Our weekly recap highlighting the best feature stories from around the internet.
A fafswag ball contestant. Photo: Photo via RNZ
Fafswag: The artists telling queer Pacific stories – by Jeremy Olds, Sunday Magazine
“It has been tricky for those behind Fafswag to negotiate the rising popularity of the ball with their desire to keep the event authentic and meaningful to queer people of colour. There were bars and nightclubs keen to host the ball, but it soon became clear they wanted it for the spectacle.”
Tinder and the Dawn of the “Dating Apocalypse” – Nancy Jo Sales, Vanity Fair
“So where is this all going to go? What happens after you’ve come of age in the age of Tinder? Will people ever be satisfied with a sexual or even emotional commitment to one person? And does that matter? Can men and women ever find true intimacy in a world where communication is mediated by screens; or trust, when they know their partner has an array of other, easily accessible options?”
Chris Knox: Not giving in lightly – by Jess McAllen, Sunday Star Times
“The cheeky grin hasn't faded. It greets everyone on Chris Knox's daily walk at 8.30am. About one in 10 respond, according to a caregiver. Knox is charming and says 'yes' a lot – 66 times in a 22-minute interview. For this reason it's easy to think he's doing well, but three of Knox's friends phone before the interview, suggesting it might be wise to abandon the story. We are warned there has been no miraculous recovery, that a happy face can be deceiving.”
Old Asian, New Asian – by K. Emma Ng, The Pantograph Punch
“To be accepted in New Zealand, Asian minorities are made to work for their citizenship twice over: having been granted approval from the state, we must then diffuse our racial and cultural difference to seek approval from its dominant subjects. This is the part of me who got embarrassed when my parents spoke the odd bit of Cantonese in public, or proud when school friends told me I was different from other Asians. Internalised racism is a pretty horrifying thing to grapple with when you become aware of it.”
How to choose a flag – by Robyn Gallagher, Adventures in words and web
“A popular design for the national costume section was a black gown with a silver fern motif. If this becomes the flag, then all these Miss New Zealands (and the Duchess of Cambridge!) will suddenly look like they’ve dressed up in the flag, which is about the tackiest thing ever. And prior to this there was absolutely nothing tacky about their dresses.”
What Happened To DIIV? – by Patrick D. McDermott, The Fader
“If you ask, Smith will tell you about getting high. He’ll tell you that when tripping in groups, he prefers to drop the LSD a few minutes before everyone else so that he can be “the leader,” and he’ll tell you about a time he spent staring mindlessly at a wall for 12 hours straight after trying meth in Los Angeles. He’ll relay nerve-racking anecdotes about shooting up cocaine and cushioning the comedown with heroin, a sensation he likens to getting struck by a freight train and crash-landing in a pillow factory.”
Fucked Up Inside: My Death and Life With Spiritualized – by Craig Hayes, Noted
“Failing to take my own life didn’t spark any sudden or life-affirming epiphanies for me. And when I was brought back to life, I definitely wasn’t thankful to be alive. Far from it. I was emotionally exhausted, haunted by an abject sense of failure. And I was entirely unprepared for the consequences of not being dead.”
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