Opens in a new tab), which was started by the Dutch Football Association to campaign against all forms of discrimination while emphasising unity and a shared love for football amongst fans. The band has no directly worded mention of LGBTQ advocacy, but is covered with an array of colors — like a rainbow — and a heart, akin to symbols associated with LGBTQ rights.
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In Qatar, many teams sought to wear the band(Opens in a new tab) as a message of solidarity with the LGBTQ community, while playing in a country that criminalises same-sex relationships. However, FIFA clamped down on it, citing the organisation's regulation on equipment such as armbands: "No item (of playing kit or other clothing or equipment or otherwise) may be worn or used in any controlled area if FIFA considers that it is dangerous, offensive or indecent, includes political, religious, or personal slogans, statements, or images, or otherwise does not comply in full with the laws of the game." This apparently includes OneLove bands.
FIFA asked team captains to instead opt for bands created as a part of its own "social campaign"(Opens in a new tab). These bands feature slogans such as "Football unites the world", "SaveThePlanet," and "NoDiscrimination".
SEE ALSO:
John Oliver takes a deep dive into the Qatar World Cup, slams FIFA
"We wanted to use our captain's armband to take a stand for values that we hold in the Germany national team: diversity and mutual respect," wrote the German team in a Twitter thread. "Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice. We stand by our position."
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Germany, alongside England, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, and other European nations(Opens in a new tab), backed down from wearing the bands but have expressed displeasure(Opens in a new tab). The German Football Association is planning to take legal action against FIFA.(Opens in a new tab)
Meanwhile, OneLove armbands have sold out according to their manufacturers(Opens in a new tab).
Wales puts rainbow flag on display
A rainbow flag with the Wales' blazon at the Al Saad SC in Doha during the Qatar 2022 World Cup.Credit: NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images
In a similar vein, Wales displayed rainbow flags(Opens in a new tab) at their training base in Qatar on Nov. 23, as a message of solidarity with the LGBTQ community. The team was also planning on sporting OneLove bands but were prevented from doing so.
Backlash against David Beckham
David Beckham during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 match between England and IR Iran at Khalifa International Stadium.Credit: Richard Sellers / Getty Images
Former England captain David Beckham is serving as ambassador for the Qatar World Cup(Opens in a new tab) — a role drawing criticism from human rights activists, fans, and celebrities alike. The backlash stems from Beckham's decision to be sponsored by Qatar for an allegedly whopping fee(Opens in a new tab).
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The Qatar World Cup is already going viral for all the wrong reasons
In protest, British comedian Joe Lycett promised to shred £10,000 (or USD $11,000) if Beckham didn't stand down from his role before the World Cup. The ex-footballer didn't take any such action — and Lycett appeared to shred the sum in a video posted online. In fact, the money was not shredded, as Lycett later revealed(Opens in a new tab), but instead donated to LGBTQ charities.
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Lycett originally praised Beckham(Opens in a new tab) for being a "gay icon": a reputation he held since the early 2000s(Opens in a new tab), largely thanks to gracing a cover(Opens in a new tab) of gay lifestyle magazine Attitude — the first professional footballer to be featured on the title's cover — and sprouting conversations about sexuality and football(Opens in a new tab).
"The fall of David Beckham's star has been fast and heavy," Attitude editor-in-chief Cliff Joannou wrote in a statement on Twitter(Opens in a new tab). "It’s a reminder that being an advocate for not just LGBTQ+ rights, but women’s rights, immigrant worker’s rights...and any human rights should not be lip service.
"It’s not a trend to boost a person’s profile. Human rights are not a fashion statement to be made to generate coverage in the style pages of tomorrow’s magazines."
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Iran players decline to sing national anthem
Iranian fans hold signs of solidarity for those protesting.Credit: Evrim Aydin / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
While not a protest against Qatar or FIFA, the political messaging on the pitch continued with Iran's team declining to sing their national anthem(Opens in a new tab) before their match with England. The action was in solidarity with anti-government protests in their home country; a string of protests have swept through(Opens in a new tab) the country after the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini(Opens in a new tab) while in police custody in September. Amini was detained by Iran's "morality police" in Tehran for supposedly not covering her hair adequately. Protesters have been met with brutal force in the country, leading to an imminent investigation by the United Nations' top human rights body.
In the stadium, Iran's football team was met with cheers and fans holding signs with the words "Woman, Life, Freedom". The team captain, Ehsan Hajsafi, told reporters(Opens in a new tab) before the game, "We have to accept that the conditions in our country are not right and our people are not happy."
This article will continue to be updated during the course of the World Cup.
OKCupid adds Black Lives Matter badge and profile questions about racial inequality
On Thursday, OKCupid announced that it's rolling out a #BlackLivesMatter(Opens in a new tab) badge in a dozen countries. Users can obtain the badge by answering yes to the question, "Do you want to support the #BlackLivesMatter movement by adding a badge to your profile?"
Since badges won't actually do anything to solve racism, OKCupid has also donated $50,000 to the ACLU, Black Girls Code, Fair Fight Action and the NAACP. The app will also donate a million dollars in advertising space to black civil rights organizations.
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How single people have been dealing with the 'sex ban' in England
In addition to the badge, OKCupid has added matching questions related to racial injustice and inequality. Users can answer whether they protest; whether it's okay to silently support racial equality; how they plan on addressing racial inequality (say by donating or protesting); and whether they find it important that their date supports racial equality.
OKCupid racial inequality questionCredit: okcupid
OKCupid how will you address racial inequality questionCredit: okcupid
In the past week, over 100,000 users have responded to the new questions. The majority said it's not okay to silently support equality, according to OKCupid's blog post. Seventy percent are protesting for racial equality.
This isn't the first time OKCupid has created badges and questions around social justice. They did so with supporting Planned Parenthood(Opens in a new tab) and marriage equality as well(Opens in a new tab). While the badge could be seen by some as virtual signaling, the questions do allow users to dig deeper into a potential match's commitment to racial equality — which is a step in the right direction.
Related Video: Want to donate to help the Black Lives Matter movement? Here's how.
