Our weekly recap highlighting the best feature stories from around the internet.
The Red Peak flag, designed by Aaron Dustin. Photo: Facebook
Seeing Red (Peak): flawed processes, lessons from South Africa and perfect metaphors – by Henry Oliver, Idealog
“When you haven’t done something for a hundred-or-so years, you're unlikely to get it right the first time. So, we might disagree over our favourite designs, or whether the flag should be changed at all, but, I'm sure we can all agree that the process has not been a success.”
If You Don't Click on This Story, I Don't Get Paid – by Noah Davis, The Awl
“The question is, how long will the relative good times of getting paid to write on the web last? Even venture dollars are exhaustible. While a few sites will probably survive, the existing (and future) business models can’t support all the ones that are currently vying for writers and eyeballs.”
Censorship is alive in New Zealand. I should know: my book was banned – by Ted Dawes, The Guardian
“I won’t speculate on how all this will end, because my thoughts are for those boys I set out to connect with. You know the ones. They are the dudes who don’t read. Don’t succeed. Appear in the newspapers for the wrong reasons. And, instead of finding their place in society, find it in jails, mental hospitals and morgues.”
Why Wrestling Matters – by David Shoemaker, Grantland
“It’s undeniable that nerdiness has transformed from a stigma into a badge of pride in today’s pop culture, where everything is a potential source of nerdiness. You don’t have to look hard to find NFL nerds, beer nerds, hip-hop nerds, or car nerds.”
The Great Lesbian Sperm Crisis – by Samantha Allen, The Daily Beast
“Paula and Nicole know at least nine families in the province of Ontario who have used the same telegenic donor. What are the odds? Not bad, it turns out. In her study, Marvel estimates in the study that children born through donor insemination in Canada could have anywhere from 100 to 615 half-siblings worldwide in an extreme case.”
Ladies, a word about the ladies – by Margo White, North & South
“I’m okay with “ladies”, I think, at least in certain circumstances. Not so the “girl” word, though, at least when used in reference to women who left school, say, 30 years ago. Like me. I have a problem with “girls”, an intestinal-curling teeth-hurting problem.”
Hip-Hop Saved This Indian Rapper's Life – by Rawiya Kameir, The Fader
“Some of hip-hop's most enduring clichés are the ones that are truest—as an honest form of expression, it crosses cultural (and often language) barriers; and by offering a way to challenge the consequences of structural inequality, it saves lives. Those two threads are the crux of Bombay 70, a sweet short film that tells the story of an Indian rapper named Naezy.”
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